Preparation for IFAF World Flag 2026 stepped up a level at the weekend for a several men’s and women’s national teams aiming to make their mark in Düsseldorf this summer.

IFAF world number one ranked women’s team Mexico and the host of the world championships Germany were welcomed to Vienna by Euro Flag 2025 runners up Austria for a series of combined practices and scrimmages. On the men’s side, world number two Austria, fellow European contenders Germany and Great Britain and historical European powerhouse Denmark faced off.

The Footballzentrum Ravelin saw series of games which for many will be the last opportunity to line up against world class opposition before competing for gold and LA28 Olympic Games qualification from August 13 to 16.

Mexico and Germany’s women did not play each other because they will meet in Group A in Düsseldorf. In the men’s mini tournament, Austria and Mexico each defeated Great Britain and Denmark and met in a final game to conclude the weekend.

“The games against Mexico demonstrated that we are not only capable of competing with the best team in the world, but also of defeating them,” said Austria women’s head coach Robert Riedl. “This realization is invaluable, particularly from a mental standpoint. The games against Germany showed that they are currently further along in their preparations and have already reached a very high level of performance.

“Competing against top international opposition provided us with numerous valuable insights that we will address in our upcoming training camps. At the same time, these games gave our less experienced players the ideal opportunity to gain international experience and prove themselves on this stage. Overall, the weekend was an outstanding success, both in terms of our on-field performance and our continued development. It represented another important step on our journey toward the IFAF World Championships in Düsseldorf this August.

Austria men’s head Michael Salamon said: “The camp was a success on several levels. The feedback we received, as well as the willingness of teams to travel to Austria, clearly shows that we have built a very strong sporting reputation. The level of competition, both within our own team and against the other nations, was extremely valuable for our development, especially as we once again had several new players in the squad.

“Since this was only our second full camp, we were naturally still able to identify a number of areas where we need to improve. Mexico in particular demonstrated that we have to perform at our highest level consistently. However, when we are able to play to our full potential, we absolutely belong among this group of top nations.”