IFAF World Flag 2026 Men’s Group D: Italy, France, Great Britain, Panama
Group D features the fourth and fifth-ranked nations in the world in Italy and France and a third European threat in Great Britain and they are joined by Panama, the 2021 bronze medalists.
Italy made a statement last year with an impressive Euro Flag 2025 continental championships title as they eliminated Great Britain in the semifinals. They will be looking for revenge from the 2024 IFAF world championships where France edged Italy 46-40 in the battle for fifth place.
“Our main identity, I would say, is just picking teams apart, taking what they give us, and then when there’s an opportunity, we’re not afraid to go deep,” says Italy quarterback Luke Zahradka of his team’s mindset heading into the tournament. “We’re probably going down the field and using three or four downs to get a first down or to score a touchdown.”
France knocked Great Britain out of the playoffs at the 2024 IFAF World Championships in Finland in a thrilling 37-36 win and also beat GB to claim bronze at Euro Flag 2025.
Panama’s last meeting with Italy was a 45-40 bronze medal win in 2021 in Israel as they recorded a highest-ever finish and claimed their only medal at an IFAF world championship.
The Basics:
Italy won bronze at the 2010 IFAF world championship and at the 2014 event on home soil, beating Canada on both occasions. Group winners at the 2021 world championships in Israel, Italy beat Austria in the quarterfinals before an agonizing one-point loss to Mexico in the semis and a bronze medal game defeat to Panama by five points. They are the reigning IFAF Euros 2025 champions.
France’s men are the third-most decorated nation in IFAF Flag Football World Championship history behind only the United States in Austria. The nation’s lone world title came in Korea in 2006 when Denmark was defeated 46-32 in the gold medal game. That success followed a pair of bronze medal wins at the first two world events in 2002 and 2004. The last French medal was a third bronze in 2008 when the United States was destroyed 45-0.
Great Britain rebounded from finishing tenth at the world championships two years ago to emerge as something of a surprise package at Euro Flag 2025 where they finished second in group play to eventual finalist Austria. Having beaten Denmark to reach the semifinals GB suffered a loss to Italy, who went on to win the championship, and finished fourth overall after close bronze medal game defeat to host France.
Panama boasts an IFAF world championships bronze medal finish from 2021 when current USA head coach Jorge Cascudo was at the helm. In 2024 they slipped to 13th place having been knocked out in the Round of 16 by eventual third place finisher and surprise package Switzerland. Panama debuted at the IFAF Flag Football World Championships in 2012.
