Women’s flag football has a new world number one.
Crowned champions of The World Games in August and the IFAF Americas Flag 2025 a month later, Mexico has earned top spot in the 2025 IFAF Flag Football World Rankings.
Quarterback Diana Flores found receiver Victoria Chavez in the end zone as time expired in the gold medal game at The World Games in Chengdu, China, to retain the title and beat the United States. The Americans were also beaten by Mexico in the semifinals of the continental championships in Panama and fall to second place in the world rankings.
The men’s top three remains the same with the United States still ahead of Europe’s top-ranked men’s nation Austria in second place and Mexico in third. Italy’s reward for being crowned European champions is a climb of two places to fourth overall.
The 2025 IFAF world rankings determined the group placings for the 2026 IFAF World Flag to be played at the Düsseldorf Flag Football Complex in Germany from August 13-16.
IFAF calculates world rankings using a tailored variation of a formula known as the Elo Rating System, adaptations of which are used by many sporting organizations and events around the world.
Ranking points are allocated from official IFAF tournaments - IFAF World Championships, The World Games, and IFAF Continental Championships – but not from friendly games. The World Games is included because qualifying is meritocratic.
There was a 48% overall increase (+ 51% for the men and +45% for the women) in teams holding IFAF World Rankings since 2022 – the year flag football was confirmed on the programme of the LA28 Olympic Games. A record 59 men’s and 45 women’s countries now boast world rankings at the end of a year that saw an unprecedented 101 senior national teams participate in IFAF Continental competition across four events.
“These new world rankings aptly reflect another record-breaking year for international flag football, setting the stage for 2026 in the most spectacular way,” said IFAF President Pierre Trochet. “It’s thrilling to see the new nations, ambition and investment driving competition to new levels as we all look forward to flag football’s Olympic debut in 2028.”
IFAF Women’s Flag Football World Rankings – The Movers and Shakers
Great Britain rises two places to third overall behind Mexico and USA having defended its IFAF Euro Flag crown while winning every game. Canada also climbs two spots to fourth place, while Japan and Austria each drop two places to fifth and sixth respectively.
Australia climbs up to tenth place having won the IFAF Oceania continental championships, while previously unranked China enters the rankings for the first time at 18th having won both the Asia and Asia-Oceania continental titles this year. IFAF Africa Flag 2025 champion and the continent’s representative at the IFAF world championships Nigeria debuts in 29th place.
“Being ranked number one in the world is an incredible honor for our team and Mexico,” said Mexico quarterback Diana Flores. “What we achieved this year—becoming double gold medalists at The World Games, the biggest stage in flag football’s history, and becoming Continental Champions in the same year—is truly unprecedented. It reflects years of work, sacrifice, and the unbreakable spirit that defines us. More than anything, it reminds us of our responsibility to continue raising the standard for our sport.”
The top 12 women’s teams in the world will be among the 16 nations competing at IFAF World Flag in Düsseldorf.
The full rankings can be found at the IFAF website.
IFAF Men’s Flag Football World Rankings – The Movers and Shakers
While USA, Austria and Mexico hold fast in the top three and Italy claims fourth place, Australia are the biggest movers with an impressive climb of eight places up to eighth overall. Australia won every game and both gold medals at the Oceania and combined Asia-Oceania championships.
IFAF World Flag-bound Switzerland, Canada and Great Britain climb up the rankings following their continental performances, while two previously unranked teams Nigeria and American Samoa, enter at 32nd and 33rdrespectively having qualified for the 2026 event.
The top 13 men’s teams in the world will be among the 16 nations competing at IFAF World Flag in Düsseldorf.
The full rankings can be found at the IFAF website.
Rankings notes:
- The IFAF World Rankings reflect performances in the present year and the prior two years, so in this instance 2025, 2024 and 2023.
- Entering a new cycle, nations that have participated in prior tournaments receive ratings weighted on a sliding scale between 1500 points and 1100 points based on success on the flag football field.
- Each new team entering competition receives a default rating of 1000 points.
- Competition play awards 400 points for a win, minus-400 points for a loss, and zero points for a draw, which is added to an opponent’s weighted or new rating points.
- Once all games are completed, a team’s sub-total is calculated and divided by the number of games played.
- A nation’s original own weighted rating points for that year are then added to provide a final total for the current year.
- Additional points are awarded for winning Gold (1200 points), Silver (900 points), Bronze (750 points) and finishing fourth (600 points), fifth (500), sixth (400), seventh (300), and eighth (200) at the IFAF Flag Football World Championships.
- Additional points are awarded for winning Gold (700 points), Silver (500 points), Bronze (300 points) and finishing fourth (150 points) at IFAF Continental Championships and The World Games.
- Teams that do not participate in IFAF championships are docked 400 points in that competition year to ensure nations do not hold an inflated points rating by not competing and do not receive their own weighted points.
- Three-year-old points are halved and all points from prior years are deleted.
Photo: Ernesto Campuzano
