IFAF World Flag 2026 Women’s Group C: Great Britain, Austria, France, China
Does group C deserve to be dubbed the ‘group of death’?
Double IFAF European champion Great Britain is pooled with an Austrian team they beat in overtime last year and that finished fourth at the worlds in 2024. France has pushed both nations close in recent continental championships and China burst onto the flag football scene with a promising showing at The World Games and a gold medal grab at the 2025 Asia-Oceania tournament.
“I actually I think our group top to bottom is probably the toughest overall,” says China head coach Patrick Alley. “Even though it doesn’t have the USA or Mexico at the top of it, it still has such experience and we don’t have anybody that I would just consider a win. Now, we’re going to have to beat everybody and they’re all really, really good.”
Great Britain can point to the fact they beat all three of their Group C opponents in competition in 2025, though those successes will no doubt cause Austria, France and China to seek revenge. China will take on France for the first time.
Austria beat Great Britain at The World Games but was defeated in overtime at Euro Flag 2025. After a 27-27 regulation time tie, GB went ahead by seven points then Austria scored a touchdown in reply. Rather than level the contest, Austria went for two potential game-winning points but were denied by Marta Mathews.
China was beaten 34-13 as Great Britain took fifth place at The World Games, while France fell in the semifinals of Euro Flag 2025 to a touchdown and a two-point conversion with less than a minute remaining in a close 27-21 game.
Austria last faced France in a loss at Euro Flag 2023 and fought back late in the game to beat China 47-45 in the group stages of The World Games.
“In my eyes, our group is very balanced, with any team capable of beating any other,” says Austria head coach Robert Riedl. “The games showed that the teams are very evenly matched. Even our most recent game against France was very close. I am looking forward to the challenge.”
The Basics:
Back-to-back continental champions Great Britain celebrated victories over Spain in 2023 and Austria in overtime in 2025 to climb to third place in the 2025 IFAF World Rankings. A seventh-place finish at the 2024 IFAF World Championships and fifth overall at The World Games last year might not have quite lived up to expectations, but this is a team that aims to challenge the lengthy grip North American nations have on the world stage.
Austria missed out on a world championships bronze by a single point two years ago in Finland and their best finish was as silver medalists back in 2016. At Euro Flag 2025 they had to settle for second place after an agonizing overtime defeat to Great Britain having lost the bronze medal to Canada at The World Games. Austria has been in contention for a podium finish in six of the last seven IFAF world championships.
France boasts four IFAF world championships medals and won gold in 2006 in Korea having been runners up at the inaugural 2002 event. Bronze followed in 2008 and 2012 with wins over the United States and Austria respectively. A seventh-place finish in Israel in 2021 was followed by a round of 16 loss to Spain and 11th place overall.
China debuted at The World Games in 2025, recording a memorable victory over Japan on the way to a sixth overall finish. The Asia tournament at the 2025 Asia-Oceania continental championship was won with another victory over Japan and beating Australia in the combined competition claimed the overall Asia-Oceania crown.
Photo: Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing
