The long anticipated first day of action at the World Games gets underway as eight nations arrive on the Road to Chengdu at 9am local time in China (3am CET / 9pm US EST Wednesday) with six group stages games on the schedule for Thursday, August 14.

All games will be streamed live at The World Games Live from the Chengdu No. 7 High School Eastern Campus Athletics Field and the full schedule and score updates are available at the official website of The World Games. Thea rosters are available here.

USA, beaten finalists at the 2022 event, and Canada will play twice on the opening day of games, as will fellow Group A opponents China and Austria.

9am: USA vs Canada, Group A

The world’s number one ranked United States takes on North American rival Canada, a nation they defeated 26-13 at the 2023 IFAF Americas continental championships.

10.10am: China v Austria, Group A

China makes an historic bow on home soil, entering an international flag football tournament for the first time. Their welcome to the world stage comes from Europe’s top-ranked nation Austria.

11.20am: Great Britain vs Italy, Group B

Group B gets underway when current European Champions Great Britain take on Italy. The last time these nations met at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Finland, GB emerged as 28-12 winners.

2.30pm:  Mexico vs Japan, Group B

Mexico defends The World Games crown in a mouthwatering game against Asia-Oceania champion Japan. It’s second in the IFAF world rankings and the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships versus third. Last summer Mexico triumphed 40-31 over Japan in the semifinals in Finland.

3.40pm: USA vs Austria, Group A

USA beat Austria 41-24 the last times these nations met to secure a place in the gold medal game at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships.

4.50pm: Canada vs China, Group A

There’s more history in the making as China takes on a North American nation for the first time in Canada, the fifth ranked team in the world.