The 2025 Annual Report Provides a top line overview of the activity of IFAF during 2025 and reflects the key presentations presented at the IFAF Annual Congress.
2025 has been a landmark year for IFAF, marked by unprecedented global activity and growth. The sport saw extensive continental tackle football competitions, global friendlies, four major continental Flag Football tournaments, and another successful IFAF-led Flag Football event at the World Games. A record 101 senior national teams participated in IFAF Flag Football competitions worldwide, alongside more than 20 national teams competing in tackle football activities. The year also marked further expansion with five new associate member nations, highlighting the sport’s rapidly growing global footprint.
Alongside competition growth, IFAF has undertaken a broad programme of work to deliver against its strategic agenda. This has included launching an evaluation programme to develop a clear roadmap for supporting and expanding women’s participation in football, investing in game development initiatives across Africa, commissioning research focused on improving player safety, and initiating projects aimed at enhancing the commercialisation and long-term financial sustainability of the sport.
The Congress in Lausanne is symbolically important, as the city represents the center of the Olympic movement and global sports governance. Against this backdrop, IFAF leadership proposes relocating its headquarters to Lausanne after nearly 30 years in France. This move is positioned not merely as an administrative change but as a strategic statement that IFAF’s future lies firmly within the Olympic ecosystem, especially as Flag Football prepares for its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in three years.
The speech also emphasizes the responsibility that comes with this step: maintaining high standards, readiness, and professionalism as part of the Olympic community.
Finally, the address expresses gratitude to key partners and supporters, including organizations within the Olympic system, governance and integrity bodies, equipment partners, and particularly the National Football League, whose collaboration with IFAF and the Olympic movement represents a powerful partnership aimed at advancing the global development of the sport.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has been progressing a programme of governance reforms aimed at strengthening the federation’s structures and aligning with best practices within the Olympic Movement. As part of this work, IFAF has developed a proposal to amend its Statutes and relocate its legal seat from Paris to Lausanne.
The proposed reforms have been developed in collaboration with IFAF’s legal partners in Switzerland, Libra Law, and its legal advisors in France, Earvin & Lew.
The reforms aim to create a more strategy-focused Board, with stronger gender representation and an enhanced role for athlete representation in the federation’s decision-making structures. They also introduce more robust membership criteria, placing gender equality, athlete representation and wider principles of good governance at the heart of IFAF’s membership framework.
Alongside these structural reforms, IFAF has strengthened its committee structure. A new Rules Committee for flag football has been established, with a tackle football Rules Committee scheduled to follow in 2026. The federation has also renewed its Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and its Entourage Committee, reinforcing its commitment to inclusive development and athlete support.
In addition, IFAF will begin the electoral process for its Athletes’ Committee, which—subject to the approval of the new Statutes—will see greater athlete representation on the IFAF Board, further embedding the athlete voice within the federation’s governance framework.
Together, these reforms are designed to strengthen governance, improve representation across the global football community, and support more effective planning and development of the sport across all continents.
2025 has marked a significant year of progress and expansion for the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), with major developments across both flag and tackle football worldwide.
In flag football, IFAF successfully delivered four Continental Championship events, including a historic first championship in Africa, further strengthening the sport’s global footprint. The federation also partnered with the International World Games Association to stage another successful flag football tournament at the The World Games 2025, showcasing the sport on a major international stage.
Youth participation has also expanded significantly. While Europe has hosted youth championships for several years, 2025 saw the launch of historic first youth flag football events in both Asia and the Americas, underlining the sport’s accelerating development across continents.
Looking ahead, IFAF intends to build on this momentum by increasing the number of nations participating in flag football. Recognising that meaningful competition relies on opportunity and affordability, the federation has committed to formally recognising regional flag football competitions between continental championships. These initiatives aim to create more accessible pathways for nations to compete and develop.
The global growth of flag football is also driving continued efforts to secure a place in future multi-sport events. Following the sport’s inclusion at The World Games 2025, IFAF is committed to explore inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games and toward participation at The World Games 2029. The sport’s expanding presence in regional multi-sport competitions is an important step in that journey. In 2025, The IFAF Director for the Americas, Javier L’Episcopo and Luis Navas, the president of the Panamanian Federation, played key roles in supporting flag football’s inclusion in the Central American Games hosted in Panama City and working to support the sport’s inclusion in the South American Youth Games 2026.
With continental competitions now firmly established, IFAF will focus to work with regional Olympic committees around the world to unlock further opportunities for the sport. This strategy reflects the combined strength of a growing international federation working alongside increasingly capable national member federations.
Growth is not limited to flag football. International tackle football activity has also expanded, with more cross-border competition expected to continue into 2026. Recent developments include increased engagement in Oceania, with activity between Australia and New Zealand, expanded competition in Central America involving Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and cross-continental matchups between European nations such as Italy and Germany and teams from the Americas, including Canada. In a similar vein to flag football, IFAF is committed to working to recognise regional competitions between IFAF members.
In Europe, tackle football competitions continue to develop at multiple levels. The European Championships have seen growing participation, with four nations currently competing in the adult women’s competition. At youth level, seven nations completed the U19 men’s championship cycle in 2024–25, with ten nations already committed for the 2026–27 cycle. Meanwhile, the adult men’s competition saw eight nations complete the 2024–25 cycle, with seventeen nations committed for 2026–27, demonstrating strong growth in participation and competitive depth.
Together, these developments underline 2025 as a milestone year for IFAF — one defined by expanded competitions, new geographic opportunities, and a growing global community committed to developing both flag and tackle football.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has continued to strengthen its commitment to global football development by investing in education, accessibility and regional capacity building.
A key milestone has been the finalisation of entry-level coaching and officiating courses for flag football on the IFAF Academy, creating a globally accessible foundation for the sport. These courses provide core knowledge and introductory training free of charge, ensuring that athletes, coaches and officials around the world can access consistent, high-quality education regardless of resources or geography.
IFAF has also made targeted investments in game development in Africa, supporting emerging leaders from several countries to participate in a development programme in Accra, Ghana. The initiative focused on training participants to become coach and referee educators, equipping them with the knowledge and tools needed to build local capacity and expand the sport within their own national programmes.
Together, these initiatives reflect IFAF’s commitment to sustainable global growth, empowering member federations with the education and leadership required to develop American football at grassroots and national levels.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) partnered with the International Academy of Sport Science and Technology in Lausanne to undertake a comprehensive review of its work supporting the gender equality, diversity and inclusion (GEDI) agenda.
The project evaluated IFAF’s administrative structures and sporting pathways through surveys with member federations, consultations with national federations and athlete representatives, and benchmarking against leading international federations, the International Olympic Committee, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, and the National Football League.
The review identified key challenges, including gender imbalance in leadership, limited development programmes, and gaps in participation data. In response, the collaboration produced a 10-point action plan designed to strengthen women’s participation in American football, expand opportunities for female coaches and officials, and increase representation in governance across IFAF and its member federations
The 10-point action plan focuses on strengthening gender equality across governance, leadership and sport participation within the International Federation of American Football.
Governance and Leadership
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Update statutes and internal rules to target at least 30% female representation on the Board and ensure balanced leadership across commissions.
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Develop and publish a formal Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan, supported by a dedicated staff role responsible for integrity and governance initiatives.
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Deliver leadership development initiatives including workshops and a women’s leadership programme to empower current and emerging female leaders in American football.
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Establish a monitoring and reporting system to track progress and ensure accountability for the strategy.
Education and Capacity Building
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Launch targeted training and development programmes for referees and officials, including a pilot initiative linked to preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in collaboration with the National Football League.
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Strengthen institutional communication and engagement with member federations, sharing best practices and promoting the benefits of gender equality.
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Develop a centralised digital education platform for coach and referee training, offering structured certification pathways.
Sport Participation
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Introduce policies to increase the number of female referees and coaches at IFAF competitions, including nomination rules encouraging member federations to include women in officiating and coaching roles.
Together, these actions aim to improve representation in leadership, expand development opportunities, and create a more inclusive and sustainable pathway for women across all levels of the sport.
In this report, IFAF has started to produce annual statistics that allow the sport to track and report on progress. These are below and also on the pages for the IFAF Board and the IFAF Committees.
Financial Summary
In 2024, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) recorded total operating revenues of €1.26 million, representing a 53% increase compared to 2023. Revenue was primarily driven by support from the National Football League through a restricted development grant (€982,892.76), alongside contributions from the International Olympic Committee and member-based income from federation fees and competition entry fees (€221,141.43). Member fee collection remains a challenge, with approximately 40% of members paying late or not at all.
Total operating expenses reached €1.14 million, a 29.6% increase year-on-year, reflecting expanded activity and competition delivery. Key expenditure areas included governance and compliance initiatives such as integrity and safeguarding programmes (€366,626), international competitions and tournaments (€605,746), and marketing and digital services (€136,689), including the development of an OTT platform and a new membership system to support member federations.
Overall, IFAF closed the year with a positive net result of €120,455, a significant improvement from the €47,814 deficit recorded in 2023, demonstrating improved financial stability and disciplined management during a period of operational growth.
2026 Budget Outlook
Looking ahead, IFAF will maintain a conservative financial approach. Revenue is expected from membership fees, World Championship registrations, and potential new commercial partnerships, while continued support from the NFL remains central, with a new grant cycle beginning in April 2026.
Strict travel, procurement and discretionary spending controls remain in place, and budgets are based only on confirmed or contracted income rather than speculative sponsorship revenue. Additional financial safeguards include the creation of a USD bank account to manage currency fluctuations between the euro and US dollar.
The 2025 financial surplus will play an important role in sustaining operations through the first quarter of 2026, while the federation continues to develop its commercial activities. The independent auditors’ report will be presented at Congress by Julien Legrande of Accord Sport.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has continued to strengthen its commitment to health, safety and integrity across the sport through a series of policy updates, research initiatives and educational programmes. In 2025, IFAF introduced an updated Integrity Code, alongside new health guidelines for IFAF events designed to support athlete welfare and operational best practice.
Further measures included the publication of new guidelines for pregnant athletes, updated Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation (PPE) requirements for athletes and International Technical Officials, and the implementation of an updated safeguarding policy, supported by expanded safeguarding education initiatives across the federation and its member network. IFAF has also begun a review of its transgender participation policy, with updated guidance to follow.
Complementing these governance initiatives, IFAF partnered with HeadCheck Health to complete a concussion study in tackle football, providing valuable research to support evidence-based approaches to player safety and the continued development of a safer game
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has also strengthened its commitment to clean sport and integrity education through the implementation of a new anti-doping education strategy. In partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA), IFAF delivered its largest anti-doping education programme to date, combining online workshops with in-event educational activities to reach athletes, support personnel and officials across the global football community.
The programme is supported by an updated whereabouts testing system and an enhanced collaboration with the ITA to ensure robust testing and compliance standards. Looking ahead to 2026, IFAF will further expand its integrity framework with the launch of dedicated integrity workshops for athletes, athlete support personnel and International Technical Officials, focused on the prevention of the manipulation of competitions and reinforcing the federation’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the sport.
In addition, IFAF’s commitment to athlete welfare has seen a joint research and development programme with our partners, Syzmik, on head health in flag football.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) continues to advance its commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility across its operations and events.
IFAF now actively monitors the emissions associated with corporate travel booked through its partner, Destination Sport. These emissions will be tracked and reported annually, supporting greater transparency and helping the federation identify opportunities to reduce its environmental impact.
Sustainability is also being embedded into the delivery of IFAF competitions. Event hosts are required to meet specific sustainability commitments outlined in IFAF bidding and hosting documentation, ensuring that environmental considerations are integrated into event planning and operations.
Alongside these initiatives, IFAF continues to review its broader activities to ensure they align with the federation’s Human Rights Statement, Sustainability Vision and Social Responsibility Statement, reinforcing a long-term commitment to responsible governance and the sustainable development of the sport worldwide.
