The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) announced a strategic partnership with TMRW Sports that is set to reshape the landscape of flag football on a global scale.
The collaboration brings together the sport’s governing body and a media‑driven venture backed by the NFL and a consortium of investors, with the shared goal of elevating talent identification, athlete development, fan engagement and competitive pathways.
Pierre Trochet, President of IFAF, said the alliance arrives at a pivotal moment, accelerating momentum that has already seen participation surge across more than 80 countries.
A Milestone for Flag Football
Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports, added that flag football’s extraordinary growth offers a unique opportunity to build a professional league that showcases the athleticism of both women and men.
The 2026 IFAF World Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany, will serve as a qualifier for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, underscoring the sport’s rising stature on the world stage.
IFAF’s network now spans five continents, with more than 20 million people playing the sport worldwide, a figure that includes a 50% jump in U.S. youth participation since 2020 and a 60% rise in high‑school girls playing flag football.
Colleges are also embracing the game, with over 200 institutions fielding women’s flag football programs and the NCAA recently approving the sport within its Emerging Sports for Women initiative.
The professional league, scheduled to launch before the 2028 Olympics, will feature elite competition for both genders and is backed by an investor group that includes NFL club owners, institutional investors and former players.
With streaming numbers topping every category at The World Games 2025 in China and a 48% increase in national teams in IFAF’s world ranking, the sport’s trajectory points toward sustained global expansion.