Flag football

Flag football

A game of flag football being played at the University of Texas at Austin
Highest governing body	International Federation of American Football International Woman's Flag Football Association
First played	c. 1940 in Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S.
Characteristics
Contact	Limited
Team members	Two teams of 4-10
Type	Team sport ball game
Equipment	Ball, flag
Venue	Football field
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	To be first included in 2028
Paralympic	To be first included in 2028
World Games	2022

Flag football is a variant of gridiron football (American football or Canadian football depending on location) where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down. In flag football, contact is limited between players. The sport has a strong amateur following with several national and international competitions each year sponsored by various associations but is most popularly played in America where it was invented. The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). In 2022, flag football was shortlisted as a proposed discretionary event for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with inclusion being accepted on October 16, 2023.