The NFL, like, totally decided to go global, you guys! A week after they spilled the tea on having a record seven international games on the 2025 schedule, the league dropped a bombshell by saying they’re down with NFL players playing in the 2028 Summer Olympics. And get this, flag football is gonna be in the spotlight at the Los Angeles Games, and players can actually try out for an Olympic team. How cool is that?
At the NFL league meetings in Eagan, Minnesota, on Tuesday, they were all like, “Yo, any player under an NFL contract can try out for the Olympics, but only if the NFL gives the thumbs up on the team’s health and safety stuff.” And get this, each Olympic flag football team can only have one player from the same NFL team. So, like, Team USA can have a player from the Cowboys and a player from the Chiefs, but not a whole bunch from the same team. Oh, and they also made a rule for Designated International Players, so players can represent their home country, which is pretty rad.
So, like, the 2028 Olympics are gonna have six men’s teams and six women’s teams for flag football, and each team will have 10 players. They’re gonna play in the 5-on-5 format that NFL FLAG uses, so it’s gonna be super exciting. According to ESPN, there’s gonna be more talks between NFL owners and the Players Association after this approval, so it looks like the league is really backing flag football. Troy Vincent from the NFL even said that flag football is the future of the sport, and that it’s all about inclusion and making sure there’s a place for everyone. The NFL and the International Federation of American Football are totally committed to making flag football a big deal in the Olympics, so it’s gonna be lit.
