NFL Approves Participation Of Players In Flag Football At LA28 Olympic Games
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 04:28PM By Barry Janoff
May 20, 2025: One month after the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee officially certified USA Football as the National Governing Body for American football, NFL club owners voted today to permit the participation of NFL players in Flag Football at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
USA Football is the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football, the global governing body for the sport of American football, including Flag Football.
The vote took place as part of the NFL owners Spring League Meeting in Eagan, Minn.
“It’s an incredible honor for any athlete to represent their country in the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of global sport,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said via the league, which has worked to.boost Flag Football for more than a decade.
“I know first-hand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. We are thrilled that they will now have that chance.”
The NFL said the approved resolution authorizes the league to work with the NFL Players Assn., the International Federation of American Football and the relevant Olympic authorities to implement rules governing the participation of NFL players in flag football, which makes its Olympic debut in 2028.
In October 2023, the International Olympic Committee voted to add flag football, baseball/softball, cricket, lacrosse and squash to the 2028 Olympic program in Los Angeles.
At the LA28 Games, Flag Football will be played in BMO Stadium in Exposition Park, located adjacent to the LA Memorial Coliseum, a soccer-specific stadium that is home to MLS Los Angeles FC and NWSL Angel City FC.
“There is no question that the 2028 Flag Football tournament at the LA28 Games will be one of the most exciting competitions in Olympic history, and the inclusion of NFL players will bring it to new heights," Casey Wasserman, LA28 chairperson and president, said via the organization.
"This milestone would not have been possible without the support of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFL Players Assn., its club owners and most importantly, the athletes, who we’ll look forward to watching on the field in 2028.” 
Flag football is governed internationally by the IOC-recognized IFAF, which has 75 national member federations and said there are 20 million players around the world..
A record 31 nations participated in the most recent IFAF Flag Football World Championships.
Among issues addressed by NFL owners were:
• Permitting players under an NFL Player Contract to try out for a flag football team participating in the 2028 Olympics
• Limiting NFL player participation to no more than one NFL player from the roster of each NFL club for each team participating in the 2028 Olympics
• Providing appropriate injury protection, and Salary Cap credit, for any NFL Player who is injured while authorized to participate in flag football activities related to the 2028 Olympic Games through the placement of one or more League-wide insurance policies.
• A schedule for flag football games and related events in such a way that does not unreasonably conflict with an NFL player’s league and club commitments.
“I know first-hand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players."
“Players have expressed to us a great desire for the honor of competing in the Olympics, and we’re excited that our members will be able to represent their country on the highest international stage,” Lloyd Howell, Jr., NFL Players Assn. executive director, said via the union.
“We look forward to working with the league, IFAF and Olympic authorities on the terms of their participation to ensure players who compete will do so with protections to their health, safety, and job.”
The Olympic flag football competition will consist of six men’s teams and six women’s teams composed of ten players per team, with the game itself a five-on-five format.
As per the terms agreed to today, NFL player participation with their countries’ national flag football teams will begin with a tryout or qualification process in advance of the Olympic competition.
USOPC Certifies USA Football, With NFL Backing, As National Governing Body
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