 A game of flag football being played at the University of Texas at Austin | |
| Highest governing body | |
|---|---|
| First played | c. 1940 in Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S. |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Limited |
| Team members | Two teams of 4-10 |
| Type | |
| Equipment | Ball, flag |
| Venue | Football field |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | To be first included in 2028 |
| World Games | since 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) with the International Woman's Flag Football Association (IWFFA) governing the women's game.
Flag football will be a discretionary event for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the first time any gridiron football code has been a full part of an Olympic programme.