American Football

American football was a demonstration sport at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympics. In 2005 and 2017, American football would appear at the World Games as an invitational sport.

In August 2022, the Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee shortlisted nine proposed sports for consideration as optional events for those Olympics, with one of those sports being flag football, a variant of American tackle football. Also in 2022, flag football was contested with official status at the World Games, with men and women tournaments.

At the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India, the IOC approved flag football as an optional sport for the 2028 Olympics, along with four other sports. Flag football would return to the World Games in 2025, but only with a women’s event.

At the global level, American football and flag football are governed by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), which was officially formed in 1998. The IFAF became provisionally recognized by the IOC in 2013 and was granted Recognized Status at the 141st IOC Session. As of January 2026, the IFAF has 79 member federations.