The groups for the 2026 IFAF World Flag Football Championships have been confirmed with Great Britain Women climbing to third in the world rankings and the Men reaching twelfth.
The German city of Düsseldorf will host the competition in August 2026 as 32 teams from 19 nations face off for the world title, with all eyes looking ahead to flag football’s Olympic debut at the LA2028 Olympic Games.
Women’s – Group C
Great Britain (3)
Austria (6)
France (11)
China (18)
In the women’s competition, Great Britain headline Group C, joined by European rivals Austria and France in addition to Asia and Asia-Oceania champions China.
It’s all familiar foes for the Great Britain team who defended their European title in Paris in 2025, defeating France in the semi-finals and Austria in the final. While China are a relatively new face on the world flag football stage, they are no strangers to the Brits, who defeated them 34-13 at the World Games in August.
Men’s – Group D
Italy (4)
France (5)
Great Britain (12)
Panama (13)
After their fourth-place finish at EuroFlag 2025, Great Britain Men climb to twelfth in the IFAF world ranking and will again face tough European competition in Düsseldorf.
Current European champions Italy head up Group D, along with EuroFlag’s third-place-finishers France and Americas’ fourth-placed Panama. Again Great Britain know their group rivals well, having faced both Italy and France during their European campaign, but Panama provide a new challenge having avoided a match-up with GB during the last World Championship.
Stay tuned for more news from the Great Britain Flag Football programme as they prepare to take on the world at IFAF World Flag 2026.