Flag football is a variant of gridiron football 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.
The IFAF World Championship of American Football is an international gridiron competition held every four years and contested by teams representing member nations. The competition is run by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport. Seventy-one nations have a national American football team. The most recent tournament, in 2015, featured seven teams.
Football Canada is the governing body for gridiron football in Canada headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Football Canada focuses primarily its own Canadian form of the sport, and is currently the world's only national governing body for Canadian football.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of American football associations. The IFAF oversees the organisation and promotion of all international competitions across both contact and non contact versions of the game, including the IFAF World Championship of American Football, which is held every four years. The IFAF became a provisionary member of SportAccord in 2003, and became a full SportAccord member in 2005. In 2023, IFAF was officially recognised as an Olympic IF by the IOC. In 2023, IFAF made a historic new streak, with Flag Football being selected as one of the five new Sports for the LA 28 Olympic Summer Games. The organization's head office is located in Paris, France.
The United States National American Football Team often referred to as Team USA represents the United States in international men's American football competitions. It is currently controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The team is currently ranked no.1 in the world in tackle Football by the IFAF.
The United States men's national CP soccer team, formerly known as the United States Para 7-a-side national team, represents the United States in men's CP football international competitions. It is operated by the United States Soccer Federation. The team finished seventh at the 2015 IPCPF World Championships. They have competed at several Paralympic Games, including the 1984, 1992, 1996, 2004 and 2012 editions. One of their best finishes was in 1996 when they finished fourth. Their head coach is Stuart Sharp. Comedian Josh Blue is one of their former players.
Gridiron Australia is the governing body of American football in Australia. It is an approved sporting association under federal government regulations and is a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The organisation was formed in 1994 and organized leagues have played since 1983.
American Football Association of Finland is the national governing body of American football in Finland. It was founded in 1979 and it is a founding member of the European Federation of American Football, EFAF and International Federation of American Football, IFAF. Since 2000, American football has grown steadily. In 2006 there were 27 clubs playing the sport with over 100 teams and over 1400 players. In 2012, the association's competitions fielded over 150 teams with more than 2200 licensed players.
The Japan national American football team represents Japan in international American football competitions. The team is controlled by the Japan American Football Association, and has been one of the world's strongest international teams since it began participating regularly in international tournaments in the 1990s, and currently possesses the second most American Football World Cups.
The Mexico national American football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol americano de México) represents Mexico in international American football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano (FMFA). Mexico has participated in competitions such as the IFAF World Championship of American Football and the World University American Football Championship. The Mexican junior team has participated in competitions such as the IFAF U-20 World Championship and the NFL Global Junior Championship.
The IFAF Women's World Championship is the international championship for women in American football. The first event was held in 2010, in Stockholm, Sweden, with six countries competing. The United States took home the gold while not letting any team they played score. The second event was held in 2013, with Vantaa, Finland, hosting the games. The United States swept the competitors again, winning the gold medal. Third event was played in 2017 with Canada as the host nation. The U.S. took the gold medal for the third time, again beating the host nation Canada in the final.
The Canadian men's national under 18 ice hockey team is part of a three-stage Program of Excellence beginning with the Under-17 regional teams and ending with the National Junior Team. The primary objectives of the Under-18 program are to identify, evaluate, and condition players to the rigors of international competition by giving first exposure to off-shore officiating, ice-surfaces, and travel.
The 2012 IFAF U-19 World Championship took place in 2012 at Austin, Texas. These championship match the world’s eight best high school-aged national American football teams from five continents shall be played at 12,000-capacity Burger Stadium in Austin Texas, a football and soccer venue. The action began on Saturday, June 30 and ran through Saturday, July 8. To win the Gold Medal #2 ranked Canada had to defeat #7 Sweden, #3 Japan and finally #1 USA in the Championship game. The hard road to success turned in a fantastic finish to a great tournament. In doing so, Canada avenged its 50-7 loss in the 2011 IFAF World Championship and handed the U.S. national team its first ever loss in international competition.
The Canada National Football Junior Team a.k.a. the Football Canada World Junior Team represent Canada in international gridiron football competitions. The football program is part of the football development program and is controlled by Football Canada and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). It is the premiere team in male development for the organization. While Football Canada is the governing body for amateur Canadian football, IFAF-sponsored games are played using American football rules. Team Canada first competed on the world stage in the NFL Global Junior Championship in 2000 with a championship victory over Team Europe. They competed for their first IFAF Junior World Cup in 2009.
The World Ringette Championships (WRC) is the premier international competition in ringette and is governed by the International Ringette Federation (IRF). Unlike most international competitions, all of the WRC's elite athletes are female rather than male, one of the sport's distinctive features. Competing nations include: Canada, Finland, United States, Sweden, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, with Team Canada and Team Finland having emerged as the sport's top two competing nations. The 2023 World Ringette Championships were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and was the sport's 60th anniversary.
The North American continent is the birthplace of several organized sports, such as basketball, charrería/rodeo, gridiron football, ice hockey, jaripeo/bull riding, lacrosse, ollamaliztl, mixed martial arts (MMA), padel, pickleball, racquetball, ultimate, and volleyball. The modern versions of baseball and softball, skateboarding, snowboarding, stock car racing, and surfing also developed in North America.
The 2018 IFAF U-19 World Championship was an international American football tournament for junior teams that took place at Mexico City from July 15 to July 22. This was the first time that Mexico hosted an IFAF World Junior Championship competition.
The 2020 IFAF U-19 World Championship was scheduled as an international American football tournament for junior teams which would have taken place at Canton, Ohio from late June to early July 2020. This would have been the second time that Canton, Ohio hosted an IFAF World Junior Championship, the first being the inaugural 2009 IFAF U-19 World Championship.
The IFAF Junior World Championship or IFAF World Junior Championship is a biennial competition for American football which ran from 2009 to 2020 and was the precursor of the quadrennial IFAF U20 World Cup with the first event played in 2024 in Edmonton, Canada.
The United States men's national flag football team often referred to as Team USA represents the United States in men's international flag football competitions. The team is governed by USA Football. As of 2024, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) ranks the United States men's team 1st worldwide.
Canada 45–10 France 
United States 50–7 Canada 
