NFL to launch professional flag football leagues ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

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LONDON (AP) — The NFL plans to launch women's and men's professional flag football leagues “in the next couple of years,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday.

The timeline outlined by Goodell at a sports conference in London would see the leagues created ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which will feature flag football for the first time.

“We’re committed to creating a women’s professional league, and a men’s professional flag league. We’ve had a great deal of interest in that and I expect that we’ll be able to do that, launch that, in the next couple of years,” Goodell said at the Leaders in Sport conference at Twickenham Stadium.

The league has prioritized flag football as a way to attract young fans, both male and female.

“The demand is there. We’re seeing colleges in the states and universities internationally also that want to make it a part of their program,” Goodell said.

“If you set that structure up where there’s youth leagues, going into high school, into college and then professional, I think you can develop a system of scale. That’s an important infrastructure that we need to create.”

Mexico City has been off the NFL's rotation of hosts for international games while Azteca Stadium was under renovations ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It's back in the picture now, though.

“We’ll be back in Mexico City next year, which we’re thrilled about,” Goodell said.

The league is playing a record-high seven games internationally this season — six of them in Europe. Brazil hosted one game.

Goodell reiterated the league's plan to increase the number of games abroad to 16, and again stated that Asia will be the next region.

Australia has already been announced for a game next season.

“If you’re going to be global, you have to do it beyond Europe, beyond the Americas,” he said. “You need to reach into other areas and territories, and next year we’re going to Australia. We have plans to go to Asia shortly thereafter.”

League officials declined to comment on where in Asia they're considering.

Goodell said football can be a unifying force.

“We read about different issues and we see the different things that go on in politics and otherwise … and unfortunately negative things like war,” he said. “Again, I think football — and sports in general — I do think bring communities together. That’s a positive thing that we need a little more of.”

Later Thursday at the same conference, Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam expressed a similar sentiment.

“The U.S. is extremely divided today politically,” Haslam said. “The great thing about sports is, no matter who I voted for or who you voted for … for the three hours or two hours we’re watching that game, we’re rooting for our team, and that’s all we care about.”

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