Global sports subscription streaming service DAZN has struck a significant deal with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
DAZN is now set to cover all IFAF's flag football properties globally, through a new multi-year tie-up unveiled today. This represents a first deal of its kind for the federation.
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The streaming heavyweight will, therefore, carry a wide selection of IFAF events free-to-air in over 200 markets worldwide.
This has been announced with flag football set to make its – primetime – Olympic Games debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics.
Coverage will get underway with the men's and women's editions of the IFAF Flag Football World Championships, which will both take place in Düsseldorf, Germany, between August 13 and 16.
That event will act as a direct Olympic qualifier for LA28.
In addition, the 2027 and 2028 Flag Football Continental Championships will be aired on DAZN, while the service has said that European tackle football championships will also feature as additional programming.
Shay Segev, chief executive at DAZN Group, commented: "DAZN has a proven track record of taking major US sports to fans around the world to accelerate their international growth. Our technology, multi-platform distribution, and ability to cross-promote with our extensive premium sports portfolio will accelerate flag football’s global reach and visibility."
In terms of DAZN's American football coverage, it carries the NFL's Game Pass service globally (with the exceptions of the US and China).
Pierre Trochet, IFAF's president, added: "DAZN is a partner who can help us attract and engage new fans around our events by making them available – free of charge – to millions around the world. This is also great news for existing fans of IFAF competitions, who can now watch on a platform that most of them already know and love as the home of American football outside the US.”
Late March saw the NFL unveil TMRW Sports as its operating partner for the new professional flag football league it is planning to launch by 2028.
Elsewhere, the American Football League Europe (AFLE) property has brought in DMC Production Germany as the partner selected to deliver its international broadcast feed for the inaugural 2026 season.
The first-ever AFLE campaign begins later this month, with the eight-team competition having been founded last December.
DMC Production (ultimately based in Sweden) has been made responsible for both the "technical and operational executive of live international broadcast production."
It will produce all 36 AFLE games, set to take place across six countries – France, England, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria (games taking place in Germany will be handled by an additional production service provider).
Moritz Heisler, the American Football League Europe chief operating officer, has said: "With a multi-camera setup that captures every angle of the game and a production model built for the scale and complexity of a pan-European league, we are setting a new benchmark for American football on television in Europe. We want every fan watching at home to feel the intensity, the speed, and the quality of what is happening on that field. DMC gives us the tools to do exactly that."
The AFLE was formed following the dissolution of the European League of Football late last year – that competition's 15 teams are now split between the AFLE and the European Football Alliance (which had initially been a combined force, only for teams to fracture off following disagreements).
The Sport1 broadcaster is already primed to offer coverage of the competition to a German audience.
