The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has announced a strategic partnership with TMRW Sports, the company founded by golf legends Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, to support the development of flag football.
The tie-up between the two parties has been designed to “further accelerate the growth, visibility, and accessibility of flag football around the world.”
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The IFAF, the international governing body for American football and the IOC-recognized federation responsible for flag football competitions in the Olympic Games, and TMRW Sports will collaborate on talent identification, athlete development, fan engagement, unified competition pathways, and “the sustained, long-term growth of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.”
Pierre Trochet, IFAF president, said: “This partnership is important in helping us harness and further accelerate the momentum surrounding flag football at the international level.
“By working closely with TMRW Sports from the outset, we can ensure the elite flag football ecosystem evolves in a coherent way – with common standards and complementary calendars – in the interests of athletes, fans, and all the game’s global stakeholders. This is a time of extraordinary opportunity for our sport.”
The partnership comes soon after TMRW Sports was appointed by the National Football League (NFL) to develop and operate a new professional flag football league for women and men.
The league will launch before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its debut in the major event, and has support from a broad and influential investor pool, including NFL club owners, established institutional and strategic investors, and current and former NFL players.
At LA28, six men’s and six women’s national teams will compete in flag football. In May 2025, the NFL voted to allow its teams to send one US player each.
Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports founder and CEO, added: “Flag football is experiencing extraordinary momentum around the world, and this is a defining moment in the sport's evolution as we build a professional league for both women and men.
“Our vision is to build the sport’s professional tier that showcases the world's best flag athletes, engages fans in new ways, and is the aspirational destination for young flag football players all around the world. By partnering with IFAF, we strive to better connect athletes, fans, and communities to the future of flag football.”
The IFAF-TMRW Sports agreement has been announced ahead of the 2026 IFAF World Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany, taking place from August 13 to 16. The event is a qualifier for the 2028 Olympics.
France-based IFAF's global network now includes national federations spanning more than 80 countries across five continents, with the top 16 men’s and women’s teams competing at this year’s World Championship.
The governing body claims more than 20 million people currently play flag football globally, with approximately 4.1 million youngsters playing the sport in the US alone.
Last month, global sports subscription streaming service DAZN struck a deal to cover all IFAF's flag football properties globally, through a new multi-year tie-up. This represents a first deal of its kind for the federation.
The OTT platform will carry a wide selection of IFAF events free-to-air in over 200 markets worldwide.
