Men's and women's flag football teams representing the U.S., Mexico, China and Japan will play in Frisco this December in a new tournament that USA Football is pitching as an early look at the sport before its Olympic debut.
USA Football, the sport's national governing body, announced this week that its first Nations Cup will run Dec. 10-12. Group play and playoffs are set for Dec. 10 and 11 on Dr. Pink Field, part of the Toyota Soccer Center complex. The men's and women's medal games move Dec. 12 to the Cowboys' Ford Center at The Star.
Games will use the five-on-five rules set by IFAF, the sport's international federation, which is the same format that will be used when flag football joins the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Who is coming
The U.S. men's and women's teams, along with Mexico's women, earned Olympic spots at this summer's IFAF world championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, according to USA Football. The American men beat Italy 46-26 in the Aug. 16 final for their sixth world title in a row, while the American women settled for silver after a 27-20 loss to Canada decided on the last play.
"Nations Cup brings those Olympic qualifiers together with top teams still chasing a bid," said Scott Hallenbeck, USA Football's chief executive.
High school girls on the big stage
Two Texas high school girls' teams will also take the field at The Star for a showcase ahead of the gold medal games, USA Football said. It did not name the schools.