The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has announced that Lahti, Finland, will host the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships. The event will take place at the Pajulahti Olympic and Paralympic Training Center from August 25-30, 2024, uniting the top 10 men’s and women’s national teams, respectively, within one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. 

IFAF, a provisional member of the International Olympic Committee, has 72 member countries across five continents, a family of nations that has increased more than 75 percent from just 15 years ago (40). The most recent IFAF Flag World Championships in Jerusalem, Israel, drew a record-number 39 men’s and women’s flag national teams (combined) from 22 countries.

The announcement of Lahti as host of the next IFAF Flag World Championships follows the debut of flag at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Ala. last month, which saw the U.S. Men’s National Team upend Italy in the gold medal match and the Mexico Women’s National Team winning gold against the U.S. in the women’s final.

“We are delighted to entrust Finland and SAJL (the American Football Association of Finland) with the hosting rights to the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, which will be the most important edition of the tournament to-date as we focus on leveraging the significant momentum and growth opportunities of this youthful, global, highly accessible and inclusive discipline of our sport,” said IFAF President Pierre Trochet.

“Finland has consistently proven an outstanding partner for IFAF events. The country’s innovative vision, youthful spirit and passion for sport – especially women’s sport – are a great match for everything we are trying to achieve with flag football,” Trochet continued. “We are proud of all our work and investment to develop a sustainable global competition structure for flag football, of which this tournament will be the pinnacle.

“We offer our thanks to Roope Noronen, President of SAJL, and all his local stakeholders, especially at Pajulahti, for sharing our ambition and commitment to deliver a groundbreaking event befitting the extraordinary trajectory of flag football worldwide.” 

Teams qualified for The World Games via the 2021 IFAF Flag Football World Championships. The U.S. National Teams swept the gold medals, both defeating Mexico in the finals.

The Lahti tournament in 2024 will serve as the climax of the largest international cycle of flag football competition, including full continental representation for the first time.  

IFAF announced Finland as the host country on the sidelines of the 2022 IFAF Women’s World Championship in tackle football, which recently took place in Vantaa, Finland.

IFAF President Pierre Trochet was on hand to watch the U.S. Women’s Tackle National Team defend their three previous gold medals against surprise finalist Great Britain in the gold medal game on Sunday, August 7.  

All games in the 2024 World Championships will take place at the Pajulahti Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, located 90 minutes north of Helsinki.