NFL Allows Players to Play Flag Football at 2028 Olympics

Each NFL team will be allowed to send one player to compete, subject to conditions related to player safety and league obligations.

The NFL logo is seen on the field ahead of Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The NFL will allow players to compete in flag football in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where six countries will compete in the non-contact sport.

One player from each team will be allowed to compete, with a number of stipulations for player safety and obligations to the league.

“It’s an incredible honor for any athlete to represent their country in the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of global sport,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Tuesday. “I know first-hand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. We are thrilled that they will now have that chance.”

The vote was unanimous, with all 32 owners voting in favor, NFL.com reported.

The competition will be divided into men’s and women’s divisions. There will be six teams; each team will be comprised of 10 players. The games themselves will be 5-on-5.

Each competing nation will submit a proposal to their respective National Olympic Committee, which will in turn will determine the roster. As with many sports, NFL players will have to try out to make the Olympic team.

However, players with the league’s International Player roster exemption will be allowed to compete for their home countries.

But the resolution as proposed includes a number of stipulations to protect players, including “[p]roviding appropriate injury protection, and Salary Cap credit” via a league-wide insurance policy, for players who may get injured participating in the games themselves, or related activities such as practices.

Relatedly, it includes a provision that requires “[a]n agreement that the Olympic flag football teams will implement certain minimum standards for medical staff and field surfaces to be eligible for an NFL Player to participate in Olympic flag football for such team.”

It also requires “[a] schedule for flag football games and related events in such a way that does not unreasonably conflict with an NFL player’s League and club commitments.” The 2028 Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 14-30; NFL training camps begin in “mid-July,” which could very easily lead to direct conflict.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and linebacker Brian Asamoah reacted to the decision at a press conference.

“To be honest, I’m just at a loss of words,” Jefferson—who was named an NFL Global Flag Ambassador in 2023–said, via the Vikings’ official website.

“Seeing the amount of kids that are really involved in the sport, seeing the women and men being involved, seeing it now, being on the global stage is something that’s so special,” he said.

“Even though it’s three years down the line, they’re still planning who’s going to be on the team and all but, just think[ing] about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal, is a dream.”

Asamoah, who was born to Ghanaian parents and visited the country multiple times, recalled himself trying to explain American football to people in the country, and described the addition of flag football as a full-circle moment.

“They were like, ‘What’s that?’ That’s American football. That’s what we call it back home,” Asamoah said. “So just being able to go back home now and say, ‘OK, you have the opportunity to represent your country playing flag football,’ and the excitement, the joy and the appreciation of just the work that has been put down so that they get the opportunity to one day represent their country, but not only represent the country, but have an opportunity to play football at the highest level, like Justin and I, it’s a wonderful privilege.”