Guess the sport: It has quarterbacks and receivers. Players use a ball. They wear belts with strips of fabric or plastic dangling from them. And in 2023, officials announced the sport was coming to the 2028 Olympic Games. 

It’s flag football! The 2023 announcement gave the sport a big boost. And it’s continuing to grow.

Here are the numbers: 

• More than 1.8 million girls and boys ages six to 17 played in 2025.
• High schools in more than 20 states now have women’s flag football teams.
• Last year, there were about 45 colleges with flag football programs. This season, there are about 139. Next year, there could be more than 170 programs. 

Professional players are thriving too. Izzy Geraci is one of the top receivers in the world. She recently left her job at her family’s jewelry store. Now she’s focusing on training for Olympic gold. 

Pro leagues spring up. In February, the Grand Slam of Flag will debut. The tournament in Los Angeles, California, offers $500,000 in prize money. Who’s coming? Teams from Canada, the United States, China, Great Britain, Mexico, and Spain.

The Olympics announcement turned flag football from “what some people thought was a backyard sport” to a “legit competitive sport,” says Sam Rapoport. He works with the Grand Slam of Flag. 

“There’s now more of a pipeline” for players, Ms. Geraci says. “It’s starting to be like any other sport.”

USA Football announced it will host the Nations Cup in December. Men’s and women’s national teams from China, Mexico, Japan, and the United States will compete. 

Player Caroline Moquin-Joubert went to the world championships in Germany this past summer. She helped Team Canada take gold.

The national teams participating stepped up their game, she says. “The plays are better. The individual athletes are better. It’s faster. . . . It’s such a beautiful sport.”