NFL to launch professional flag football league ahead of 2028 Olympic debut

The NFL is investing in flag football ahead of its debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The league announced a partnership with TMRW Sports on Monday at its annual meetings, with plans to launch a professional flag football league for both men and women.

High-profile investors will include Hall of Famers and active stars, along with backing from all 32 NFL teams.

In December, each club voted to "support the development of a professional flag football league" through 32 Equity, the league's investment arm. The teams authorized an initial investment of up to $32 million for the league.

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Larry Fitzgerald, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner and Arik Armstead are among the football-related investors. Other notable figures signed on include Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Alex Morgan and Ilana Kloss.

There are still plenty of details to be sorted out for the league, but they're aiming to launch before the sport makes its 2028 Olympic debut. The league still has to decide if it will be five player or seven player, where games will be played (one central location or nationwide) and when exactly it will begin.

NFL owners voted to pass a resolution on Tuesday that will allow NFL players to participate in flag football’s Olympic debut in Los Angeles.

TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley said one possibility is that the league could have a summer schedule, perfectly leading into the NFL season in the fall.

"The momentum behind flag football has been building for decades," McCarley said, via ESPN. "The pathway is there. And I think a lot of you are seeing in your communities where from youth to high school, now in college, and in two years at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

"What's been missing in that pathway is a professional league and that professional league is where these kids can aspire to go play and where the athletes who will compete in the Olympics every four years can earn a living and do it in the sport that they grew up chasing and pursuing that sport that they love to play, football. We are here to help the NFL build this league."

Flag football has grown substantially in recent years, which led to its addition to the Olympics. Approximately 4.1 million youth play flag football in the U.S. – a more than 50% increase since 2020, according to the NFL. Flag football is offered at the high school level in 39 states, with the participation of young women jumping by nearly 60% from 2024 to 2025.

The league attempted to showcase flag football again earlier in March with the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, where established and retired NFL stars competed with Team USA and select non-NFL celebrities. Team USA dominated the competition, which showed just how different flag is from traditional football.

NFL stars will be permitted to play in the 2028 Olympics, but it's yet to be decided how the roster will be chosen. Team USA, with exclusive flag players, has won five straight IFAF World Championships.

We had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Mr. Olympics himself, Snoop Dogg, to share his ultimate dream team in flag football for the 2028 Olympics.