Will NFL players play in flag football Olympics? What to know about league’s decision for 2028 Los Angeles Games

Every four years, football players have had to watch other athletes participate in the Summer Olympics while they sit at home, as the sport hasn’t been global enough to become part of the event.

That will change during the 2028 Olympics, which returns to the United States as Los Angeles will serve as the host. With the IOC looking to highlight some of America’s most popular sports, flag football was added as one of the newest Olympic sports, paving the way for football players to potentially appear in the event.

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In preparation for the Olympics, NFL owners are voting on whether to not to allow their players to go to the event, requiring negotiations with both the IOC and the NFLPA.

Here’s a breakdown of what needs to happen for NFL players to become Olympians in 2028.

MORE: Projecting the Olympics flag football roster with NFL players

Will NFL players play Olympic flag football? 

On May 20th, the NFL passed a proposal that will allow NFL players to participate in the Olympics’ flag football event. The vote took place as part of the league’s meeting in Minneapolis on Tuesday, with all 32 owners voting yes on the matter. 

“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,” commisioner Roger Goodell said. “We are thrilled that they will now have that chance.”

In order for players to participate, however, the league still needs to discuss the matter with the NFLPA and Olympic-related decision-makers so there will be specific parameters to protect teams, including:

• Only one player per team can play on each national team
• Salary cap credits for players injured in the event
• League-wide insurance policies for injury protection during the event

Additionally, the Olympic schedule needs to not “unreasonably conflict” with the players’ NFL commitments. The 2028 Olympics are currently scheduled for July 14 to July 30, which is before NFL training camps typically get into full gear.

MORE NFL SCHEDULE RELEASE

History of flag football at the Olympics

For the first time, flag football will be a part of the Summer Olympics when the event comes to Los Angeles in 2028. In 2023, the IOC approved flag football as one of two new sports to debut and four events to return during this event as a way to showcase American sports.

Olympic flag football rules

In Olympic flag football, each team will consist of 10 players, with five players participating on the field during each play. The field will at 70×25 yards, including 10 yards for each endzone, and the games will consist of two 20-minute halves.

Play begins from the team’s five-yard line as the “center” snaps the ball to the quarterback, then ends when a defensive player pulls an offensive player’s flag, the offensive player scores or the offensive player goes out of bounds. However, there are no lineman on either team, only skill position players

There is one first-down marker, which is midfield, so teams have four downs to cross midfield, then another four downs to score in the endzone. After a turnover-on-downs, the ensuing offense gets the ball from their own five-yard line, but a defense that forces an interception gets the ball from where they are ruled down.

Additionally, teams cannot run the ball from within five yards, and ballcarriers are not allowed to jump or dive. Defenders who rush the quarterback must start from seven yards back of the line of scrimmage, and teams are only allowed to rush two players at a time.

Touchdowns are worth the usual six points, and have the option to gain an extra point from scoring five yards out or an extra two points from 10 yards out. For overtime, each team will have sudden death on equal possessions, as the first team to score “unanswered” wins.

There will be both male and female tournaments in the Olympics that follow similar formats. Six nations will earn entry on for both the men and the women, and there will be round robin stages and knockout rounds like there is in other Olympic sports.