NFL team owners have officially approved a resolution allowing players to compete in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the league announced Tuesday.
The NFL had long supported the idea, and several star athletes – including two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes – had expressed interest in representing their country.
The initiative took a major step forward as owners gave their unanimous approval during a league meeting in Minnesota.
“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.
“I know firsthand 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 league, NFL Players Association, Olympic entities, and the sport’s global governing body, the International Federation of American Football, will now work out the fine details, including injury protection measures, standards for field surfaces, and player workload and schedule management.
NFL players are expected to go through a tryout or qualification process to compete for their national teams, just like any other Olympic hopeful, the league said.
NFL team owners voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, according to NFL Network.
The announcement raises the tantalizing possibility of a new “Dream Team,” 36 years after the gold medal-winning U.S. basketball team loaded with NBA stars.
“Reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal – that’s something that, as a kid, I always wanted to be a part of, but football wasn’t global,” Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson said at a news conference. “So now we’re expanding the game. It’s pretty cool.”
“Dream Team” or not, the move is expected to inject major star power into the flag football competition, with the potential to bring some of U.S. sports’ biggest names to their home Games in a country where the NFL reigns supreme.
“It really takes us a step closer to fulfilling our promise to have these be the greatest Games that America is capable of hosting,” LA28 chair and president Casey Wasserman told Reuters.
A lifelong Cleveland Browns fan who served as a ball boy for the team as a kid, Wasserman said he was keenly aware of the spotlight NFL players could bring to the Olympic stage.
“These athletes – yes, they will bring an immense amount of attention to the flag football tournament – but they will bring an immense amount of attention to the entire Olympic program, because this will be truly life-altering for them as well,” he said.
The NFL has ramped up promotion of the sport – a non-contact format of American football – since the IOC approved it for the LA28 program in 2023, with an eye toward drawing more women into a sport long dominated by men.
The Olympics will also help advance the NFL’s longstanding international ambitions, as the league continues to globalize the game.
Six men’s teams and six women’s teams are expected to compete in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with 10 players per team competing in a five-on-five format.