LONDON (AP) – The National Football League (NFL) is set to establish both women's and men's professional flag football leagues "in the next couple of years," according to Commissioner Roger Goodell. This announcement was made during the Leaders in Sport conference held at Twickenham Stadium in London on Thursday.
Goodell outlined a timeline for launching these leagues ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where flag football will make its Olympic debut. "We’re committed to creating a women’s professional league, and a men’s professional flag league. We’ve had a great deal of interest in that and I expect that we’ll be able to do that, launch that, in the next couple of years," he stated.
The push for flag football stems from the league's initiative to engage younger fans, both male and female, as Goodell mentioned the demand from colleges in the U.S. and international universities that are interested in including flag football in their programs. "If you set that structure up where there’s youth leagues, going into high school, into college, and then professional, I think you can develop a system of scale. That’s an important infrastructure that we need to create," he added.
In addition to the announcement regarding flag football, Goodell also addressed Mexico's position in the NFL's international plans. Mexico City, which had been absent from the NFL's rotation of international game hosts due to renovations at Azteca Stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup, is back on the radar. "We’ll be back in Mexico City next year, which we’re thrilled about," he noted.
Currently, the NFL is playing a record-high total of seven international games this season, with six taking place in Europe and one in Brazil. Goodell reiterated the league's objective to increase the number of games played abroad to 16, with plans to expand into Asia soon after. Australia has already been confirmed as a host for a game next season. He emphasized the need for global outreach by stating, "If you’re going to be global, you have to do it beyond Europe, beyond the Americas." He expressed excitement about upcoming plans, particularly regarding Asia, though league officials opted not to disclose specific locations within the region.
Goodell further discussed the unifying aspect of football and sports in general, reflecting on the current divisive political climate in the U.S. "We read about different issues and we see the different things that go on in politics... and unfortunately negative things like war. Again, I think football – and sports in general – I do think bring communities together," he said during the conference.
Echoing this sentiment, Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam remarked, "The U.S. is extremely divided today politically. The great thing about sports is, no matter who I voted for or who you voted for, for the three hours or two hours we’re watching that game, we’re rooting for our team, and that’s all we care about." Both Goodell and Haslam's comments highlight the role that sports can play in fostering unity and community spirit amid broader societal issues.
