IFAF SECURES DAZN BROADCAST DEAL
The International Federation of American Football has secured what it describes as a landmark commercial breakthrough after agreeing a multi-year global broadcast partnership with streaming platform DAZN ahead of flag football’s Olympic debut at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
The agreement represents the first worldwide broadcast rights deal in IFAF history and will place a wide selection of international events in front of audiences across more than 200 markets, free of charge, on DAZN. Coverage begins with the men’s and women’s IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, from August 13-16th, with the tournament carrying added significance as one of the first direct qualification pathways for LA28.
DAZN will also broadcast the 2027 IFAF Flag Football Continental Championships and the 2028 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, alongside selected European tackle football championships as the platform continues expanding its American football portfolio internationally.
The move further strengthens DAZN’s growing involvement in the sport after becoming the global home of NFL Game Pass outside the United States and China, and carrying the final year of the European League of Football in 2025, while also underlining IFAF’s aggressive commercial push ahead of flag football’s Olympic introduction.
“DAZN has a proven track record of taking major US sports to fans around the world to accelerate their international growth,” DAZN Group chief executive officer Shay Segev said. “Our technology, multi-platform distribution and ability to cross-promote with our extensive premium sports portfolio will accelerate flag football’s global reach and visibility. By delivering IFAF events free to view on DAZN, we can introduce new audiences to an exciting sport at a pivotal moment in its global development.”
IFAF president Pierre Trochet, meanwhile, described the agreement as a transformative moment for the federation as it attempts to capitalise on rapidly increasing global interest in flag football following confirmation of the sport’s inclusion at LA28.
“This unprecedented deal is a landmark for IFAF as we enter a new phase of commercial maturation, harnessing the explosive worldwide interest in flag football ahead of our sport’s Olympic debut,” the Frenchman commented. “DAZN is a partner who can help us attract and engage new fans around our events by making them available — free of charge — to millions around the world. This is also great news for existing fans of IFAF competitions, who can now watch on a platform that most of them already know and love as the home of American football outside the US.”
The IFAF confirmed that flag football participation continues to rise globally, with a 48 per cent increase in national teams entering the federation’s world ranking system over the past three years. The governing body also pointed to strong digital engagement during The World Games in China, where flag football reportedly generated 23 per cent of total streaming watch time across all sports.