The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) announced today that Finland will be the host country for the 2024 Flag Football World Championships. The tournament will take place at the Pajulahti Sports Center in August 2024, featuring national teams from over 20 countries.

Flag Football World Championships have been organized since 2002. On the men’s side, Finland has not secured any medals so far, but in the women’s category, the country claimed silver and bronze in the 2004 and 2006 tournaments, respectively. The previous World Championships were held in December 2021 in Israel, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Flag football made its debut in the summer 2022 World Games in Alabama, USA, where the top eight men’s and women’s national teams competed, but Finland’s ranking did not qualify them for participation.

Roope Noronen, the Chairman of the Finnish American Football Association (SAJL), expressed his satisfaction that Finland is trusted as the host nation for the 2024 World Championships:

-The Finnish American Football Association is extremely proud to host the 2024 World Championships. The collaboration with Pajulahti in the organization of the tournament enables us to conduct high-quality events, and our goal is to make it the best World Championships in the history of the sport.

Noronen continued, emphasizing the strong and enduring partnership between Pajulahti and SAJL:

-Pajulahti and SAJL have had a good, longstanding collaboration, which now, with this shared World Championship project, reaches a new level.

Tero Kuorikoski, the director of the Pajulahti Training Center, highlighted the significance of major championships for the entire local area:

-For Pajulahti and, of course, the entire Lahti region, it is significant to host such a world-class championship event and to act as the host. From the perspective of the sport, I hope this event will serve as a great showcase for flag football, positively influencing participation numbers and the sport’s visibility.

Pajulahti is Finland’s only official Olympic and Paralympic training center, conveniently located just a 1.5-hour drive from Helsinki and the airport. In recent years, Pajulahti has hosted numerous major sports events across various disciplines.

The international federation IFAF has previously stated its ambition to secure a spot for flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. IFAF President Pierre Trochet believes that the World Championships will contribute to realizing this dream:

-In support of our significant goal set for 2028, we have developed a robust competition plan for both continental championships and the World Championships. In 2023, the continental championships will be held, and in the summer of 2024, we invite the entire world to Lahti. The Finnish American Football Association (SAJL) is a reliable and experienced partner in organizing major tournaments, and we believe that the Finns will elevate the flag football World Championships to a new level.

The Flag Football World Championships will take place at the Pajulahti Sports Center from August 27 to 30, 2024.

Prior to the home championships, the Finnish flag football national teams will participate in the European Championships in Limerick, Ireland, in 2023.