New formula determines IFAF flag football world rankings

Following a year in which IFAF crowned men’s and women’s continental champions in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Oceania, a new formula has been adopted by the International Federation of American Football to determine annual IFAF Flag Football World Rankings.

IFAF calculates rankings using a variation of a formula known as the Elo Rating System, adaptations of which are used by many sporting organizations and events around the world.

“This formula allows IFAF to rank nations based on three years’ worth of competition and will create some new rivalries when the city of Lahti hosts the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships this summer,” said IFAF Competitions Director Roope Noronen. “I am sure this will create discussion and debate among the flag football community that can be settled when all these nations meet on the field in Finland in August.”

In the women’s rankings, the United States claim top spot as reigning Americas and World champions, while runners up and The World Games gold medalists Mexico are placed second. Japan holds third place marginally ahead of Great Britain after both nations won their respective continental tournaments last summer.

Unbeaten throughout the three years of the competitions used to determine the rankings, the United States also lead the men’s bracket, with Mexico in second spot ahead of European champions Germany in third and runners up Austria in fourth.

Ranking points are allocated from official IFAF tournaments – IFAF World Championships, The World Games, and IFAF Continental Championships – but not from friendly games. The World Games is included because qualifying is meritocratic and other tournaments will only be considered if there is equal access for nations to earn berths.

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Original text by Michael Preston/IFAF