Every four years, football players have had to watch other athletes participate in the Summer Olympics while they sit at home, as the sport hasn’t been global enough to become part of the event.
That will change during the 2028 Olympics, which returns to the United States as Los Angeles will serve as the host. With the IOC looking to highlight some of America’s most popular sports, flag football was added as one of the newest Olympic sports, paving the way for football players to potentially appear in the event.
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In preparation for the Olympics, NFL owners are voting on whether to not to allow their players to go to the event, requiring negotiations with both the IOC and the NFLPA.
Here’s a breakdown of what needs to happen for NFL players to become Olympians in 2028.
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Will NFL players play Olympic flag football?
The NFL is expected to pass a resolution that will allow players to participate in flag football during the Olympics in 2028, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The vote will take place as part of the league’s meeting in Minneapolis on Tuesday, as 24 of 32 owners need to vote yes.
In order for players to participate, however, the league still needs to discuss the matter with the NFLPA and Olympic-related decision-makers so there will be specific parameters to protect teams, including:
- Only one player per team can play on each national team
- Salary cap credits for players injured in the event
- League-wide insurance policies for injury protection during the event
Additionally, the Olympic schedule needs to not “unreasonably conflict” with the players’ NFL commitments. The 2028 Olympics are currently scheduled for July 14 to July 30, which is before NFL training camps typically get into full gear.
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History of flag football at the Olympics
For the first time, flag football will be a part of the Summer Olympics when the event comes to Los Angeles in 2028. In 2023, the IOC approved flag football as one of two new sports to debut and four events to return during this event as a way to showcase American sports.
Olympic flag football rules
In Olympic flag football, each team will consist of 10 players, with five players participating on the field during each play. The field will at 70×25 yards, including 10 yards for each endzone, and the games will consist of two 20-minute halves.
Play begins from the team’s five-yard line as the center snaps the ball to the quarterback, then ends when a defensive player pulls an offensive player’s flag, the offensive player scores or the offensive player goes out of bounds. There is only one first-down marker, which is midfield, so teams have four downs to cross midfield, then another four downs to score in the endzone.
Touchdowns are worth the usual six points, and have the option to gain an extra point from scoring five yards out or an extra two points from 10 yards out. For overtime, each team will have sudden death on equal possessions, as the first team to score “unanswered” wins.
