Spain’s women’s flag football team is intensifying its push for a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Ranked seventh worldwide, the squad is counting on the recent NFL presence in Madrid and the league’s broader push to grow flag football globally.
NFL’s role in expanding the game
The NFL staged a regular‑season matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, marking the league’s seventh game abroad this year—a record for the organization. The league also announced Premier Flag, a professional men’s and women’s flag football league slated to launch in summer 2027.
In Spain, the NFL has rolled out school programs and youth competitions to spark interest. “The NFL has been a huge part of this, because people have started talking about this sport on the news,” said Spain wide receiver and defensive back Olga Sotillo. “It’s no longer just a niche sport.”
Local support and upcoming matches
The Chicago Bears, part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program, have organized flag football clinics across Spain, some featuring national‑team players. Next Monday, Spain’s women will face Britain in a friendly at Real Madrid’s training facilities, the same venue where the Falcons have been practicing.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson encouraged the Spanish athletes, saying, “I know you’re going to be great because everybody in America is killing out there, so I know you’ll be killing here, too.”
Olympic qualification path
Spain missed its first Olympic qualification chance at the World Championship in Germany, finishing eighth after a narrow 27‑26 loss to Mexico in the quarterfinals. Mexico and Canada secured the two available spots from that tournament.
The next opportunity comes at next year’s European Championship, where the top two eligible teams will advance to the Olympic Q‑Series in June 2028, determining the remaining three women’s berths.
“We are really excited,” Sotillo added. “We’ve seen in the world championship what we are capable of doing, which is to compete against some of the biggest powers in the sport.”
Recent results
Spain defeated Oceania champion Australia 39‑25 and fell to the United States 52‑31 in the group stage of the Düsseldorf tournament. The team also placed sixth at the 2024 World Championship, losing 18‑14 to the United States in the quarterfinals.
Flag football, one of five sports granted Olympic status for 2028, is played five‑on‑five with two 20‑minute halves, no tackling, and an emphasis on speed and elusiveness. Six women’s teams and six men’s teams, each with 10‑player rosters, will compete in Los Angeles.
Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.
