Euro Flag Paris 2025 continues until Saturday at the Parc Interdépartemental des Sports in Choisy - Paris Val-de-Marne. On the sidelines of the event, the president of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), Pierre Trochet, spoke to Francs Jeux. In the second part of this interview, he talks about the overall development of his sport, with undisguised optimism.
How is the momentum of flag football manifesting itself? Are you seeing more interest in organizing major competitions, for example?
Yes, it's one of the most visible events. We already have a dozen bid intentions for the 2027 continental championships, and we had three bids for the world championships. Comparing this to 10 years ago is almost impossible. This momentum is evident in the organizations, but also in the number of players and the number of federations being built to join the IFAF. We're at 74, and I hope we'll be around 80 by the end of 2026. Everything translates into tickets, sponsors, participation, and federations. It's truly a boom time for American football.
With the inclusion of the flag in the Olympic Games, will a world championship be held in 2028?
We're looking for opportunities to host the World Championships in 2028, preferably at the end of the year. If we play at the end of the year, it allows us to work on partnerships in the southern hemisphere. We'll see what the bids are, but the 2028 World Championship should take place. Whether it will be at the end of 2028 or the beginning of 2029, I can't tell you yet.
Asia hasn't hosted the World Championships since 2006. You could go back ?
The World Games in Chengdu were a huge success this summer. We witnessed perhaps the most competitive flag football match ever seen, between Mexico and the United States. China has announced its goal of reaching one million new players per year; they have a goal of five million players over the next five years. There are also very strong federations in Southeast Asia and Japan. We're also seeing very intense development right now in the Australia-Pacific region, so of course, we'll be returning to Asia.
What did the realization of the first edition of the African Flag Football Championships mean to you?
We can't imagine a future without a major competition on every continent. Beyond the tournament, there's the preparations in advance, the communities that mobilize, the legacy aspect, the activities in schools, the dynamics that are created, etc. It was very important for me to have this first competition. Cairo was a real success; we almost doubled participation in all the countries that are included in a competition.
You said that Africa was "your last frontier." Now all geographical barriers have been broken down?
Indeed, yes! We have a major competition on every continent. We don't rule out, in the long run, given the growth in the region, having a separate championship for Asia and Oceania. American football, and flag football, is played by more than 20 million players across 100 countries. We have 350 million fans worldwide. It was inconceivable not to have a competition in Africa. Our partners helped us, notably the NFL and the Egyptian federation. I'm very happy with the result. We have a form of the game that appeals to new generations. Everyone can play, dream of being Pat Mahomes in their backyard and representing their country at the Olympic Games.
What are the next steps? Joining the YOG program in 2030?
There are plenty of milestones! The YOG, Brisbane in 2032, the Continental Games... All opportunities are worth discussing and measuring. Even though we won't be on the sports program in Dakar, I imagine there will be an American football in schools via the federation in Senegal.It's a process. We try to find partnerships that are interesting for everyone. We won't be able to win everything, but we will try to win as much as possible.
