Overview
The world championship of American football, contested by national teams under the sport's international federation.
The IFAF World Championship is the senior international competition in American football, contested by national teams and held every four years. Editions have been staged in Italy, Germany, Japan, Austria, Sweden, the United States and China, with the United States winning every tournament it has entered.
IFAF also runs women's, under-19 and flag football world championships. Flag football's admission to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic programme has shifted much of the federation's focus and funding toward that discipline.
Season Format
Recent Champions
Most recent first. Seasons still in progress are marked.
History
The first world championship was played in Italy in 1999 without the United States, which entered for the first time in 2007 and has not lost since. Governance disputes split IFAF into rival factions between 2015 and 2018, disrupting the calendar.
The federation reunified and refocused on flag football, which was added to the Olympic programme for Los Angeles 2028 — the first time American football in any form will appear at the Games.
Governance
The International Federation of American Football is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and coordinates the national federations. Its Olympic discipline is five-a-side flag football.