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Flag Football — rules, scoring & the road to LA28

Governed by International Federation of American Football (IFAF) · national federation in India ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 18 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's flag football map in simple words: how the 5-a-side, no-contact game works, how a team scores, the quarterback and rushing rules, how LA28 places are won, and the honest picture for Indian players.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap IFAF Flag Football Rules 2023 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) LA28 flag football qualification (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Players
5 on the field; squad of up to 15 [1]
Contact
None — no blocking, tackling or kicking [1]
Match time
2 halves × 20 minutes [1]
LA28
6 men's + 6 women's teams of 10 [2]
01 Core rules & selection formats

How flag football works

Each player wears a belt with two flags. Instead of tackling, a defender stops the runner by pulling a flag. Blocking, tackling and kicking are not allowed — it is a non-contact game. [1]

Flag football in numbers (IFAF 5-on-5) [1]

Flag football in numbers (IFAF 5-on-5)
RuleWhat it says
Field50 × 25 yards plus end zones
Team5 on the field; up to 15 in the squad
Time2 halves of 20 minutes
Downs4 downs to cross the middle line; then 4 more to score
Quarterback7 seconds to pass or hand off after the snap, and may not run past the line of scrimmage
RushersDefenders lined up 7 yards or more back may rush the quarterback

Scoring [1]

Scoring
PlayPoints
Touchdown6
Extra try from 5 yards1
Extra try from 10 yards2
Defence scores on a try2
  • Near the goal line — the 5-yard no-running zones — the attack must pass, not run.
  • Flag guarding (covering your flag with a hand, arm, leg or the ball) is a foul. [1]
02 Institutional & global recognition

Olympic debut at LA28

How LA28 places are won (men and women each) [2]

How LA28 places are won (men and women each)
RoutePlaces
Host (USA)1
IFAF World Championships, Düsseldorf, 13–16 August 2026 — top two eligible teams2
Olympic Qualifier Series 2028 — top three (from at least two continents)3
  • The Olympic Qualifier Series takes the two best teams from each 2027 continental championship — including the Asia Championship. That is the door for an Asian team. [2]
  • Flag football is also a World Games sport. It is not on the 2026 Asian Games programme or in the Sports Ministry's cash-award list. [3][4][5]
03 Physical benchmarks & anti-doping

Age rule and anti-doping

  • LA28 players must be 18 or older on 31 December 2028 and meet IFAF's eligibility rules. [2]
  • Under the anti-doping code you must be available for testing and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [6]
04 Grassroots-to-elite pipeline

From the park to the Olympic qualifier

  1. 1Grassroots & local entry Under 18
  2. 2Club & national team 18+
  3. 32027 Asia Championship Senior
  4. 4International orbit LA28
The full Flag Football roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap
05 Training centres & cities

Where players train

  • Flag football is not among SAI's NCOE or STC sports. Players train with clubs and school teams; the game needs only a ball, flag belts and open ground. [7][1]
06 Equipment costs & who pays

A cheap sport to start — and who pays

  • You need a ball and a flag belt with two flags — no pads or helmets. Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them. [1]

Who pays [8]

Who pays
StagePaid byWhat you get
Olympic prospectTOPS Core Group₹50,000 a month + approved training plan
Athlete in hardshipPDU National Welfare FundUp to ₹2.50 lakh
07 Earning channels & central job quotas

The honest job picture

  • Flag football is not on the DoPT list of 65 sports, and the 2026 Railways and CRPF notices had no flag football posts. Today it is a sport to play for love and for the LA28 dream, not for a job. [9][10][11]
08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that cost players

  • Flag guarding — covering your flag is a foul.
  • Holding the ball too long as quarterback — after 7 seconds the play is dead and you lose the down.
  • Running in the no-running zone — near the goal line you must pass. [1]
09 Real-world player doubts

Straight answers

Is flag football the same as American football?

It comes from American football, but it is 5 a side and non-contact — no tackling, blocking or kicking. You stop a runner by pulling a flag from their belt. That makes it cheap and safe to start. [1]

Can an Asian team really reach LA28?

Yes, there is a door: the top two at the 2027 Asia Championship go to the 2028 Olympic Qualifier Series, where the top three win places. [2]

10 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 18 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

  1. IFAF — International Flag Football Rules 2023 (5 on 5, non-contact; copy published by BAFRA) (opens in a new tab) Non-contact play, flag belts, 50 × 25 yd field, 5 players and 15-player roster, 2 × 20 min, 4 downs, quarterback 7 seconds, rushers 7 yd, scoring, no-running zones, flag guarding · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
  2. IFAF — Qualification System, LA28 Olympic Games: Flag Football (version 12 May 2026; copy published by DOSB) (opens in a new tab) 6 + 6 teams of 10, age 18+, Worlds 2026 Düsseldorf, Olympic Qualifier Series with 2 teams per 2027 continental championship · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
  3. International World Games Association — The World Games 2025, Chengdu (opens in a new tab) Flag football at the World Games 2025 · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  4. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — Sports (opens in a new tab) 2026 Asian Games sport list (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  5. MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Eligible sports list (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  6. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  7. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) NCOE and STC sport lists (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  8. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  9. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) 65-sport list (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  10. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) 2026-27 sports-quota posts (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  11. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 2026 sports-quota disciplines (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  12. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  13. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and Education Margdarshan will update it.

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