Flag Football Debuts in 2028 Olympics via Brazilian Favela Projects

Flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028, and Brazil is developing a team from within the favela of Paraisópolis.

The First Down project, free and open to all, is training the next generation of athletes in São Paulo, Espaço do Povo reported.

Flag football’s inclusion in the Los Angeles Olympics expands the sport, which is a non-contact version of American football. The Olympic tournaments will feature six teams each for men and women, with games consisting of two 20-minute halves on a 70-yard field at Exposition Park Stadium.

The format’s accessibility—requiring only a ball, flags, and open space—has fueled its rapid growth, allowing it to be played in community centers, schoolyards, and local parks.

The First Down project, born in 2023 through the initiative of professor and coach Fernando Ferreira, operates from the CEU Paraisópolis community center. It serves 52 participants, from children as young as 7 to adults, with free training sessions.

The group meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., divided by age and skill level. A second program has also started at the CEU Butantã on Wednesdays.

The project has already produced results on a national level. In 2025, First Down sent six athletes to a national team training camp and competed in the Brazilian national championships, securing runner-up titles in different categories, Espaço do Povo reported.

“It’s a cheap sport to start,” Ferreira explained. “It doesn’t require a helmet, shoulder pads, or a stadium. Just a ball, flags attached to a belt, and a flat space.”

From the Favela to the National Team

The First Down project has proven that a path from the community to the national team is viable. In January 2026, three of its athletes—Agatha Lorrany, Sabrina Medeiros, and Willians Nascimento—attended a training camp hosted by the Brazilian Confederation of American Football (CBFA) that selected the team for the South American Youth Games in Panama.

One standout name from the project is Paulo César Silva Pedreira, 17, who gained experience as an assistant coach at training camps for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. His contributions were recognized with a mural by artist Eduardo Kobra in São Paulo, part of an NFL initiative in Brazil.

A National Network of Grassroots Growth

The expansion of flag football is not limited to São Paulo. In Manaus, a group of ten girls from peripheral neighborhoods represented Brazil at a sub-14 flag football tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, in January 2026. The trip was fully funded by the NFL. The players are part of the AEVA (Educational and Sports Association Voz Ativa), which bills itself as the country’s largest student flag football movement.

“AEVA serves over 3,000 children in Manaus, Coari, and Carauari,” said Professor Girleno, who leads the organization. The Manaus team earned its spot in the Mexico tournament after going undefeated in a qualifying event in São Paulo on August 31, 2025.

How to Join the First Down Project

Interested in trying flag football? The First Down project welcomes new participants. No prior experience is necessary; in fact, most new members have never seen a game of American football before. To begin, prospective athletes can simply show up to a training session at CEU Paraisópolis and request a trial class. The program is free and accepts anyone aged 7 and older.

“The majority of our students arrived having never seen a game of American football,” a project spokesperson said. “Our goal is to introduce them to the sport in a fun and accessible environment.”