GB women top group at flag football World Championships as Olympic qualification stage begins

Great Britain’s women’s flag football team topped their group at the World Championships in Germany on Friday after beating Austria 47-26 and progressed to the knockout stage as they aim to secure an Olympic place.

The tournament in Germany is the first event at which teams can qualify for Los Angeles 2028, when the non-contact version of American football will make its Olympic debut. Emily Kemp is Great Britain's leading touchdown scorer. GB are ranked third in the world and are the two-time defending European champions. They opened their group campaign on Thursday with victories over France (33-14) and China (26-25).

GB’s quarter-final is scheduled for Saturday at 09:30 BST against Panama. If they beat Panama they could face defending champions the USA in the semi-finals later that day. The Austria win on Friday completed their group matches and confirmed their place in the knockout phase.

The top two teams — apart from Olympic hosts America — will qualify for LA28 this weekend. That structure means GB would still have another route to secure Olympic qualification via the bronze-medal game if needed.

The Great Britain men's team, ranked 12th, finished bottom of their group after losing to Italy (21-12), France (43-32) and Panama (33-27). They will play in ranking matches to determine ninth to 16th place, beginning with a game against Switzerland.

The gold and bronze-medal games are scheduled for Sunday in Dusseldorf. GB’s next confirmed match remains the women's quarter-final against Panama on Saturday at 09:30 BST.