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Israeli flag football teams compete in Finland for 2028 Olympics slot

The men’s team is ranked 1st in group G in round one, where they will meet former European Champions Denmark, along with Ireland, and India.

By Josh Hasten, JNS

Israel’s men’s and women’s flag football teams are kicking off their quest for a spot at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, at this week’s International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championships (FFWC) in Lahti, Finland.

The four-day tournament (Aug. 27-30) will feature a gathering of the top-ranked teams from around the globe.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced that for the first time ever, flag football would be an official Olympic sport and included in the 2028 games.

Israel has a long and successful history in the sport and the men’s team is currently ranked 8th in the world based on 2024 IFAF rankings. The women’s team is ranked 18th.

President of American Football in Israel (AFI) Steve Leibowitz told JNS that preparations for Finland were extremely challenging due to Israel’s current multi-front war, but that nevertheless the Israeli players are ready to compete.

“From Oct. 7 our national teams halted due to war-related commitments. Six months later they returned to the field, switching back from IDF jerseys to national team uniforms. They made up for lost time and are ready,” said Leibowitz.

Leibowitz said AFI officials recently met with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft along with other Patriots coaches to confer on the goal of reaching the Olympics.

Kraft, along with his late wife Myra, have been the cornerstones in supporting and developing football in Israel for over 20 years.

AFI representatives also met with Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf, another standout AFI supporter, and other Vikings staff, to discuss Israel’s Olympic football dreams.

The Israeli men’s team, led by Coach Jonathan Tekac, are fresh off a bronze medal finish at the IFAF European Championships last summer.

“We are extremely excited to wear the Magen David and represent Am Yisrael [the nation of Israel] with pride and honor at the upcoming 2024 World Championship. I am extremely proud of the effort our players, coaches and staff have put into preparing for this opportunity,” said Tekac.

“Despite tremendous adversity, they continue to show the utmost professionalism. Being part of such a fast-growing sport, in Israel and across the globe, is a tremendous opportunity for Israeli athletes to compete at the highest levels,” he added.

National men’s team player Jonathan Curran, who has been playing football in Israel since 2010, both in the tackle and flag leagues, is optimistic his squad can come home to Israel with some hardware.

“The expectations for the tournament are pretty high,” he told JNS. “We know there are good teams all around the world. Our goal is to medal, a top-three position.”

Curran, who has been in active IDF reserve duty for almost 230 days, said, “whether on or off the field it means a lot in representing Israel in any way shape or form.”

He added, “Representing Israel goes way beyond just the sport. It means everything. It’s a constant conversation you always have with yourself. I represent the country, the Jewish nation. The way we talk, handle ourselves, the way we behave, our manner of professionalism, it means everything representing Israel.”

Women’s head coach and former national team player Elissa Sagoskin told JNS her team consists of a few veteran leaders surrounded by a lot of new young talent.

“This campaign is focused a lot on rebuilding and recruiting new players, some whom have never played flag football before, but are extremely talented high-level athletes,” she said.

Sagoskin explained that even though flag football was new to some of the players, several of them are currently professional athletes in Israel, playing in the country’s basketball and soccer leagues, among other sports.

“Our expectations are making sure they get the experience, and they continue to work to develop their game and their football IQ. We’re really excited not only for this specific campaign, but for building toward the future. Finland is a first step in this journey of trying to get to the Olympics,” she said.

She added that while representing the blue and white was always special, this year’s championships had extra meaning for team Israel.

“We’re always proud, it’s always a privilege to represent Israel any time but especially this time, with a lot of pride love and passion,” she said.

Sagoskin praised some of the veteran leaders on her team and was confident their experience playing against some of the top competition in the world would rub off as they served as mentors for the newer players.

One of those veterans and a co-captain of the team is Rachel Shmidman, who has been part of the American Football in Israel family since 2004.

“My hopes and dreams for the tournament would be to get out of our bracket and advance to the knockout rounds,” she told JNS.

“I’m proud of the team we put together, I think we have a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see what we can do,” she added.

The 11th IFAF FFWC biennial event will be the largest and most significant in the sport’s history with the top seven finishers in the women’s competition also qualifying to compete along with hosts China at The World Games in Chengdu in 2025.

The men’s team is ranked 1st in group G in round one, where they will meet former European Champions Denmark, along with Ireland, and India.

The Israeli women are in Group D, an extremely tough draw facing Great Britain (ranked fourth in the world), along with Panama and The Czech Republic.

The process for Olympic qualification has yet to be finalized but the qualifying tournament is expected in 2026 or 2027.

“The FFWC used to be the pinnacle for the sport. Now it’s the Olympics. The AFI has set qualification as the goal. I take this as my personal responsibility to make it happen,” said Leibowitz.