Pro flag football slated to start in next couple of years, Goodell says

The NFL plans to launch women’s and men’s professional flag football leagues “in the next couple of years,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

The timeline outlined by Goodell at a sports conference in London would see the leagues created ahead of the 2028 L.A. Olympics, which will feature flag football for the first time.

“We're committed to creating a women’s professional league, and a men’s professional flag league. We've had a great deal of interest in that and I expect that we'll be able to do that, launch that, in the next couple of years,” Goodell said at the Leaders in Sport conference in London.

The league has prioritized flag football as a way to attract young fans, both male and female.

“The demand is there. We're seeing colleges in the states and universities internationally also that want to make it a part of their program,” Goodell said.

Also, Mexico City has been off the NFL's rotation of hosts for international games while Azteca Stadium was under renovations ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It’s back in the picture now, though.