The biggest flag football world championship of all time is history. 31 men's teams and 23 women's teams battled for the coveted titles over four intense days of competition in Lahti, Finland. The favorites prevailed in both the men's and women's competitions, but there were still a few surprises, especially the Austrian teams.
The Austrian men's team only had to concede defeat to the overpowering team from the USA by a score of 21:53 in the final and thus took the silver medal, just like in 2018. On their way to the final, the team led by head coach Michael Salamon beat Australia, Denmark and the team from Mexico, who they lost to at the 2022 World Games. The USA continued their impressive winning streak in Lahti, losing their last game on international soil in 2012 - a real show of strength that shows that the rest of the world has a lot of work to do before the 2028 Olympic Games if they want to have a say in the battle for the gold medal. Switzerland sensationally took the bronze medal with a thrilling 41:35 victory over Mexico.
The women's final was unsurprisingly USA versus Mexico. The two teams have been untouchable by all other nations for many years. At the end, the US women won the world title with a 31:18 victory. The Austrian team also showed a strong performance in the women's competition. As at the 2021 World Championships and the 2022 World Games, they qualified for the semi-finals. Unfortunately, their great performance was not rewarded with a medal. After losing to the USA, head coach Robert Riedl's team was narrowly beaten by Japan 40:41 in the match for third place. As a small consolation, fourth place means qualification for the next World Games, which will take place in China in 2025.
So much for the results, but who are the winners and losers of the World Championships?
WINNERS:
USA
There is no doubt who the number one flag football nation is. The US women have only lost 1 game since 2016, the final of the 2022 World Games against Mexico. The men's winning streak is even longer. But that's not all; the gap between the USA and the rest of the world seems to have widened. While one or two nations have at least been able to challenge the favorites in recent years, this year there have been clear victories across the board.
Austria
The performance of the two Austrian teams was outstanding. The self-confident, ambitious goal was to win a medal. The fact that this was actually achieved for the men and almost achieved for the women is mainly due to the fact that they managed to win many close games. Both teams were able to catch up and keep their nerve in those games. Only in the game against Japan Austria's women's team was unable to hold on to a lead. Austria is once again the most successful European nation at the World Championships. It is to be hoped that this position can be maintained until the Olympic Games.
Switzerland
For me, the Swiss men's team are the biggest surprise of the World Championships. Before the tournament, nobody had the number 14 in the world rankings on their radar. They also got off to a slow start with a narrow victory against Ukraine and the expected defeat against Austria. In the knockout round, however, the Swiss were a changed team. After victories against the much higher-rated teams from Panama and Canada, they were only stopped by the USA in the semi-finals. In the match for third place, they defeated the strong Mexicans in the last second to win their first ever flag football medal.
Parity
The parity was on display at the World Championships: the reigning European champions Germany (men) and Great Britain (women) finished in 12th and 7th place respectively. Even though the top two remained unchanged, it was clear that the level of the top 16 has risen significantly and the balance of power is levelling out more and more. Any small weakness can lead to early elimination. Before the tournament, nobody would have expected a top nation like Panama, who won the bronze medal at the last World Cup, to finish in 13th place.
LOSERS:
Germany (men)
Easy come, easy go. After their dominant performance at the 2023 European Championships, where the men's team won the title in commanding style, their performance at the World Cup was shockingly weak. They failed to impress in the preliminary round, were knocked out by Italy in the round of 16 and suffered further heavy defeats against Israel and Japan in the placement matches. The result left players and coaches perplexed. The preparation had been good, the drop in performance inexplicable. It is particularly disappointing that Germany finished in 12th place, falling well short of the top 6 position required for Olympic promotion. Hard work awaits the team, as they must prove that the 2023 European Championship title was not a flash in the pan.
Mexico (men)
Since 2012, Mexico has finished in the top 4 at every World Championship and World Games in both the men's and women's competitions. An unbelievable consistency, the only problem is that the women have won just two titles in total. The men had to make do with two 2nd, two 3rd and three 4th places. Mexico is an outstanding flag football nation, but once again they failed to win the title (and this time even a medal in the men's competition).
