The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international
governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...
of
gridiron associations. The IFAF oversees the
IFAF World Championship of American Football, which is held every four years. The IFAF became a provisionary member of
SportAccord in 2003, and became a full SportAccord member in 2005. The organisation's head office is located in the French
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
of
La Courneuve
La Courneuve () is a commune in Seine-Saint-Denis, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
History
Inhabited since pre-Roman times, the area is thought to have been a small village up through the Middle Ages. With its proximity to Par ...
, in the
Île-de-France
The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
.
Structure and organization
The IFAF recognizes in their respective areas the following branches and have 120 members as of May 2022:
*
IFAF Africa
IFAF Africa is the governing body of American football in Africa. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of gridiron a ...
: 17
*
IFAF Americas
IFAF Americas is the federation that governs the sport of American football in the Americas and qualifies teams from North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America in the IFAF World Cup. It replaced the Pan American Federation of ...
: 23
*
IFAF Asia
IFAF Asia is the governing body of American football in Asia. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of gridiron assoc ...
: 30
*
IFAF Europe
IFAF Europe is the governing body of American football in Europe. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football. IFAF Europe replaced the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) which had began in 1976 as the America ...
: 42 (
European Championship of American football
The European Championship is a continental competition of American football founded in 1983 and contested by the member countries of IFAF Europe. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the IFAF World Cup. This Championship is also known as, ...
)
*
IFAF Oceania
IFAF Oceania is the governing body of American football in Oceania. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football. IFAF Oceania replaced the Oceania Federation of American Football (OFAF) in 2012.
Members
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
...
: 8
Members
Top competitions
World
* Senior Men's World Championship (
Men
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...
), every four years.
* Senior Women's World Championship (
Women
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
), every four years.
* Under-19 World Championship (
Men
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...
), every four years.
* Senior Men's Flag Football World Championship (
Men
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...
), every two years.
* Senior Women's Flag Football World Championship (
Women
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
), every two years
* Senior Beach Football World Championship (Women, Men and Mixed), every two years.
*
World University American Football Championship (Men), every two years.
*
International Bowl
The International Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) collegiate American football bowl game played in Toronto from 2007 through 2010. During its run, it was the only post-season bowl game played outside the United State ...
(men), every year.
*
The World Games
The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 ...
, flag and tackle, various years, next event in 2022.
*Youth international cup (Men, Women), every year.
*
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
(Men), various years.
America
*Central America Bowl, (Men). Winner qualifies for the Senior World championship. Every four years.
*Under-18 and Under-19 North American Championships, various years.
*Under-15 and Under-17 North American Flag football Championships. (Men and Woman), first edition held in 2023
*South American Flag football Championships. (Men and Woman). Every two years.
Europe
*
European Championship, every four years.
*
European U-19 Championship, every two years.
*European Woman's tackle football championship, every four years.
*European Men's flag football championship, every two years.
*European Woman's flag football championship, every two years.
*Under-15 and Under-17 European Flag football championships (Men and Women), every two years.
Asia
*Asian Flag football Championship (Men), every two years.
*Asian beach Flag football championships. (Men), every two years.
Oceania
*Oceania Bowl, winner represents Oceania in the World Championship, every four years.
*Junior Oceania Bowl, winner represents Oceania in the U-19 World Championship, every two years.
Governance controversy and schism
Following the cancellation of the
2015 IFAF World Championship
The 2015 IFAF World Championship was the fifth instance of the IFAF World Championship, an international American football tournament. The United States hosted the tournament. Seven teams had confirmed their participation for the tournament in Ca ...
in Sweden for financial reasons, the event was moved to the United States. In February 2015 Tommy Wiking resigned as president of IFAF due to the cancellation of the event. During the 2015 meeting, Tommy Wiking was illegitimately put as president, and caused a schism. One group, in New York, elected Roope Norenen as interim president in September 2014, and Richard MacLean in 2015. The other group, based in Paris, recognized Tommy Wiking as president.
In September 2016, "IFAF in Paris" suspended six nations for not submitting players information for anti-doping, The suspended nations were the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Finland, and Denmark. A group of European federations wished for a reunification of the sport during a December 2016 meeting in Rome. In May 2017, after a split that created rival groupings of the International Federation of American Football, the IFAF grouping based in Paris stripped its recognition of
USA Football
USA Football is the national governing body for amateur American football in the United States. It is an independent non-profit based in Indianapolis, Indiana. USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive p ...
, citing disputes over anti-doping enforcement. IFAF (Paris) instead recognized the United States Federation of American Football as the USA's governing body, and the USFAF organized a team to participate in the
2017 World Games
The 2017 World Games ( pl, Igrzyska Światowe 2017), commonly known as Wrocław 2017 (german: Breslau 2017; sli, Brassel 2017), was the tenth World Games, a major international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events withi ...
, in which it won a bronze medal. The grouping of the IFAF based in New York continued to recognize USA Football and organized the 2017 Women's World Championships, which the USA won.
In March 2018, the
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its c ...
(CAS) determined that the IFAF (NY) was the proper governing entity and voided all decisions of the other IFAF entity, including their decision to strip USA Football of its recognition. USA Football is currently the internationally recognized governing body for American football in the United States.
See also
*
List of American and Canadian football leagues
This is a list of current and defunct leagues of American football and Canadian football.
Leagues in North America
Current professional leagues in North America
Professional outdoor leagues
''Major''
* National Football League (NFL), 192 ...
*
NFL Europe
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...
*
IFAF Flag Football World Championship
IFAF Flag Football World Championship is the international championship in flag football, organized by International Federation of American Football. The men's and women's competitions are usually held in the same venue. The tournament starts with ...
*
IFAF Junior World Championship
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Sports organizations established in 1998
American football governing bodies
IOC-recognised international federations
1998 establishments in France