IFAF World Championship of American Football
Upcoming season or competition:
Current sports event 2025 IFAF World Championship
SportAmerican football
Founded1999
No. of teams12 (tournament)
71 (eligible national teams)
Most recent
champion(s)		 United States (3rd title)
Most titles United States (3 titles)
Official websiteOfficial website

The IFAF World Championship of Football (also known as the IFAF World Cup) is an international gridiron competition held every four years[1] and contested by teams representing member nations. The competition is run by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport. Seventy-one nations have a national American football team. The most recent tournament, in 2015, featured seven teams.

The defending champions are the United States, who won the 2015 championship after winning both the 2007 and 2011 editions. The U.S. team did not compete in the World Cup until 2007 and have won every tournament since. Prior to the American entrance, Japan won the 1999 and 2003 championships.

The championship was held in Italy in 1999, in Germany in 2003, in Kawasaki, Japan in 2007, and in Austria in 2011. The 2015 IFAF World Championship was originally going to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, however local organizers had to cancel the event due to lack of sponsorship.[2] The 2015 tournament was played in Canton, Ohio, United States.[3]

Tournament format

At the 2011 championship, the championship tournament consisted of eight teams divided into two groups of four (there were six teams in 1999 and 2007, four in 2003, and seven in 2015). The opening round featured a round-robin tournament within the groups, with each team playing each other once. However, as opposed to a tournament bracket after the games were completed, the teams with the best record from each group met in the gold medal game, with the second-place teams in each group playing for the bronze medal, the third-place teams playing in the 5th-place game, and the fourth-place teams playing in the 7th-place game, thus guaranteeing each team four games.

Automatic berths included the host nation and the defending champions. Both finalists from the European Championship of American football tournament received berths. Two teams from the Pan American Federation of American Football received berths, as did one member each from the Asian Federation of American Football and from the Oceania Federation of American Football.

For the 2019 championship (postponed to 2023, then 2025), the tournament will expand to 12 teams.[4] Teams will be divided into four groups, each consisting of three teams. Teams will play the other two teams in their group once each, for a total of two group-stage games. Teams will then advance to the second round, and from there to the placement and medal games.[5]

Because American football is far more dominant in the United States than anywhere else in the world, the United States did not field a team in the tournament for its first two editions. The United States has fielded a squad for the last three iterations, but with extremely restrictive criteria that make most American football players ineligible for the team. Despite the restrictions, the United States has won all three world championships in which they have competed. Similarly, Canada (where Canadian football, a related sport, has widespread popularity) did not participate until the 2011 competition, when the Canadian team finished second to the United States.

Results

Summaries

Year Host Final Third-place match Number of teams
Winner Score Runner-up 3rd place Score 4th place
1999 Italy
Italy
Japan		 6–0 (OT)
Mexico
Sweden		 38–13
Italy		 6
2003 Germany
Germany
Japan[6]		 34–14
Mexico
Germany		 36–7
France		 4
2007 Japan
Japan
United States		 23–20 (OT)
Japan
Germany		 7–0
Sweden		 6
2011 Austria
Austria
United States		 50–7
Canada
Japan		 17–14
Mexico		 8
2015 United States
United States
United States		 59–12
Japan
Mexico		 20–7
France		 7
2025

Results

Cody Hawkins, quarterback of the United States 2011 World Championship team.
Team 1999
(6)		 2003
(4)		 2007
(6)		 2011
(8)		 2015
(7)
 Australia 5th – – 8th 5th
 Austria – – – 7th –
 Brazil – – – – 7th
 Canada – – – 2nd –
 Finland 6th – – – –
 France – 4th 6th 6th 4th
 Germany – 3rd 3rd 5th –
 Italy 4th – – – –
 Japan 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 2nd
 Mexico 2nd 2nd – 4th 3rd
 South Korea – – 5th – 6th
 Sweden 3rd – 4th – –
 United States – – 1st 1st 1st

Rankings

Pos. Team Champions Runners-up Third Fourth
1st  United States 3 (2007, 2011, 2015) – – –
2nd  Japan 2 (1999, 2003) 2 (2007, 2015) 1 (2011) –
3rd  Mexico – 2 (1999, 2003) 1 (2015) 1 (2011)
4th  Canada – 1 (2011) – –
5th  Germany – – 2 (2003, 2007) –
6th  Sweden – – 1 (1999) 1 (2007)
7th  France – – – 2 (2003, 2015)
8th  Italy – – – 1 (1999)

IFAF World Championship records

Rushing yards

Tournament

447 – Lars Gustafsson, Sweden (1999)[7]

Game

232 – Lars Gustafsson, Sweden (Sweden vs. Italy, 3 July 1999)

Rushing touchdowns

Tournament

5 – DeShawn Thomas, U.S. (2011)

Game

3 – Mario Nerad, Austria (Australia vs. Austria, 15 July 2011)

Passing yards

Tournament

881 – Joachim Ullrich, Germany (2011)

Game

281 – Kiernan Dorney, Australia (Australia vs. Germany, 12 July 2011)

Touchdown passes

Tournament

6 – Michael Faulds, Canada (2011)
6 – Joachim Ullrich, Germany (2011)

Game

4 Jared Stegman, Australia (Australia vs South Korea, 9 July 2015)

Interceptions thrown

Tournament

7 – Jarkko Nieminen, Finland (1999)

Game

3 – Kiernan Dorney, Austria vs. Australia (15 July 2011)
3 – Carlos Altimirano, Mexico vs. Germany (10 July 2003)
3 – Joachim Ullrich, Germany vs. Mexico, (10 July 2003)
3 – David Ward, Austria vs. Japan (1 July 1999)

Receiving yards

Tournament

433 – Niklas Roemer, Germany (2011)

Game

180 – Niklas Roemer, Germany vs France (16 July 2011)

Receptions

Tournament

26 – Nate Kmic, U.S. (2011)

Game

8 – Niklas Roemer, Germany vs. Austria (12 July 2011)
8 – Nate Kmic, U.S. vs. Germany (12 July 2011)
8 – Boti Bramer, Germany vs. Mexico (10 July 2003)

Touchdown receptions

Tournament

4 – Niklas Roemer, Germany (2011)
4 – Matteo Soresini, Italy (1999)

Game

2 – by several players, most recent: Trent Steelman, U.S. vs. France (15 July 2015)

Longest plays

Rushing

88 – N.Khandar, France vs Australia (12 July 2015)

Passing

89 – Ullrich to Roemer, Germany vs. France (16 July 2011)

Punt return

85 – Marcel Duft, Germany vs. Sweden (14 July 2007)

Kickoff return

102 – Anthony Dablé, France vs. Brazil (8 July 2015)

Interception return

95 – Marcus Weil, Germany vs. U.S. (12 July 2007)

Fumble return

10 Terrence Jackson, U.S. vs. Germany (7 July 2011)

Field goal

56 – José Carlos Maltos, Mexico vs. Austria (10 July 2011)

Blocked punt return touchdown

26 – Diezeas Calbert, U.S. vs. Australia (8 July 2011)

Blocked field goal return touchdown

75 – Johnny Dingle, U.S. vs. Germany (10 July 2011)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "IFAF Senior World Championship". International Federation of American Football. Retrieved October 21, 2011. The IFAF Senior World Championship is held every four years having first been contested in 1999.
  2. ↑ "[PRESS RELEASE] World Championship moves » IFAF World Championship American Football Stockholm 2015 VM Amerikansk fotboll". stockholm2015.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ "EIGHT TEAMS TO BATTLE FOR THE IFAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN CANTON, OHIO". International Federation of American Football. Retrieved February 16, 2015. The 2015 IFAF World Championship will be contested in Canton, Ohio between the 8th and 19th of July with all games staged at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
  4. ↑ "SWEDEN TO HOST 2015 INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF AMERICAN FOOTBALL SENIOR WORLD". International Federation of American Football. October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011. Sweden will host the 2015 International Federation of American Football Senior World Championship when the national teams of 12 countries from four continents converge on the capital city of Stockholm.
  5. ↑ "SWEDEN TO HOST 2015 INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF AMERICAN FOOTBALL SENIOR WORLD". International Federation of American Football. October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011. At the 2015 tournament the 12 teams will be split into four groups of three for a round robin stage leading to the second round and then placement and medal games that will take place during 10 playing days with rest days in between.
  6. ↑ "SCHEDULE". German Football Partners. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Football".
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