GB women narrowly miss Olympic qualification in World Championship defeat

Great Britain's women's flag football team, the two-time defending European champions, fell 19-20 to Mexico in the bronze-medal game at the World Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany. The defeat meant world number one Mexico secured a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where flag football will make its Olympic debut.

GB endured a difficult start, throwing two interceptions on their opening drives, with the second leading to a Mexico touchdown that put them 13-0 ahead. GB, ranked third in the world, got on the scoreboard through an Angelica Tait touchdown, but Mexico extended their lead to 20-6.

GB held Mexico scoreless in the second half and fought back through two touchdowns from tournament top scorer Emily Kemp. With two minutes remaining, they attempted a two-point conversion to take the lead. Kemp caught Jess Allen's pass in the endzone, but her foot landed out of bounds, allowing Mexico to run out the clock and secure victory.

Head coach Jack Reed said the team had fallen into a hole after a costly drive at the end of the first half and an interception that led to a Mexico touchdown, but praised the players for fighting back and holding Mexico scoreless after the break, noting the game came down to inches. He said the team had shown it could compete with the world's best, having also pushed the top-ranked USA close in Saturday's semi-final, losing 21-27.

Qualification picture

The USA beat GB in the semi-final and advanced to face Canada in the final. As hosts, the USA automatically qualify for Los Angeles 2028, alongside Canada and Mexico, while GB will have to wait two years for another qualification opportunity. Canada beat Mexico 34-26 in overtime in the bronze-medal game on the men's side, securing Olympic qualification alongside Italy. GB's men's team beat Brazil 33-26 on Sunday to finish 13th overall, while the USA claimed their sixth consecutive world title with a 46-26 win over Italy.