Team Canada’s senior men’s and women’s national teams each secured victories on the final day of competition at the IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Lahti, Finland but finished off of the podium in both tournaments.
The Men’s National Team, which featured former CFL players Colton Klassen and Mitch Hillis, as well as one-time Canada West MVP Mason Nyhus at quarterback, knocked off Denmark 45-33 on Friday to secure a seventh-place finish. The team was eliminated from medal contention by virtue of a 27-21 defeat at the hands of Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Canada opened the tournament with a 34-33 upset over fifth-ranked Italy, before blanking Singapore 55-0 in their second game. The group fell 28-26 to host Finland in the final round-robin contest but bounced back with a 46-38 win over Israel in the round of 16. After Switzerland spoiled the party, Italy got their revenge with a 55-26 drubbing that knocked Canada into the final consolation game.
The Women’s National Team, which featured the CFL’s senior manager of football and officiating development Laurence Pontbriand, had a much more successful tournament, finishing in fifth place. They couldn’t get past Mexico, however, as the eventual silver medalists knocked off Canada 38-28 in the final round-robin game and repeated the feat with a 35-20 win in the quarter-finals.
The Canadian women were otherwise undefeated, posting a 34-25 comeback win over Italy before hanging 50 points on both South Korea and Denmark. They easily overcame Panama by a score of 37-6 in the round of 16, before securing consolation game victories of 48-47 over Great Britain and 39-24 over Spain.
Team USA captured the gold medal on both sides of the tournament, as the men notched a 53-21 victory over Austria and the women defeated Mexico 31-18 in their title game. Switzerland overcame Mexico for the bronze on the men’s side, while Japan snuck past Austria for third place in the women’s tournament.
Despite finishing without a medal, Canada improved their status in the sport. The women’s squad entered the tournament ranked ninth in the world, while the men held the 12th seed. The 2024 Flag Football World Championships will serve as a launching point for both teams as they eye qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
