The United States will enter flag football's Olympic era as the team everyone else is chasing.
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The U.S. men's national team captured its sixth consecutive world championship earlier this month, defeating Italy 46-26 in the gold-medal game in Düsseldorf, Germany.
That final score doesn't tell the entire story of the tournament, either.
The Americans suffered their first World Championship loss in 14 years during group play, falling to American Samoa and former Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. They also needed late rallies to survive Japan in the quarterfinals and Mexico in the semifinals.
Then came the championship game.
The U.S. jumped all over Italy, building a 38-8 halftime lead before cruising to another world title. Darrell "Housh" Doucette III was named tournament MVP, while quarterback Nico Casares summed up the team's expectations afterward.
"Gold is the only standard," Casares said, via the Associated Press. "That's our motto."
The timing makes the championship especially noteworthy.
Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with five-on-five men's and women's tournaments featuring six countries apiece. The United States has already qualified automatically as the host nation.
Italy and Canada also secured spots in the men's Olympic field through their performances at the World Championships, with the remaining three berths to be determined in 2028.
Meanwhile, Canada's women defeated the U.S. 27-20 in the championship game, ending the Americans' run of three straight world titles.
So yes, the rest of the world is catching up.
But two years before Olympic medals are handed out in Los Angeles, the U.S. men remain the standard.
