College flag football is the sport of flag football played by student-athletes at colleges and universities. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) was the first college governing body in the U.S. to sanction flag football as a varsity women's sport in 2021.
History The began crowning a national champion in flag football in 2011. The sport made its debut on the programme in 2018, alongside rugby sevens and sport climbing.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) partnered with the National Football League (NFL) to become the first college governing body in the U.S. to sanction flag football for female student-athletes at the varsity level. Ten teams took part in the inaugural NAIA tournament in the spring of 2021.
On September 8, 2023, the ITESM Santa Fe Campus Borregos, led by quarterback Diana Flores, defeated the three-time defending NAIA national champion Ottawa Braves by a score of 27–6 at NRG Stadium in Houston; the historic exhibition was held as part of the Mexican College Football Showcase.
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) added the sport in the spring of 2023. The Atlantic East Conference of NCAA Division III became the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference to sponsor the sport in the spring of 2025. Conference Carolinas, a member of NCAA Division II, added flag football in spring 2026. Following an NCAA recommendation, all three of its divisions voted at the January 2026 NCAA convention to add flag football to the organization's Emerging Sports for Women program, effective immediately. Similarly, U Sports will add women's flag football as a pilot sport beginning the 2027-28 season; it has been a varsity sport in Quebec's RSEQ since 2021.
Champions
Mexico
CONADEIP 2011: ITESM Toluca 2012: UANL 2013: UANL (2) 2014: ITESM Toluca (2) 2015: ITESM Santa Fe 2016: ITESM Santa Fe (2) 2017: CETYS Tijuana 2018: ITESM Santa Fe (3) 2019: ITESM Santa Fe (4) MVP: Diana Flores 2020–21: Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2022: ITESM Santa Fe (5) 2023: UVM Tlalpan 2024: ITESM Santa Fe (6) 2025: ITESM Santa Fe (7)
Universiada Nacional + List of flag football champions 2018 May 2, 2018 UANL 33–19 CETYS Toluca 2019 May 16, 2019 UANL (2) 27–7 UABC Mérida 2020–21 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2022 May 27, 2022 UNAM 32–26 CETYS Ciudad Juárez 2023 June 14, 2023 UNAM (2) 38–7 Anáhuac Cancún Hermosillo 2024 May 25, 2024 ITESM Santa Fe 21–20 Anáhuac Cancún Aguascalientes 2025 June 6, 2025 Anáhuac Querétaro 25–6 Anáhuac Cancún Puebla Click "Descargar archivo" on the upper right-hand side to download the PDF.
United States
NAIA + List of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics flag football champions 2021 May 8, 2021 Ottawa (KS) 7–6 Keiser Atlanta, GA 2022 May 14, 2022 Ottawa (KS) (2) 24–20 Thomas Atlanta, GA (2) 2023 May 20, 2023 Ottawa (KS) (3) 18–13 Thomas Atlanta, GA (3) 2024 May 10, 2024 Ottawa (KS) (4) 21–13 Keiser Atlanta, GA (4) 2025 May 8, 2025 Ottawa (KS) (5) 34–20 Keiser Riverside, MO (5) 2026 May 9, 2026 Warner 13–6 Keiser Bradenton, FL
NJCAA + List of National Junior College Athletic Association flag football champions 2023 May 20, 2023 Florida Gateway 20–0 Hesston Atlanta, GA 2024 May 9, 2024 Florida Gateway (2) 26–13, 45–6 Hesston Atlanta, GA (2) 2025 May 8, 2025 Florida Gateway (3) 68–13 Daytona State Kansas City, KS (3) 2026 May 9, 2026 Florida Gateway (4) 53–13 Daytona State Glen Ellyn, IL (4)
See also College athletics in the United States
Notes
References
External links
NAIA flag football NJCAA flag football