PANAMA CITY — The Canadian women’s and men’s flag football teams won medals Sunday at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Continental flag football championship.

The Canadian women claimed a silver medal after dropping a 12-0 decision in the tournament final to Mexico. Canada finished the round robin with a perfect 3-0 record that included a 26-25 victory over the Mexicans.

Lea Duval had a sack for Canada in the championship game. The Canadians advanced to the final with a 26-24 semifinal victory over Panama as Sara Parker threw touchdown passes to Caroline Moquin Joubert (two) and Emma Racine, while Duval had two sacks and Catherine Gaumont added two interceptions.

The silver medal comes after Canada claimed a historic bronze medal at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China. The Canadians earned their first-ever international hardware in women’s flag football with a 38-20 victory over Austria.

In the men’s event, Michael O’Connor threw five touchdown passes as Canada defeated Panama 32-22 to capture the bronze medal. James Drysdale had two TDs, while Antony Auclair, Francois Rocheleau and Jeansee Alexis had the others.

JS Balisle had two interceptions and Keyshawn Upshaw added a sack.

The Canadians finished the round robin second in their pool with a 3-1 record before dropping a 35-25 semifinal decision to Mexico on Sunday.

More importantly, both Canadian teams are a step closer to qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. They finished among the top-five teams in their respective events to secure spots at the ’26 world championships, which will be held in Germany.

The top three teams at the global event will clinch berths to the ’28 Los Angeles Summer Games, where flag football will make its Olympic debut.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2025.