Lessard wants rematch with Mexico, but reaching '28 Olympics remains top priority

Players run drills during a practice with Texas Fury, an all-girls flag football select travel team, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Flag football's inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles only enhances the profile of a sport that's growing by leaps and bounds on the women's side. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics remains the top goal, but Rachel Lessard would welcome the Canadian women’s flag football team getting another shot at Mexico at this summer’s world championship.

Mexico defeated Canada 12-0 last year to capture the gold medal at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Continental flag football championship. However, the game was halted in the first half due to severe weather.

Still, the second-place finish qualified Canada for the world championship, which will be held Aug. 13-16 in Duesseldorf, Germany. A repeat performance this summer would earn the Canadians a spot in the L.A. Games, where flag football will make its Olympic debut.

“The way we didn’t get to finish the final in Panama because of weather, we always think this silver medal, if we scratched it, underneath it might be gold,” Lessard, the Canadian team’s head coach, said during a video conference this week. “So, yes, we’re really looking forward to our next game against Mexico and show what we’re capable of.”

The top two teams at the women’s and men’s events in Germany will garner Olympic berths. If the United States reaches either final, the top-three squads will advance to the L.A. Games as the Americans already have spots as the Games’ host.

However, Lessard said qualifying for Los Angeles remains the Canadian team’s primary goal. Doing so now would give both national programs the luxury of time to make their Olympic preparations.

Should either the Canadian men’s or women’s team fail to do so in Germany, there will be other qualification opportunities but the process becomes considerably longer.

“Our first scenario is qualifying in the top two in Germany, that’s what we’re aiming for,” she said. “The other pathway is more stressful and takes longer so we’re aiming for gold in Germany to get this out of the way.”

The Canadian women went 3-0 in the round robin at last year’s IFAF event before beating Panama in the semifinal 26-24. Sara Parker threw touchdown passes to Caroline Moquin Joubert (two) and Emma Racine while Lea Duval had two sacks and Catherine Gaumont added two interceptions.

The second-place finish in Panama followed a historic bronze medal for Canada at the ’25 World Games in Chengdu, China. The squad earned its first-ever international hardware in women’s flag football with a 38-20 victory over Austria.

Quarterback is definitely the most important position in football, and the flag game is no exception. Fortunately for Canada, it has one of the best in Parker, a Montreal native.

“She is so smart,” Lessard said. “She attends all meetings, full in, and asks so many intelligent questions.

“She watches a lot of tape on her own and where we need to improve she learns the mechanics of it. We’re very fortunate to have her as our quarterback right now.”

Should the Canadian men’s team clinch an Olympic berth, it could bolster its L.A. roster with professional players. Both the NFL and CFL are allowing their players to suit up for their respective countries in 2028.

Lessard won’t have that luxury. However, she feels not only is the current roster strong enough to contend in L.A. but there’s enough talent across Canada to push the incumbents for Olympic roster spots.

“We go all across Canada right now with our ID camps,” Lessard said. “I must be honest and say here in Quebec we have 80 to 100 athletes who’re very, very talented and I’ve seen it also (when) I went to Toronto and B.C. so our pool of players is very big.

“I feel the roster we have right now is very solid and we have some up-and-coming athletes who’ll definitely challenge my current roster. It’s a challenge right now, everybody is fighting for a spot.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2026.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press