A roller-coaster day for Canada, which advances to the quarterfinals

The Canadian women's and men's teams successfully advanced from the group stage of the Flag Football World Championships.

While the men's team suffered a loss to Japan, the women's team had a perfect run with three wins in as many games.

In the men's division, Canada faced Japan with the goal of finishing at the top of the group. However, the Japanese came out on top with a 37-28 victory, thanks in large part to a remarkable performance by Kody, who scored three touchdowns.

The game was close for much of the way. After tying the score at 14-14 with less than two minutes left in the first half, Canada watched as Japan regained the lead before halftime. An interception by Kento, followed by another Japanese touchdown, completely shifted the momentum of the game.

Canada nevertheless found a way to salvage the result. A touchdown by François Rocheleau late in the game secured their spot in the quarterfinals. With a 2-1 record—thanks in part to Nigeria's forfeit—the Canadians finished with a +12 point differential.

Canada will face American Samoa

The outcome of the match between Japan and Austria would then determine the final standings. Japan won by a dramatic 43-42 margin, allowing them to retain first place. Canada therefore finished second and will face American Samoa in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

On the women's side, the story is much more encouraging. The Canadian women dominated Japan 34–20 to conclude the group stage with a perfect 3–0 record.

Trailing 20-13 at halftime, they completely turned the game around after the break with 21 consecutive points. Caroline Moquin-Joubert scored two touchdowns, bringing her tournament total to five.

The Canadian women's team will now face Austria in the quarterfinals. A victory in the semifinals would secure a historic Olympic qualification for the Canadians.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.