League owners approved a resolution during spring meetings in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Tuesday that will allow NFL players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
The resolution was reportedly passed without a dissenting vote, and it grants the league's best athletes permission to represent his home country in flag football during the games, which will be hosted in Los Angeles, California.
"It's an incredible honor for any athlete to represent their country in the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of global sport," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, according to a league statement.
Under the approved terms, each NFL will be allowed to send one player to the Olympics. An additional international player from each team can be sent if designated by his club for the games.
Per the league's release, the journey for any player seeking to join an Olympic team will begin with a tryout or qualification process before rosters are ultimately selected by each country's national Olympic committee after proposals submitted by national federations involved in the selections.
The flag football format in the Olympic games will include six men's and women's teams comprised of 10 players on each squad. Each game will feature a five-on-five contest. This is consistent with the rules of NFL FLAG, the league's official flag football program.
According to the official Olympics page for flag football, the rules for each game are as follows:
The official field size is 70 yards long and 25 yards long.
Each game will last 40 minutes and consist of two 20-minute halves. A two-minute warning will be included in each half.
Teams will start with the ball at the 5-yard line and have four downs to reach midfield. Once a team reaches midfield, it has four downs to score a touchdown.
The play ends when the flag is removed, the player with the ball goes out of bounds or a forward pass hits the ground.
After a touchdown, which is worth 6 points, teams have the opportunity to go for 1 point from the 5-yard line or 2 points from the 10-yard line.
Teams will enter a sudden-death overtime period if the score is tied after 40 minutes of play.
The opening ceremony for the 2028 Summer Olympic is set to take place on Friday, July 14 and events will continue until the closing ceremony on Sunday, July 30.