Mexico players celebrate after beating Great Britain in the 2026 Flag Football World Championships
Image caption, Great Britain's Emily Kemp (right) was the leading touchdown scorer in the women's event
Great Britain's women's flag football team suffered defeat at the World Championships as they missed out on qualifying for the 2028 Olympics.
The two-time defending European champions fought back to take the bronze-medal game to the final play, only for Mexico to clinch a 20-19 win in Dusseldorf, Germany.
That also meant Mexico - the world's top-ranked team - secured a spot at Los Angeles 2028, when the non-contact version of American football will make its Olympic debut.
GB got off to a poor start as they were intercepted on their first two drives, with the second punished by a touchdown that put Mexico 13-0 up.
An Angelica Tait touchdown saw GB, who are ranked third in the world, get up and running before Mexico struck again to make it 20-6.
Grace Conway almost claimed an interception, which she could have run in for a touchdown, and GB ran out of time on offence as they aimed to cut the score before half-time.
But they closed to within a point through two touchdowns from Emily Kemp - the tournament's leading scorer - then went for a two-point conversion to take the lead with two minutes left.
Although Kemp caught Jess Allen's pass at the back of the endzone, her left foot came down just out of bounds, meaning Mexico could run down the clock to seal victory.
"We fell into a bit of a hole," GB's head coach Jack Reed told BBC Sport. "The drive at the end of the first half and the drop for the pick-six were unfortunate.
"I knew we'd fight, I knew we weren't out of it, and we held them scoreless in the second half. But it's a game of inches and Emily was out by an inch."
The USA came from behind to beat GB 27-21 in the semi-finals and set up a meeting with Canada in the final.
The USA automatically qualify for LA28 as hosts and will be joined by Canada and Mexico, while GB must wait two years for another chance to qualify.
"I'm super proud of the team," added Reed. "We showed the world that we can compete with anybody in the world. We played the number one ranked team today and number two yesterday (USA).
"We had an opportunity to win both games, they went down to the very end, so I think we earned the respect of the flag football world and surprised a lot of people."
GB's men beat Brazil 33-26 on Sunday to finish 13th overall, while the USA beat Italy 46-26 to secure their sixth straight world title.
Canada claimed a 34-26 overtime win over Mexico in the bronze-medal game to ensure they and Italy punched their ticket to LA28 this weekend.
Justin Jefferson running with the ball during a flag football game at the NFL Pro Bowl Games in 2025
Justin Jefferson running with the ball during a flag football game at the NFL Pro Bowl Games in 2025
An American football and helmet placed next to each other on a pitch. People are playing American football in the background.
An American football and helmet placed next to each other on a pitch. People are playing American football in the background.
BBC Sport microphone and phone
BBC Sport microphone and phone
The Hundred Helix trophy
The Hundred Helix trophy
Islam Makhachev talks about his opponent Ian Machado Garry being overly respectful
Islam Makhachev talks about his opponent Ian Machado Garry being overly respectful
Dean Henderson holds up Community Shield
Dean Henderson holds up Community Shield