Mexican women’s team wins historic flag football pass to Olympic Games

The Mexican women’s national team has made history by qualifying for the Olympic Games after defeating Great Britain and winning the bronze medal at the World Flag Football Championship held in Düsseldorf, Germany.

This sport will be included for the first time in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where Mexico secured its spot after defeating the British team 20–19.

The team included Diana Flores, Victoria Chávez, Ángela Funes, Andrea Martínez, and Ximena Cuate, all players from the Tec de Monterrey community.

What’s more, Fernando Nahara, assistant coach of the women’s national team, is the head coach of Borregos Santa Fe.

Halfway through the game, led by quarterbacks Diana Flores and Tania Rincón, the Mexican team was leading by 13-0.

However, in the second half, Great Britain gradually closed the gap, and with two minutes left in the game, they were just one point behind Mexico.

In its final offensive series, the Mexican national team ran out the clock, securing the bronze medal and a spot in the Olympic Games.

“I’m lost for words. I’d been dreaming about this moment for so long—what it would be like, how it would feel... And I don’t think I ever imagined it would be this beautiful,” Tec graduate Diana Flores told Olympics.com.

Ángela Funes said that the goal had always been to win a medal and qualify for the Olympic Games.

“My heart is full of so many different emotions. It’s a dream come true, and I know the country is going to bring home an Olympic gold medal,” Funes told Olympics.com.

The World Cup awarded two spots for Los Angeles 2028, which would be given to the top two finishers.

However, the United States, which played Canada in the final, had already secured its spot as the host country, so the spots for the summer tournament went to the teams that finished in second and third place. 

Mexico in the championship

The team, which includes players Diana Flores, Victoria Chávez, Ángela Funes, Andrea Martínez, and Ximena Cuate from the Tec community, defeated the German national team 38–14 in its debut.

In its second game, played the same afternoon, Mexico defeated Slovenia 53–24.

The Mexican team finished the first phase of the competition undefeated after winning 14-12 over Italy.

In the quarterfinals, Mexico defeated Spain 27–26 and lost to Canada 20–6 in the semifinals.

In the bronze medal match, they defeated Great Britain and thereby secured their spot in the Olympic Games.

Men’s national team finishes in fourth place

The Mexican men’s team lost the third-place match against Canada 34–26, thereby missing out on the opportunity to qualify directly for the Olympic Games.

However, their goal will be to qualify through the Olympic Qualifying Series, which will be held in June 2028.

To qualify for the Olympic Q Series, which will be held June 1–4, 2028, in Montreal, Canada, the men’s team must first finish in the top two at the 2027 Pan American Championship. 

Ten teams will participate, and the top two will qualify for the Olympic Games.

If they don’t qualify in this phase, they’ll still have another chance from June 8 to 11 in Orlando, Florida, where the remaining eight teams will play and only the winner will secure the last spot available.
 

Tec pride

Luis Raúl Domínguez, Dean of Student Development and Leadership (LiFE) at Tec de Monterrey, highlighted that the institution’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is reflected in the attitudes of coaches, instructors, and student-athletes.

“This is reflected in the attitude of constantly experimenting and exploring new paths in sports. Flag football in Mexico and around the world, is one of them.

“The path that our flag teams have carved out—proudly led, above all, by the women’s divisions—brings experience, training, and mastery of this sport, offering great opportunities for our national team, which represents Mexico today.”

These are the players from the Tec community who are members of the Mexican national teams:

Women’s national team 

Diana Flores 
Quarterback, Santa Fe campus 

Victoria Chávez 
Defensive back and receiver, Santa Fe campus

Ángela Funes 
Defensive Back, campus Santa Fe 

Andrea Martínez, 
Receiver, Santa Fe Campus 

Ximena Cuate, 
Quarterback, Monterrey campus

Men’s national team 

Javier Vivian, 
Defensive back, Mexico City campus

Víctor Balderramos, 
Quarterback at the Santa Fe campus and coach

Damián Chirinos, 
Receiver, State of Mexico Campus

Alonso Gaxiola, 
Defensive back, Tec graduate

Diego Pérez,
Quarterback, Santa Fe campus, and coach

Coaches on the Mexican national team from the Tec 

Fernando Nahara – assistant coach of the women’s national team and head coach at the Santa Fe campus

Víctor Balderramos - head coach of the men’s team at the Santa Fe campus and quarterback for the Mexican national team.

Diego Pérez - offensive coordinator for the women’s team at the Santa Fe campus and quarterback for the Mexican national team.

Mexican talent abroad

The coach of the German national team is Said Salazar Déciga, a Tec graduate and former offensive coordinator at the Tec campus in Mexico City. Salazar Déciga also played for the State of Mexico campus.

He was named Offensive Player of the Year twice and set numerous records for receiving yards and points scored.

Tec graduate Iván Orozco is also the coach of the Panamanian men’s national team. He played for Borregos Toluca. In flag football, he went on to become the quarterback for the Mexican national team. He also served as director of the Athletics and Sports programs at the Cuernavaca campus.

Jonathan Aviña, Brazil’s offensive coordinator. He was the coach of the Borregos Mexico City Campus flag football team.

Other Mexicans working abroad include Alann Salas, offensive coordinator for the German team; Sergio Martínez, head coach of the Chinese team; and Jaime Flores, defensive assistant coach for the Swiss team.

The Dusseldorf championships

The championship was held August 13–16 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and brought together 16 international teams in both divisions.

Mexico’s women’s national team was drawn into Group A along with Italy, Germany, and Slovenia. The men’s team was in Group C along with Switzerland, Germany, and Brazil.

The men’s champion was the United States, which defeated Italy 46–26.

Canada won the women’s title by defeating the United States 27-20.

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