IFAF cancels 2021 Under 20 World Championships

The International Federation of American Football, IFAF, has announced that the 2021 IFAF U20 World Championships that were to have been held in Canada have been cancelled.

With the coronavirus pandemic reaching another critical stage, and with travel into Canada due to the pandemic becoming extremely difficult, the decision was made to halt the tournament altogether.

Andy Fuller:

“Whilst it will not affect many of our members, I regret to inform you that the 2021 U20 World Championship (m-tackle) has been cancelled due to the challenges posed by COVID. IFAF would like to thank Football Canada and the qualifying nations for their considerable efforts in exploring the potential of delivering what would have been a tremendous showcase for youth football.

“The priority of IFAF and its members is to put the welfare of players, coaches and staff first. Last year the event was postponed as the uncertainty over travel and health and safety meant that a decision had to be taken to protect members and prevent an escalation of associated costs. The same is true at present. Rather than choose a further postponement IFAF will now focus upon the continental qualification process for the IFAF U20 World Championship in 2024.”

This is the second time the tournament has been cancelled in the space of a year. Originally, the 2020 IFAF U20 World Championships were set for the United States but that tournament was also cancelled due to COVID-19.