IFAF World Championship

The IFAF World Championship of American Football (also known as the IFAF World Cup) is an international American football competition held every four years and contested by teams representing member nations. The competition is run by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport. Of the 54 countries that currently field a national American football team, only 12 teams qualify for the championship. The championship has been contested four times since the inaugural 1999 tournament. The size of the tournament has expanded to the current 12 teams from an initial field of 4 at the 1999 tournament.

The defending champions are the United States, who won the 2015 championship after winning the 2011 edition and the 2007 edition which was their first appearance. Japan won the 1999 and 2003 championships.

The championship was held in Italy in 1999, in Germany in 2003, in Kawasaki, Japan in 2007, and in Austria in 2011. The 2015 IFAF World Championship was originally going to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, however local organizers had to cancel the event due to lack of sponsorship. The 2015 tournament was played in Canton, Ohio, United States.

World Cup

World Cup commonly refers to:

World Cup can also refer to:

Athletics

Badminton

Bandy

Baseball and softball

Basketball

Chess

Cricket

Equestrian

Football

American football

Association football

World championship

A world championship is generally an international sports competition open to elite competitors from across the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport or contest.

The title is usually awarded through a combination of specific contests or, less commonly, ranking systems (e.g. the ICC Test Championship), or a combination of the two (e.g. World Triathlon Championships in Triathlon). This determines a 'world champion', who or which is commonly considered the best nation, team, individual (or other entity) in the world in a particular field, although the vagaries of sport ensure that the competitor recognised at the best in an event is not always the 'world champion' (see Underdog).

Certain sports do not have a world championship, instead they may organise a world cup competition, or they may organize both. Often, the use of the term cup or championship in this sense is just a choice of words. Some sports have multiple champions because of multiple organizations such as mixed martial arts, boxing and wrestling.

International Federation of American Football

International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of American football associations. The IFAF oversees the IFAF World Championship of American Football, which is held every four years.

The current goals of the organization are (1) to be part of the international sporting community, (2) to be admitted into the General Association of International Sports Federation, (3) to be accepted by the International Olympic Committee, and (4) to participate in the World Games and Olympic Games.

Structure and organization

The IFAF recognizes in their respective areas the following branches:

Member nations

 Algeria

 Egypt

 Ivory Coast

 Kenya

 Morocco

 Nigeria

Americas (20)

 Argentina

 Bahamas

 Brazil

 Canada

 Cayman Islands

 Chile

 Colombia

 Costa Rica

 El Salvador

 Guatemala

 Honduras

 Mexico

 Nicaragua

 Panama

 Paraguay

 Peru

 Puerto Rico

 United States

 Uruguay

 Venezuela

Asia (9)

 India

Canton, Ohio

Canton is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1805 alongside the Middle and West Branches of Nimishillen Creek, Canton became a heavy manufacturing center because of its numerous railroad lines. However, its status in that regard began to decline during the late 20th century, as shifts in the manufacturing industry led to the relocation or repositioning of many factories. After this decline, the city's industry diversified into the service economy, including retailing, education, finance and healthcare.

Canton is located approximately 24 miles (39 km) south of Akron, and 60 miles (97 km) south of Cleveland, in the northeastern part of Ohio. Canton lies on the outskirts of the greater northeast Ohio metropolitan area anchored by Cleveland, and is also a short distance away from the periphery of the greater Pittsburgh area. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and Wayne counties to the city's west and southwest. Canton is located along Interstate 77, U.S. Route 62, and the historic Lincoln Highway, the present-day U.S. Route 30, and is also the terminus of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.