American Football
Tua Tagovailoa’s brother inspires American Samoa to historic flag football win over USA
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Tua Tagovailoa's younger brother helped American Samoa produce one of the biggest shocks of the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championship with a historic victory over the United States.
Taulia Tagovailoa threw five touchdown passes as American Samoa stunned the defending world champions 38-32 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The 26-year-old completed 29 of his 36 passes for 213 yards as American Samoa, competing at the World Championships for the first time, defeated a USA side that had dominated the men's game for more than a decade.
The result ended the United States' 14-year unbeaten run at the World Championships, with their previous defeat coming in the 2012 final against Austria.
Taulia Tagovailoa stars as American Samoa stun USA
American Samoa arrived in Germany as World Championship debutants and one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition.
They were nevertheless able to pull off a remarkable result against a USA team chasing a sixth consecutive world title.
Tagovailoa was at the heart of the upset.
The former Alabama and Maryland quarterback threw five touchdowns as American Samoa scored 38 points against the reigning champions and held on for a six-point victory.
Tagovailoa finished the game with 213 passing yards, completing 29 of 36 attempts in an outstanding performance on the international stage.
The victory was particularly significant given USA's record in the competition.
The Americans entered the 2026 tournament having won five consecutive men's world titles in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2024.
Their defeat to American Samoa was their first at the World Championships since 2012.
Who is Tua Tagovailoa's brother Taulia?
Taulia Tagovailoa is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Like Tua, Taulia began his college football career with Alabama, spending the 2019 season with the Crimson Tide before transferring to Maryland.
He became the Terrapins' starting quarterback and established himself as one of the most productive passers in the programme's history, finishing his college career with more than 11,000 passing yards.
Tagovailoa went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft and has since continued his football career across several leagues and formats.
His journey has now taken him into international flag football with American Samoa — and his World Championship debut produced one of the biggest results of the tournament.
American Samoa make history at Flag Football World Championship
American Samoa's victory was even more remarkable given their lack of experience at this level.
The 2026 tournament marked the country's first appearance at the IFAF Flag Football World Championship.
They earned their place following an impressive performance at the 2025 Asia-Oceania championships, where victory over China in the bronze-medal game secured qualification for Düsseldorf.
American Samoa also have a significantly smaller player pool than many of their rivals, with around 47,000 people living on the islands.
But their World Championship debut quickly produced a result that sent a message across international flag football.
Did USA still win the Flag Football World Championship?
American Samoa's historic victory did not ultimately prevent USA from retaining their world title.
The Americans recovered from the group-stage defeat and went on to reach the gold-medal game, where they defeated Italy 46-26 to claim another world championship.
