The world is playing football—American football—starting June 30 live on YouTube

The biggest thing in football right now is happening in Europe, at the UEFA Euro 2012 final. In the U.S., this form of “football” is generally considered to be “soccer.” While the Euro action has certainly been fantastic, American football fans -- the one with quarterbacks and end zones -- take heart! Beginning June 30, USA Football’s Under 19 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championship series will air live on iBN Sports’ YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/ibnsportsnetwork.

The series pits eight countries against each other. In the first round on June 30, France plays Japan. France is rugby-crazy, after their appearance in last year’s World Cup, and Japan’s national sport is sumo wrestling: the players in this game may well demonstrate unique techniques and abilities based on backgrounds in these other very physical sports. The U.S. plays American Samoa that same day, and with many terrific Samoans playing pro football, the quality of football will be high. The other first round matchups are Panama vs. Austria and Canada vs. Sweden.

The winners of the first round play on July 4 (Games 1 and 2); the losers' bracket will be on July 3 (Games 1 and 2). The Gold Medal and Bronze Medal games will both be played on July 7.

YouTube is proud to host many live sports these days. Consider these world championships a warm-up for the high school football to be played across the country this fall. Be sure to subscribe to your favorite YouTube Sports Partner channel and don’t miss a minute of live action either this summer or this fall!

Roland Lange, YouTube Sports Partnerships, recently watched "Soccer training for kids"