Nigeria Becomes First Team To Qualify For Flag Football World Championships After Africa Win

Nigeria clinched double gold medals at the inaugural IFAF Africa Flag Continental Championships held in Cairo, Egypt. The country’s men’s and women’s flag football teams took top prizes in the first edition of the tournament that ran from June 21-22.

The Nigerian men emerged victorious in a thrilling 13-12 final against hosts Egypt their  women compatriots got a dominant 26-12 victory over Morocco.

“This is a great achievement for us and I’m proud of every woman out here,” said Nigeria women’s quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello, who threw four touchdowns passes in the final.

“I feel excited for the girls here. There is an opportunity to go to the world championships and show everyone what we can do.”

Tunisia took the bronze medal in the men’s tournament while Egypt wrapped up the podium in the women’s competition.

Their victories at the 2025 IFAF Africa Flag Continental Championships mean that both Nigerian teams get a direct entry to the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships. The world’s top 16 teams in each gender division will take part at the Worlds. Thus, Nigeria have become the first teams to qualify for the World Championships. 

In a landmark move, the African flag football championships was formulated to boost the growth of the sport in the African continent ahead of its debut at the Los Angeles 2028.

In another historic moment, of the 11 teams that featured at the African flag football championships, 10 teams earned their first official world rankings.

The rise of flag football in Africa

Flag football is emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, rapidly expanding in the continent of Africa.  Many IFAF member federations recorded more than 100% growth in participation last year.

The National Football League (NFL), which partnered with the IFAF for the Cairo event, has been making efforts for the expansion of the sport in the continent.

Also Read: NFL FLAG, Every Kid Sports Team up to Help More Youth Athletes Play Flag Football

Here are some of the activities that the NFL hosted for the growth of the sports:

• A continental youth flag football championship for U12 boys and girls

• A talent ID camp offering routes into the NFL Africa-Europe Academy and the International Player Pathway (IPP) program

• A coaching education clinic for aspiring female coaches, featuring IFAF Global Flag Ambassador Elisa De Santis (France)

The IFAF Continental Flag Football series continues later this year with EURO FLAG 2025 in Paris, France.