Nigeria dominate maiden African Flag Football championship

Nigeria’s women and men teams have been crowned champions of the inaugural International Federation of American Football African Flag Football Championship which was held from Friday, June 20 to Saturday, June 21 in Cairo, Egypt.

The Nigerian men edged a thrilling final game, winning 13-12 to claim gold over host, Egypt in front of a loud and high-spirited home crowd inside the Club One Stadium in Maadi, Cairo, where distinguished guests included Egypt’s Minister of Youths and Sports, Dr Ashraf Sobhi.

In the women’s tournament, Nigeria put out a confident performance to take victory over Morocco 26-12 in the final, with two decisive second-half touchdowns by quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello.

The wins also ensured that Nigeria secured direct passage to the IFAF Flag Football World Championships in 2026.

Tunisia claimed the bronze in the men’s game while hosts, Egypt, managed bronze in the women’s event to complete the podium.

The inaugural IFAF African Flag Football Championships marked a major milestone in the sport’s journey to the first Olympic Games appearance in Los Angeles in 2028.

All the participating teams also got their first official rankings after the tournament.

In total, 11 teams from eight nations, spanning the African continent, participated in the Africa Flag – the first of IFAF’s continental championships series for 2025.

The Africa Flag 2025 tournament was delivered in partnership with the NFL, who are working with IFAF to drive the development of flag football in Africa.

IFAF president Pierre Trochet said, “Every player and official who set foot on the field in Cairo this week can claim a piece of history.

“I’m enormously proud and grateful to our Egyptian federation, who have hosted this milestone event with great professionalism and warmth.

“But the history is less important than the future and what this tournament has demonstrated is the enormous talent and passion for the game that exists right across the African continent.

“We know this event is just the start and, together with our NFL partners, we are committed to ensuring it acts as a springboard to the long-term development of our game.”