Nigeria Win Inaugural African Flag Football Championship
Nigeria’s men and women teams have emerged champions of the first African Flag Football Championship.
The competition, organised by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), saw 11 teams from eight countries compete over two days at Club One Stadium in Maadi.
In the men’s final, Nigeria secured a narrow 13-12 win against host nation Egypt.
The women’s final ended with Nigeria defeating Morocco 26-12. Two second-half touchdowns by quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello secured the result. Egypt claimed bronze in the women’s competition.
Tunisia won the bronze medal in the men’s tournament while Egypt wrapped up the podium in the women’s competition.
Their victories in Cairo earned the two Nigerian teams a direct pass to the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, which featured the world’s top 16 teams of each gender.
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.
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 praised the participants for making history.
He 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 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.”
The tournament featured 11 teams from eight nations with 10 of the teams earning their first official world rankings.
Nigeria Win Inaugural African Flag Football Championship is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
