Nigeria’s women’s and men’s teams have
been crowned the inaugural IFAF African Flag Football champions as the sport marked a major milestone on its journey to a first Olympic Games
appearance in Los Angeles 2028.
The Nigerian men edged a thrilling final game, winning 13-12 to claim
gold over hosts 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 Youth and Sport 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 touchowns thrown by quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello. Bronze
medalists Tunisia (men) and Egypt (women) completed the historic
podiums.
In total, 11 teams from eight nations, spanning the African continent,
participated in Africa Flag – the first of IFAF’s continental
championships series for 2025 and the starting point for what will be
the biggest and most important competition cycle in flag football
history, culminating in the Olympic Games LA28.
As African champions, Nigeria’s men and women qualify directly to the
IFAF Flag Football World Championships in 2026. The event also saw 10
national teams earn their first official world rankings.
“This is a great achievement for us and I’m proud of every woman out
here,” said Nigeria women’s gold medallist Anuoluwapo Bello. “I feel
excited for the girls here. There is an opportunity to go to the World
Championships and show everyone what we can do.”
“It’s amazing, it’s surreal, it’s history, it’s unbelievable,” said
Nigeria men’s quarterback Hayes Obinna-Uzoh. “We’ve made history.”
Egypt men’s quarterback Mahmoud Aboushady said: “We went for it, but
we came up just short. The crowd was awesome, and it was a big crowd
who were all cheering and that was really touching.”
Morocco women’s center, silver medallist Sonia Mouimen added: “We
usually don’t see crowds of this size making so much noise unless it
is at soccer matches. I am very proud of my team.”
One of the world’s fastest-growing sports, flag football is developing
quickly across Africa, with many of IFAF’s member federations in the
continent recording more than 100% growth in participation last year.
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.
In an effort to ensure the event builds on the legacy for American
football across the continent, the NFL is hosting a series of
wraparound activities in Cairo. These include:
a continental NFL Flag youth championships for U12’s boys and girls
teams from across Africa;
an NFL talent indentification session, with the potential for players
to advance to the NFL Africa-Europe Academy and International Player
Pathway (IPP) program;
in partnership with IFAF and including the participation of NFL/ IFAF
Global Flag football Abassador Elisa de Santis (FRA), a coaching
education clinic for aspiring female coaches from Africa.
Two current NFL players, New York Giants’ Bobby Okereke (Nigeria) and
Tanoh Kpassagnon (Ivory Coast/Uganda) have traveled to Cairo to join
these activities and were present to witness the historic finals
session alongside two-time Super Bowl winner and NFL Africa lead Osi
Umeniyora.
“The first African Continental Championship was a tremendous success,
and Egypt proved to be the perfect host as we continue our journey to
grow flag football across Africa,” said Umenyiora. “It was inspiring
to see nations from across the continent come together for the two-day
event and showcase the incredible talent of their young athletes. The
NFL is proud to partner with IFAF to help grow the game of flag
football, especially as we look ahead to its debut at the LA28 Olympic
Games.”
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.”
The IFAF African Flag Football World Championships were hosted over
two days (June 20-21) by the Egyptian Federation of American Football,
whose President Ali Rafeek said: “No words can truly capture the
emotion of this moment. It was a world-class competition filled with
outstanding performances and, above all, incredible energy. We’ve been
building toward this moment for a while with IFAF leadership and our
fellow federations, and we’re proud to see that hard work come to
life. Africa is officially on the flag football map, and we’re only
getting started.”
The event in Cairo also witnessed the kick-off of IFAF’s new,
comprehensive partnership with the International Testing Agency, whose
staff were present to deliver anti-doping education activities for
participating athletes and team officials.
The IFAF Flag Football Continental Championship series will continue
in September with the EURO FLAG 2025 event in Paris, France.
RESULTS AND FINAL STANDINGS
IFAF Africa Flag 2025 – men’s tournament
Gold Medal Game
Nigeria 13 Egypt 12
Bronze Medal Game
Tunisia 36 Morocco 14
5th Place Game: Cameroon 45 Senegal 13
7th Place Game: South Africa 60 Uganda 0
Semifinals
Egypt 21 Morocco 12
Tunisia 18 Nigeria 40
Final Placing
Nigeria
Egypt
Tunisia
Morocco
Cameroon
Senegal
South Africa
Uganda
IFAF Africa Flag 2025 – women’s tournament
Gold Medal Game
Nigeria 26 Morocco 12
Playoff
Egypt 13 Morocco 19
Final Placing
Nigeria
Morocco
Egypt
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Football League (NFL).
Photography and Video Assets: https://apo-opa.co/44rRoJY
*Rights-released for editorial use. Please credit IFAF
SOURCE
National Football League (NFL)
