Nigeria's women’s and men’s flag football teams have made history by becoming the first-ever champions of the IFAF African Flag Football tournament, marking a milestone in the sport’s journey toward a debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In a tightly contested men’s final, Nigeria edged past hosts Egypt 13-12 in front of an energetic home crowd at Club One Stadium in Maadi, Cairo. Among the distinguished guests was Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi.
Nigeria’s women also put on a commanding display, defeating Morocco 26-12 in the final. Quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello delivered two decisive second-half touchdowns that secured the gold. Tunisia and Egypt completed the podium with bronze in the men’s and women’s categories respectively.
The tournament featured 11 teams from eight countries, launching IFAF’s 2025 continental championship series and kickstarting a landmark cycle for flag football that will culminate in the LA28 Olympic Games.
By winning the tournament, both Nigerian teams have secured direct qualification for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships. Ten national teams also earned their first official global rankings during the event.
“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.”
Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports globally, and its rise in Africa is particularly striking. Many IFAF member federations on the continent saw participation more than double over the past year.
Africa Flag 2025 was hosted in partnership with the NFL, which is working alongside IFAF to support flag football’s development across Africa.
As part of the event’s legacy efforts, the NFL is running several programs in Cairo:
Continental NFL Flag youth championships for U12 boys’ and girls’ teams
Talent identification session for potential NFL Africa-Europe Academy and IPP program recruits
A coaching clinic for aspiring African female coaches, conducted with IFAF and NFL Global Flag Football Ambassador Elisa de Santis (France)
NFL stars Bobby Okereke (Nigeria) and Tanoh Kpassagnon (Ivory Coast/Uganda) joined these events, alongside two-time Super Bowl winner and NFL Africa lead, Osi Umenyiora.
“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.”
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. The history is less important than the future—and what this tournament has shown is the enormous talent and passion for the game that exists across the African continent.”
Ali Rafeek, President of the Egyptian Federation of American Football, added: “No words can truly capture the emotion of this moment. It was a world-class competition filled with outstanding performances and incredible energy. Africa is officially on the flag football map, and we’re only getting started.”
The event also marked the launch of IFAF’s partnership with the International Testing Agency, which hosted anti-doping education sessions for players and officials.
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