The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has announced that Egypt will host the inaugural African Flag Football Championships this June in Cairo. This event marks a significant milestone as the sport gains momentum ahead of its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Africa Flag 2025 will welcome elite men’s and women’s national teams from across the continent from June 20 to 21, offering a pathway to qualification for the 2026 IFAF World Championships. These events are crucial steps towards flag football’s inclusion in the Olympic programme.
“With the announcement of the first-ever IFAF Continental Championships in Africa, we are taking another step in the global development of our sport,” said IFAF President Pierre Trochet. “Looking ahead to flag football’s historic Olympic debut at LA28, our Continental Championships provide a fantastic platform to further accelerate the sport’s regional growth at grassroots and elite levels.”
Hosted in partnership with the National Football League (NFL) and the Egyptian Federation of American Football (EFAF), various youth football development events will take place in Cairo alongside the championships. This will expand the NFL Africa programme to Egypt for the first time, creating more opportunities for young athletes across the continent to play American football.
“We are extremely proud to be hosting the first-ever Africa Flag 2025 in Cairo and to be writing Egypt into flag football’s history books,” said EFAF Founder Ali Rafeek. “Hosting this tournament allows us to spotlight our talented athletes and show the next generation what’s possible in this sport, whether you’re picking up a football for the first time or dreaming of the Olympics.”
In collaboration with IFAF and EFAF, U12 teams of boys and girls from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria will compete in a multi-day NFL Flag Continental Championship, culminating in the championship game on June 23. NFL Flag is the official flag football program of the NFL, promoting the non-contact version of American football to young athletes worldwide.
The NFL will also host a football talent identification event with prospects from across Africa. Athletes will showcase their skills and abilities, with the potential to advance through the NFL Academy Europe-Africa program in Loughborough, UK, or the International Player Pathway programme, two core pillars of the NFL’s global football development initiatives.
Several current NFL players will join these events in Egypt, including New York Giants’ Bobby Okereke (Nigeria), Minnesota Vikings’ Brian Asamoah II (Ghana), and NFL free agent Dieter Eiselen (South Africa). They will support football operations for national federations leading up to and during the Championships, as well as NFL Africa’s youth football programming.
“I’m excited and inspired to lead the NFL’s efforts in Africa and to expand our programming to a fifth country: Egypt, an innovative market for sport with incredible talent,” said two-time Super Bowl Champion and NFL Africa Lead Osi Umenyiora. “Back-to-back days of NFL Africa events alongside the IFAF Continental Championships in Egypt will showcase the aspirational pathways for talented young athletes across the continent, as we look ahead to flag football in the LA Olympic Games in 2028. It will be a great weekend of football, creating a powerful legacy as we introduce more young athletes to our game.”
Africa Flag 2025 will reinforce the growth of flag football across the continent. At the record-breaking 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, Cameroon made history as the first African nation to compete on the global stage. Since 2023, participation in flag football has surged, with Egypt and Nigeria seeing increases of 149% and 85%, respectively. In Nigeria, the national federation’s outreach program has engaged more than 13,000 young people, highlighting the sport’s expanding reach and appeal.
IFAF and the NFL are working together to develop and grow flag football across the continent, creating meaningful educational pathways for coaches and officials. This commitment was reaffirmed at a recent three-day flag football coach education and officiating clinic in Ghana, which welcomed new and experienced coaches and officials from 10 African countries, including Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda.
As part of the NFL Africa program, the league has also undertaken NFL Flag development, talent identification camps, and fan events across Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria since 2022.
“Africa Flag 2025 is a huge moment for the continued growth of flag football across our continent,” said Egyptian Women’s National Team Quarterback Amira Nader. “It’s an opportunity to showcase the incredible talent and passion rising throughout Africa and take a meaningful step towards making history at LA28. As the first-ever Continental Championships, this event will inspire the next generation to pick up a football and believe anything is possible.”
Flag football is played by 20 million athletes in more than 100 countries. With an ever-expanding African presence, these events will serve as key milestones on the road to LA28. Details regarding Africa Flag 2025’s participating nations and the 2025 Continental Championships will be announced in the coming weeks.