— Published June 25, 2025

Africa, the “last frontier” of American football

EventsFOCUS Focus

One step further. On June 20 and 21, Cairo hosted the very first edition of the African Flag Football Championships. Teams from across the continent—Uganda, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt, and Cameroon—faced off for the title. Nigeria swept the board. A narrow victory over Egypt in the final (13-12), the men's team earned a spot at the 2026 World Championships. The same reward went to the women's team, who left less room for suspense when it came to playing for gold (26-12 against Morocco). A weekend that will go down in the history of flag football's development.

"This event is just the beginning"

The International Federation of American Football is investing heavily in the African continent. And for good reason, given that it only has ten member federations there. The room for improvement is clear. Flag football appears to be the best tool for progress since it requires fewer players (five against five on the pitch) and smaller fields. I am extremely proud and grateful to the Egyptian federation, which hosted this landmark event with great professionalism and warmth., underlines Pierre Trochet, the president of IFAF. But history is less important than the future, and this tournament has demonstrated the enormous talent and passion for the game that exists across the African continent. We know this event is just the beginning, and together with our partners at the NFL, we are committed to ensuring it serves as a springboard for the long-term development of our sport. »

The president of the Egyptian federation, Ali Rafeek, shares his point of view: " It was a world-class competition, filled with exceptional performances and, above all, incredible energy. We've been preparing for this event with the IFAF leadership and our other federations for a while, and we're proud to see all that hard work come to fruition. Africa is officially on the flag football map, and we're just getting started. "In the spring of 2024, Trochet traveled to Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana to spread the good word." Africa being our last frontier, I intend to try to break this border as quickly as possible. " he assured at the microphone ofAfrica24To go further, the IFAF will also be able to count on a major ally: the NFL.

Asia, the example to follow?

As a partner of these Championships, the American league organized a series of activities over the weekend. These included a continental U12 flag football championship for boys and girls, a talent identification session with the opportunity for players to access the NFL Africa-Europe Academy and the International Player Program (IPP), and a coaching exchange session for women interested in becoming coaches. Two current NFL players, Bobby Okereke (Nigeria) and Tanoh Kpassagnon (Ivory Coast/Uganda), members of the New York Giants roster, were in Cairo, as was Osi Umeniyora, two-time Super Bowl winner and NFL Africa director.

“The first African Continental Championship was a huge success, and Egypt proved to be the ideal host to continue our journey towards developing flag football across Africa., Umenyiora believes. It was inspiring to see nations from across the continent come together over 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 sport, especially as it prepares for its Olympic debut in Los Angeles. In 2023, the IFAF launched the first edition of the Asia-Oceania Flag Football Championships. The sport will also be represented this summer at the World Games in Chengdu. However, it will not be included in the program for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. This demonstrates the long road ahead to conquer the African continent.