<\/p>\n
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is delighted to announce Egypt as the host nation for the inaugural 2025 IFAF African Flag Football Championships \u2013 AFRICA FLAG 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
AFRICA FLAG 2025 will take place from June 20-21 in Cairo, Egypt, welcoming elite men\u2019s and women\u2019s national teams from across Africa for the first time at an IFAF Continental Championships.\u00a0 As participation in flag football continues to grow rapidly throughout the continent, this inaugural event offers a pathway to qualification for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships and represents a significant milestone on the journey towards flag football\u2019s historic Olympic debut at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“With the announcement of the first ever IFAF Continental Championships in Africa, we are taking another step in the global development of our sport,\u201d said IFAF President Pierre Trochet. \u201cLooking ahead to flag football\u2019s historic Olympic debut at LA28, our Continental Championships provide a fantastic platform to further accelerate the sport\u2019s regional growth at grassroots and elite levels. Egypt will be a great host, and we are certain AFRICA FLAG 2025 will play its part in inspiring new athletes and fans across a continent that has already produced a rich heritage of American football talent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hosted in partnership with the National Football League and Egyptian Federation of American Football (EFAF), various youth football development events will take place in Cairo in conjunction with the upcoming Championships \u2014 expanding the league\u2019s NFL Africa program to Egypt for the first time, creating more opportunities for young athletes from across the continent to play American football. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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, facing off in the championship game on June 23. NFL Flag is the official flag football program of the NFL \u2014 working to bring the non-contact version of American football to young athletes worldwide. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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 on through the NFL Academy Europe-Africa program in Loughborough, U.K. or the International Player Pathway (IPP) program \u2014 two core pillars of the NFL\u2019s global football development initiatives. \u00a0<\/p>\n
A number of current NFL players will join these events in Egypt, including New York Giants’ Bobby Okereke (Nigeria), Minnesota Vikings\u2019 Brian Asamoah II (Ghana) and NFL free agent Dieter Eiselen (South Africa). Okereke, Asamoah II and Eiselen are supporting football operations for national federations in the lead up to and during the Championships, as well as NFL Africa\u2019s youth football programming.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited and inspired to lead the NFL\u2019s efforts in Africa and to again expand our programming to a fifth country: Egypt \u2014 an innovative market for sport, with incredible talent,\u201d said two-time Super Bowl Champion and NFL Africa Lead Osi Umenyiora. \u201cBack-to-back days of NFL Africa events alongside the IFAF Continental Championships in Egypt helps showcase the aspirational pathways for talented young athletes across the continent, as we look ahead together to flag football in the LA Olympic Games in 2028. It will be a great weekend of football, and one that will create a powerful legacy as we introduce more and more young athletes to our game.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
AFRICA FLAG 2025 will reinforce the acceleration of flag football\u2019s growth 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\u2019s outreach program has already engaged more than 13,000 young people, highlighting the sport\u2019s expanding reach and appeal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
IFAF and the NFL are working hand-in-hand to develop and grow flag football across the continent, collaborating to create meaningful educational pathways for coaches and officials delivering flag across Africa. This commitment was reaffirmed at the recent three-day flag football coach education and officiating clinic in Ghana (April 11-13). The clinic welcomed new and experienced coaches and officials from 10 African countries \u2014 Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda \u2014 enabling further long-term engagement and participation in the sport in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely proud to be hosting the first ever AFRICA FLAG 2025 in Cairo and to be writing Egypt into flag football\u2019s history books,\u201d said EFAF Founder Ali Rafeek. \u201cHosting this tournament allows us to put a spotlight on our talented athletes and to show the next generation what\u2019s possible in this sport \u2014 whether you’re picking up a football for the first time or dreaming of the Olympics.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAFRICA FLAG 2025 is a huge moment for the continued growth of flag football across our continent,\u201d said Egyptian Women\u2019s National Team Quarterback Amira Nader. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
IFAF continues to reinforce structured and competitive pathways for flag football, with the Continental Championships as an important stepping stone in the journey towards the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships. The record-breaking 2024 edition of the IFAF Flag Football World Championships was the culmination of IFAF\u2019s biggest-ever international cycle of flag football competition and brought together elite athletes representing 31 nations from five continents at the most competitive and thrilling tournament to date. Flag football is played by 20 million athletes in more than 100 countries, and with an ever-expanding African presence, these events will serve as key milestones on the road to LA28.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Details regarding AFRICA FLAG 2025\u2019s participating nations as well as the 2025 Continental Championships for other regions will be announced in the coming weeks, offering teams from around the world more opportunities to compete and prepare for the journey toward LA28.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For more details on the Championships, visit the IFAF website (https:\/\/apo-opa.co\/42LiURK<\/a>) or follow us on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n