Nigeria’s men’s and women’s flag football teams will not be participating in the upcoming world championships in Germany, confirmed by the International Federation of American Football on Monday. The delegation faced challenges in obtaining the required visas, leading to their exclusion from the tournament. As a result, teams scheduled to compete against Nigeria in the initial stages of the competition will receive automatic wins.
The top two finishers in both the men’s and women’s categories, excluding the United States, will secure direct qualification for the 2028 Games. The U.S., the reigning champions in both divisions, has already secured a spot as the host nation for the Olympics. Despite this setback, Nigeria will still have an opportunity to qualify for the Los Angeles Games. A top-two finish at the continental championship next year would enable them to progress to the final stage of qualification in the “Olympic Q-Series.”
Six men’s and six women’s teams will ultimately vie for glory at the Los Angeles Olympics. Despite concerted efforts by the International Federation of American Football, along with the National Sports Commission of Nigeria and the Nigerian Federation of American Football, to facilitate the teams’ travel to Germany, the visas could not be obtained in time for the championships.
IFAF has been actively promoting the sport in Africa leading up to the 2028 Olympics, with Nigeria emerging victorious in the inaugural IFAF African Flag Football Championships held in Cairo last year. Notably, Nigeria was well-represented in the NFL in the previous season, boasting 19 Nigerian-born players at the commencement of the 2025 campaign.