Nigeria’s men’s and women’s flag football teams remain in contention for qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games despite withdrawing from the 2026 International Federation of American Football Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, over visa delays.
The World Championships are the first major step towards flag football’s Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, with 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams competing for world titles and direct Olympic qualification spots.
Nigeria’s withdrawal was confirmed on Monday in a joint statement by the International Federation of American Football, the National Sports Commission and the Nigerian Federation of American Football.
“Over the past 10 days, IFAF, together with its event partners and the relevant authorities, has made significant efforts behind the scenes to explore every possible avenue to enable the teams to travel to Germany. Regrettably, all parties were informed this morning (Monday) that the visas would not be issued in time for the Championships,” the statement read.
The statement expressed sympathy for the players and officials who had worked to secure Nigeria’s place at the global tournament after emerging as Africa’s champions.
“Our thoughts are first and foremost with the athletes and team staff, who have worked hard to earn their place at these Championships as the inaugural IFAF African Flag Football Champions. They were looking forward to proudly representing Nigeria and making their debut appearance on the world stage.”
Nigeria’s men’s and women’s teams earned their places at the World Championships after winning the inaugural African Flag Football Championship in Cairo, Egypt, last year.
The Nigerian men defeated hosts Egypt 13-12 in the final, while the women’s team secured a 26-12 victory over Morocco to claim the continental title.
Despite Nigeria’s late withdrawal, the teams will not be replaced at the World Championships.
“Due to the timing of the withdrawal, it is not possible to replace the Nigerian men’s and women’s teams with the respective reserve teams from the 2025 IFAF African Flag Football Championships. In accordance with the competition regulations, teams scheduled to play Nigeria in the group stage will be awarded an automatic victory.”
More importantly, Nigeria’s Olympic qualification route remains intact.
The two national teams are expected to compete at the 2027 IFAF Continental Championships, where finishing among the top two teams would earn them places in the Olympic Qualifier Series.
The Olympic Qualifier Series will serve as the final stage of qualification for the LA28 flag football competition and is scheduled for May and June 2028.
Six Olympic quota places are available in each gender.
The United States, as host nation, will receive one place in each tournament, while two places will be awarded through the 2026 World Championships.
The remaining three places in both the men’s and women’s competitions will be decided through the 2028 Olympic Qualifier Series.
Nigeria, therefore, still has a route to the country’s potential participation in the inaugural Olympic flag football tournament despite missing the 2026 World Championships.
