IFAF officials to oversee 2026 NFL Flag Africa championship in Kenya

IFAF will put its officials into the center of the 2026 NFL Flag Africa Continental Championship in Nairobi, July 9-11.

The three-day championship will bring together men’s and women’s national teams from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa, along with five U13 co-ed youth teams from the same countries. IFAF will deploy four experienced International Technical Officials and match them with 12 African officials. The officiating pool includes referees from Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Ghana, while the visiting officials bring experience from The World Games and previous flag football finals.

Awasum E.M. Jr., an IFAF board director, said the Nairobi championship is part of a broader investment in African growth. The tournament is the third continental championship in Africa, following events in Nigeria in 2024 and Egypt in 2025.

In Cairo, the 2025 Africa Flag championship featured eight nations and 11 teams at Club One Maadi Stadium. Nigeria swept both the men’s and women’s titles and became Africa’s first qualifiers for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships. The women beat Morocco 26-12 in the final, and quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello summed up the moment: “This is a great achievement for us and I’m proud of every woman out here.” Morocco’s Zeafari Meryam scored the first women’s touchdown in the tournament, while the men’s opening game produced the first-ever touchdown in an African men’s continental championship.

IFAF's 2025 records show 101 total teams across four continental championships and a 48 percent increase in the number of nations holding IFAF Flag Football World Rankings since 2022. The Kenya event is being built with youth teams, officiating education and elite national sides under one roof.

Flag football will debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where the competition is scheduled for July 15-22, 2028, at Exposition Park Stadium and will feature six-team men’s and women’s tournaments. The approved qualification system will send three teams in each gender through the 2028 Olympic Qualifier Series.