PRESS STATEMENT

By the President of the Nigeria American Football Association (NAFA)
Date: 31 July 2025

The Nigeria American Football Association (NAFA) is thrilled to inform the Nigerian public of a groundbreaking development in the international flag football community. Today, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), in collaboration with the NFL and the City of Düsseldorf, officially announced that Düsseldorf, Germany will host the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships from August 13th to 16th, 2026.

This announcement marks a pivotal moment in the global rise of flag football—a sport growing in popularity and poised for its Olympic debut at LA28.We are proud to announce that Nigeria will be fielding both men’s and women’s national teams at the Championships, ready to compete against the best flag football nations in the world. This marks a historic step forward for our sport, our athletes, and our nation. As the spotlight shines on Düsseldorf next year, Nigeria’s flag football teams will be there, fueled by passion and determination to represent our country with pride.

We wish to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Chairman of the Flag Football Development Board, Hon Minister for Youth Development, the Chairman and Director-General of the National Sports Commission for their consistent support of NAFA’s vision and commitment to empowering youth through sport. Their guidance has laid the foundation for our athletes to shine on the world stage.

NAFA also acknowledges the unwavering support and strategic partnership from NFL Africa, NFL Flag, and Browns Nigeria. Their dedication to NAFA’s flag football’s programs in Nigeria—from grassroots development to elite athlete programs—has been instrumental in this journey. Thanks to their backing, Nigeria is now poised to compete among the world’s best.

NAFA encourages all Nigerians to join us in celebrating this announcement and to follow our journey to Germany. Together, we will showcase the talent, spirit, and resilience of Nigeria on the global stage.To stay updated on news and ticket information, we invite fans to register at www.americanfootball.sport.

Let’s cheer our teams toward victory! #flagwc26 #TeamNigeria #NAFA

Signed,

Babajide Akeredolu
President,
Nigeria American Football Association

About the Nigeria American Football Association (NAFA)

The Nigerian American Football Association (NAFA) is Nigeria’s only National body dedicated to growing the game of American Football. Established in 2019, its vision is to create opportunities through the game of American football and it achieves this through its mission mantra tagged “The HUDDLE Way” an acronym for Health, Unity, Diversity, Development, Livelihood and Entertainment. Since its inception, NAFA has hosted an array of programs dedicated to grassroots development which include its Capacity building initiatives with NFL Flag and its Secondary School (High School) league in collaboration with the Nigerian School Sports Federation. To date, NAFA has introduced the game of American Football directly to over 10,000 young men and women in 18 States and over 300 schools and has led Nigeria to its first victory at the maiden Africa Continental Flag Football Championship games. NAFA is an Associate member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).

For more information, contact press@nafa.ng.