Nigeria’s women win NFL Flag Africa title in Kenya
Nigeria’s women’s flag football team emerged champions at the 2026 NFL Flag Africa Continental Championship in Nairobi, Kenya.
Nigeria’s women’s flag football team emerged champions at the 2026 NFL Flag Africa Continental Championship in Nairobi, Kenya. The championship, held at the Ulinzi Sports Complex from 9 to 11 July, featured Nigeria’s men’s, women’s and Under-13 teams competing against top African nations, including hosts Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Egypt.
The Nigerian women produced a standout performance to clinch the continental title, underlining the country’s growing dominance in the sport. The Nigerian U-13 team also won its category, defeating regional rivals Ghana 30-6 to be crowned African champions. Egypt claimed the men’s championship.
The 2026 NFL Flag Africa Continental Championship represents another significant step in the growth of flag football across Africa as the sport prepares for its historic debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The successful campaign is expected to further boost the development of flag football in Nigeria and strengthen the country’s preparations for future international competitions, including the Los Angeles Olympics.
This echoes the 2024 NFL Flag continental event hosted by Nigeria, which marked the beginning of the sport’s growth on the continent. The difference is that Nigeria is now winning, not just hosting.
The winners: Nigeria’s women’s and U-13 flag football teams; the Nigerian Federation of American Football; and the sport of flag football in Nigeria. The losers: the other African nations that were defeated, and the Nigerian government, which has not invested in a sport that is about to become an Olympic discipline.
Bottom Line: Nigeria’s women are African champions in flag football. The Olympics are coming in 2028. The question is whether Nigeria will prepare or be left behind.