The 2025 IFAF Congress approved IFAF Associate Membership for five nations who were previously Allied members: American Samoa, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nigeria.
Delegates from five continents, representing a broad spectrum of IFAF’s 75 member federations, came together in Lausanne - the Olympic Capital - to vote on a series of significant reforms designed to reinforce IFAF’s governance structures, advance gender equality within the sport’s leadership, and broaden access to full membership.
American Samoa entered IFAF competition for the first time and the nation’s men’s team finished third overall at the 2025 IFAF Asia-Oceania continental championships and qualified for IFAF World Flag to be played in Dusseldorf in August 2026.
Egypt hosted the historic first-ever IFAF Africa Flag continental championships at the Club One Maadi Stadium in Cairo in 2025 with its men’s team finishing as runners up by a single point in the gold medal game, while Egypt’s women won the bronze medal.
In collaboration with IFAF and the Egyptian Federation of American Football, U12 teams of boys and girls competed in NFL Flag Continental Championship in Cairo. The NFL also hosted a football talent identification event with prospects from across Africa.
El Salvador’s men’s flag football national team debuted on the IFAF continental stage this summer in Panama at the IFAF Americas Flag championships. They won the bronze medal at the flag football tournament at the Central American Games in Panama. The men’s tackle team also claimed bronze on home soil at the IFAF Central Americas Championships.
Honduras won the IFAF Central Americas Championships for tackle football with an 8-0 victory over Guatemala in the title game having posted the tournament’s only perfect record with four wins and hosted the first half of the group stages.
Nigeria has enjoyed significant success in 2025. The ‘Giant of Africa’ won both the men’s a women’s championships at the first-ever IFAF Africa Flag continental championships. Both teams became the first qualifiers for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships where they can represent Africa among 16 competing nations.
The Nigeria American Football Association (NAFA) delivered on IFAF’s collective commitment to further gender equality in American football and empower women and girls through sports. This summer, NAFA provided young Nigerian girls with the tools, training, and confidence to lead both on and off the field.
In an inspiring showcase of synergy between sports, education, and empowerment, NAFA and BROWNS NIGERIA through their Gridiron Gems Initiative partnered with the BEMORE Empowered Foundation to bring flag football to the 2025 BEMORE Summer Bootcamp.
The activation is part of a broader commitment by NAFA and BROWNS NIGERIA to reach 150,000 girls across Nigeria by 2030 through flag football. With continued support from BEMORE and other partners, the program will expand grassroots engagement, certify coaches, and open new doors for girls in sport and leadership.
