The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Governing Board has approved the allied membership of five new nations, bringing to 80 the number of federations within the IFAF ecosystem.

The new federations come from three continents. They are:

• Sierra Leone Authority of American Football (Africa)
• Cayman Islands Flag Football Association (Americas)
• Puerto Rico Flag Football Federation (Americas)
• U.S. Virgin Islands Football (Americas)
• Chinese Taipei Federation of American Football (Asia)

As new allied members, the five federations join a dynamic global community with members spanning all five continents – Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It comes as flag football prepares to debut at the Olympic Games in LA28, against a backdrop of soaring worldwide grassroots participation.

“We are delighted to welcome these new federations to the IFAF family at a time when the spotlight is shining on our sport, particularly as we prepare for flag football to debut at the Olympic Games,” said IFAF Board Director Javier L’Episcopo. “We have already seen some of our younger and new federations commit to participating in international competition as they establish the sport in their country.”

The Sierra Leone Authority of American Football is led by Hafsatu Kamara, a former track and field athlete who represented Sierra Leone at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Having launched the new federation, she is appointing key roles within the organization with a view to being competitive in IFAF competitions and establishing the sport in her country.

“We need to make sure that the goal is to be at the Olympics, because that raises our competitive level and the integrity of the game, not just for us, but also how we’re viewed and how we position ourselves amongst other sports globally,” said Kamara. “I’m a competitor, I’m hungry for that and am building an elite team and I’m excited for the challenge. We have recruiting avenues that we’re exploring to build up that elite pathway, while at the same time making sure our grassroots is building a strong foundation.”

Puerto Rico has had an immediate impact on the flag football scene, celebrating securing IFAF membership by winning the gold medal at both the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Flag Football Regional Championships played from June 18-21 in El Salvador. The Cayman Islands also participated in the six-nation competition, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning bronze medals.

The federations representing Sierra Leone, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Chinese Taipei will have an opportunity to enter national teams in the 2027 IFAF continental championships, which serve as a qualification path to the LA28 Olympic Games.