The NFL will host a continental NFL Flag Championship in Kenya, bringing together national teams and youth squads from five African nations for three days of competition and development programming. The event runs July 9-11 in Nairobi and will be the third such competition held on the continent, following events in Nigeria (2024) and Egypt (2025).
For the first time the tournament features a flag football competition contested by five men’s and five women’s national teams representing Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa. Running alongside the main competition is a youth tournament featuring five U13 co-ed teams from the same five countries, with each youth squad made up of 10 players.
This initiative has been developed in consultation with the sport’s international federation, IFAF, which has authorized the participation of national representative teams. It is also supported locally by the Kenyan Federation of American Football (KFAF), which has helped bring the event together.
IFAF will provide four experienced International Technical Officials (ITOs) to ensure IFAF rules and regulations are enforced and to assist, teach and develop 12 African officials from five nations representing the north, east, south and west regions of the continent.
Eight male and four female African officials will take charge of games alongside two male and two female ITOs from Europe who boast a wealth of experience at the highest level of flag football. Cédric Castaing (France) was the deputy director of officials at The World Games in 2022, Daniel Barrera Madsen (Denmark) refereed the 2025 women’s final, and Begüm Kübra Tokyay (Türkiye) and Carla Carolina Nico Gavazza (Ireland) have extensive experience officiating international flag and tackle football.
“I am especially pleased to see such investment being made in the future of flag football development and officiating in Africa,” said IFAF Board Director Awasum E.M. Jr. “We have a wealth of talented and committed referees all over this continent, who only need more experimental opportunities to be at IFAF biggest stages such as the upcoming Düsseldorf World Championships.
“This event brings a chance not just to learn from some of the world’s best flag football officials but bridging the gap and evolving the diverse nature of flag football- an important step in the development and global journey.”
The African officials taking charge of games and taking the next step in their development are Moses Waweru, Chris Maina, Ivy Muge, David Nelko, Bridget Kamamia, Donald Juma, Samwel Otieno Samuel Mwangi (all Kenya), Blessing Suleiman (Nigeria), Mohamed Hamed (Egypt) Lucy Mujajati (South Africa), and Emmanuel Kwabena (Ghana).
Flag football, a fast-paced and accessible discipline of the game, is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide that will make its debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, while NFL Flag is the official flag football program of the NFL.
“It’s been inspiring to watch flag football take off across the continent,” said Brian Flinn, NFL senior vice president, Global Flag Football. “This event brings together the very best players alongside the next generation of talent from five countries, showcasing the pathways that exist for athletes to compete at the grassroots level all the way to representing their countries in international competitions.”
“IFAF and the NFL have been working collaboratively to accelerate flag football development across Africa, both at grassroots and high performance levels,” said IFAF President Pierre Trochet. “This event is another fantastic example of our partnership in action, providing the national teams of IFAF member federations in the continent with a valuable competitive opportunity in preparation for next year’s crucial IFAF African Continental Championships.”
In addition to the on-field competition, the week includes an elite talent identification workout on July 11, giving athletes from across the continent the opportunity to showcase their ability in front of NFL representatives as part of the league’s NFL Africa program that supports the development of athletes on the continent via the league’s global football programs including the International Player Pathway program and NFL Academy.
