Nigeria Retain 2028 Olympic Flag Football Qualification Hope Despite Withdrawal

Nigeria Retain 2028 Olympic Flag Football Qualification Hope Despite Withdrawal
Both Nigerian teams remain eligible to pursue Olympic qualification through the 2027 Continental Championships.
A top two finish in 2027 would secure a place in the Olympic Qualifier Series.

Nigeria’s men’s and women’s flag football teams will still have a pathway to the 2028 Olympic Games despite withdrawing from the 2026 International Federation of American Football Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, over visa issues.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the tournament is the first major stage in the qualification process for the inaugural Olympic flag football competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

A total of 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams are scheduled to compete for the world titles and four direct quota places for the LA28 Olympic Games.

However, Nigeria’s withdrawal was announced on Monday in a joint statement by the International Federation of American Football, the National Sports Commission and the Nigerian Federation of American Football.

“Over the past 10 days, IFAF, together with its event partners and the relevant authorities, has made significant efforts behind the scenes to explore every possible avenue to enable the teams to travel to Germany. Regrettably, all parties were informed this morning (Monday) that the visas would not be issued in time for the Championships,” the statement read.

The organisations expressed regret over the development, particularly for the players and officials who had worked to qualify for the tournament.

“Our thoughts are first and foremost with the athletes and team staff, who have worked hard to earn their place at these Championships as the inaugural IFAF African Flag Football Champions. They were looking forward to proudly representing Nigeria and making their debut appearance on the world stage.”

Nigeria’s men’s and women’s teams secured their places at the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships after winning the inaugural African Flag Football Championship in Cairo, Egypt, last year.

The Nigerian men’s team defeated hosts Egypt 13 12 in a closely contested final to claim the African title.

The women’s team also emerged champions after defeating Morocco 26 12 in their final.

Despite their withdrawal from the World Championships, Nigeria will not be replaced by reserve teams from the 2025 IFAF African Flag Football Championships because of the timing of the decision.

“Due to the timing of the withdrawal, it is not possible to replace the Nigerian men’s and women’s teams with the respective reserve teams from the 2025 IFAF African Flag Football Championships. In accordance with the competition regulations, teams scheduled to play Nigeria in the group stage will be awarded an automatic victory.”

Nigeria’s withdrawal from the World Championships does not end the country’s hopes of qualifying for the LA28 Olympic Games.

The Nigerian men’s and women’s teams will have another opportunity at the 2027 IFAF Continental Championships.

A top two finish at the continental competition will secure qualification for the Olympic Qualifier Series, which represents the final stage of qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games.

The Olympic flag football tournament at LA28 will have six quota places available for each gender.

One quota place in each competition has been allocated to host nation the United States.

Two places in each gender will be awarded at the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, while the remaining three places will be determined through the Olympic Qualifier Series.

The Olympic Qualifier Series is scheduled to take place in May and June 2028.

Nigeria Retain 2028 Olympic Flag Football Qualification Hope Despite Withdrawal

Nigeria will therefore need to use the 2027 Continental Championships to keep its Olympic campaign alive after missing the opportunity to compete at the 2026 World Championships.