NAIROBI, Kenya, June 29, 2026 – Kenya will host the third edition of the NFL Flag Championship on July 9-11, bringing together national teams and youth squads from five African nations for three days of competition and development programming.
The event will be held at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi and will be the third such competition on the continent, following similar ones 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.
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. 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,” Brian Flinn, NFL senior vice president, Global Flag Football, said.
He added: “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.
