Nigeria has withdrawn its men’s and women’s flag football teams from the 2026 Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, following delays in obtaining visas.
The withdrawal was announced on Monday in a joint statement by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Federation of American Football.
The three bodies said efforts were made to secure the necessary visas and enable the Nigerian teams to travel to Germany, but the documents would not be issued in time for the competition.
Nigeria had qualified for the global tournament after winning both the men’s and women’s titles at the 2025 IFAF Africa Flag Football Championships.
The IFAF said the development was particularly disappointing for the athletes and team officials who had worked hard to qualify and were preparing to make their debut at the world championships.
The federation added that the Nigerian teams could not be replaced by reserve teams from the 2025 African championships because of the timing of the withdrawal. As a result, teams scheduled to face Nigeria in the group stage will receive automatic victories in line with the competition regulations.
Despite the setback, IFAF said Nigeria’s qualification route to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games remained open.
The Nigerian men’s and women’s teams are expected to compete at the 2027 IFAF Continental Championships, where a top two finish would earn them a place in the Olympic Q Series, the final stage of qualification for LA28.
