The Nigerian teams were forced to pull out of the tournament because of visa delays, but their hopes of reaching the inaugural Olympic flag football competition at the LA28 Games remain alive.
The World Championships represent the opening stage of qualification for the 2028 Olympics, with 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams competing for world titles and four direct quota places for the Los Angeles Games.
Nigeria’s withdrawal was confirmed on Monday in a joint statement issued 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 also expressed sympathy for the players and officials who had worked to secure Nigeria’s place at the global 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 qualified for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships after making history at the inaugural African Flag Football Championship in Cairo, Egypt, last year.
The Nigerian men defeated hosts Egypt 13-12 in a closely contested final, while the women’s team secured a more convincing 26-12 victory over Morocco to claim the continental title.
With Nigeria withdrawing so close to the tournament, replacement teams will not be brought in to fill the vacant spots.
“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.”
Despite missing the World Championships, Nigeria’s route to LA28 remains open through the 2027 IFAF Continental Championships.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will have the opportunity to compete at the continental tournament, where finishing among the top two teams will earn qualification for the Olympic Qualifier Series, the final stage of the LA28 qualification process.
Six quota places will be available in each gender’s Olympic flag football competition. The United States, as host nation, will receive one quota in each tournament, while two places will be awarded at the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships.
The remaining three places in each competition will be decided through the Olympic Qualifier Series, scheduled to take place in May and June 2028.