Nigeria maintains Olympic hopes despite World Championships withdrawal due to visa issues
Nigeria's men's and women's flag football teams will still have a chance to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games, despite their withdrawal from this year's International Federation of American Football Flag Football World Championships in D眉sseldorf. The withdrawal was due to visa issues, as announced in a joint statement by the International Federation of American Football, the National Sports Commission, and the Nigerian Federation of American Football. The teams had qualified for the World Championships after winning the first African Flag Football Championship in Cairo, Egypt, with the men's team defeating Egypt 13-12 and the women's team beating Morocco 26-12. Although they will miss the World Championships, Nigeria's pathway to the LA28 Olympic Games remains open. They can compete in the 2027 IFAF Continental Championships, where a top-two finish would secure a spot in the Olympic Qualifier Series, the final stage for LA28 Olympic qualification. The LA28 flag football tournament will have six quota places per gender, with one for host nation USA, two from the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, and three from the Olympic Qualifier Series in May and June 2028.
