NEW YORK, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Nigeria's men's and women's flag football teams will miss the world championships that start this week in Germany, the International Federation of American Football said on Monday, after the delegation was unable to secure the necessary visas.
The tournament, the first Olympic qualifying event for the sport ahead of its Games debut at LA28, will not replace Nigeria in the competition. Teams that were set to play Nigeria in the group stage will be awarded an automatic victory.
The top two finishers in the men's and women's competitions - excluding the United States - qualify directly for the 2028 Games. The U.S., who are the men's and women's defending champions, have already been granted a spot as Olympic hosts.
However, Nigeria will still have a chance to book a ticket to Los Angeles. A top-two finish at next year's continental championship would allow them to compete at the final stage of qualification in the "Olympic Q-Series."
Six men's and six women's teams will compete at the Los Angeles Games.
"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," IFAF said in a joint statement with the National Sports Commission of Nigeria and the Nigerian Federation of American Football.
"Regrettably, all parties were informed this morning that the visas would not be issued in time for the Championships."
IFAF has worked to expand the sport across Africa in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympics, with Nigeria winning the inaugural IFAF African Flag Football Championships in Cairo last year on the men's and women's sides.
Nigeria was among the most represented nations in the NFL last year, with 19 Nigerian-born players in the league at the start of the 2025 season.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
