Kenya hosts inaugural NFL Flag Africa Continental Championship

Once seen as a niche American sport, flag football is now surging in popularity across Africa, as top teams gathered in Nairobi for the first NFL Flag Africa Continental Championship from Thursday to Saturday, with eyes set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The appeal of flag football lies in its simplicity and low barrier to entry, helping schools, clubs, and communities across Africa adopt the fast, non-contact version of American football at a rapid pace.

"Next year there is going to be another continental event. IFAF and the NFL are going to run and that is going to give people more of the opportunity to be able to compete for the Olympics, but this right here is just competition, playing against each other, because you can't just come here once and play and say 'okay, get ready for the Olympics.' That is not going to do. We have to have more competitions and this is a step in the right direction," said Osi Umenyiora, head of NFL Africa.

Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, and South Africa participated in the three-day event, which provided valuable experience for many players competing at this level for the first time.

"Most of the ladies in team Kenya are actually playing this sport for the first time. Players are coming from Handball, coco, from rugby, so we have only trained for two months, only on weekends. It was tough training from morning to evening and having to learn everything. There are a lot of rules. We have a great coach and the federation was so great. So no matter how much we went through all that we still came and performed, so all of us are happy," said Terry Akinyi, Kenya Women's Flag Football player.

After winning the 2025 International Federation of American Football Africa Flag Championship, Nigeria's men's and women's teams will represent Africa next month in Germany, moving one step closer to a coveted spot at the Olympics.

"We were fortunate enough to win last year to represent Africa in Germany. We are not just going to represent Nigeria, we are going to represent Africa as a whole. To give us a chance to go to the Olympics to represent Africa at the Olympics and show the World how much flag football has grown in Africa. I feel like the world has no idea and our job is to go there and bring back the Gold too," said Edidiong Nedy Udombat, Nigeria Men's Flag Football captain.

Flag football's rise in Africa is gaining momentum and with the Olympics ahead, the continent's biggest achievement may still be yet to come.

Kenya hosts inaugural NFL Flag Africa Continental Championship

The United States has warned its allies that deliveries of key weapons could be delayed by up to five years due to depleted ammunition stocks, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.

The report says that Germany has asked the U.S. to expedite deliveries of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon missile systems, but U.S. stocks of these weapons have been depleted, and manufacturers are unlikely to fulfill the relevant orders within the next five years.

It cited U.S. officials as saying that following the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran in February of this year, U.S. weapons deliveries to some Eastern European countries had already been delayed. The Pentagon did not respond to media requests for comment.

The report noted that it is estimated the U.S. used more than half of its Patriot missiles, a third of its Tomahawk missiles and nearly half of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors during the conflict with Iran.

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office released a report this month stating that since June 2025, the U.S. stockpile of interceptor missiles has been depleted by a half to two thirds and even with increased production, it would take at least five years to replenish the stockpile, according to Bloomberg.

US warns allies of weapons delivery delay: report