International Federation of American Football (IFAF) will hold its first African Flag Football Championships in June, executives have told Reuters, expanding the continental championships at a critical moment ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The competition from June 20-21 in Cairo, Egypt, joins existing events in the Americas, Europe and Asia Oceania, as the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and the NFL look to build the sport’s reputation as a global phenomenon.

The competition will operate as a pathway to qualification for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships.

“As a sport, you can’t say you are a global sport and you exclude Africa. It’s impossible,” said NFL Africa Lead Osi Umenyiora, a British Nigerian former defensive end who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants.

“That’s what, in conjunction with IFAF, we’re really trying to build here: A truly global sport.”

IFAF President Pierre Trochet said the championships would create opportunities for new players as the sport is determined not to become a “one-and-done” Olympic entrant.

“LA is the beginning of the story for us and a commitment that is shared with IFAF and the entire team of the NFL to look for a future edition – ’32 and beyond – and it’s just as a result that those continental competitions are growing so fast,” said Trochet.

“It’s a consequence of our common goal to stay in the Olympic programme in the long term.”