Nigeria withdraws from IFAF world flag football championship

Nigeria has withdrawn both its men’s and women’s national teams from the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) world flag football championship due to an inability to secure necessary travel visas. The tournament is scheduled to begin this Thursday in Duesseldorf, Germany.

In the men’s competition, Nigeria was slated to compete in a group alongside Canada, Austria, and Japan. Because there was insufficient time to select an alternate squad, the other three teams in the group have been awarded wins for their scheduled matches against Nigeria. This resulted in an automatic win for Canada’s national men’s team.

The withdrawal of the Nigerian women’s team does not affect the Canadian women’s squad, as they are competing in different groups. The championship carries significant stakes, as the top two finishers will secure berths for the Olympic Games, with potential expansion to three teams if the United States reaches the gold-medal game.