The ways that NFL is growing throughout Africa

As a means to draw interest from international fans and potentially scout out some intriguing foreign talent, many of the US’ most popular sporting leagues have continued to expand their coverage to different continents and rural destinations, with Africa being at the forefront of targeted interest.

Over the past few decades, numerous African-born athletes have since made a flawless transition across the pond to compete in some of the most prominent and most distinguished leagues in the United States and Europe with some of these including basketball giants such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Joel Embiid to soccer stars such as Mohammed Salah and Samuel Eto’o to name a few.

Nowadays, several imposing talents represent any of the many countries located throughout the continent of Africa as sport’s most beloved leagues continue to grow in notoriety around the world.

The NFL is one such league that bolsters several African-born players and continues to have a vested interest in growing further in popularity throughout the continent as many more fans continue to tune into all the latest ongoing games that take place throughout the season or by wearing the jerseys of any one of the 32 NFL franchises.

With possibilities being almost endless for further growth in popularity within Africa, the NFL continues to go to great lengths to improve the league’s overall coverage and provide international fans with plenty of opportunities to catch their favorite players in action.

How has the NFL continued to grow in Africa at such an astonishing rate?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear that he aims to continue expanding the league, and the sport in general, onto a much more global platform that can allow more fans to get involved with the sport by watching more games from anywhere in the world, with some fans even willing to place their predictions into play by checking out all the latest NFL odds as the 2025 NFL playoffs are now well underway.

Since Goodell took over as NFL commissioner in 2006, there has been a noticeable increase in international interest in the sport. This has mainly culminated in more games being played overseas and a further rise in international talents that have since entered the league.

While Africa has yet to host any NFL game, there has been a significant amount of interest in the region for a potential international series game in the future, with many believing that it is only a matter of time before a game is played on African soil, with South Africa being a likely candidate for future NFL matchups.

One of the leading figureheads for the continued growth of NFL coverage and interest throughout Africa is former First-Team All-Pro DE and two-time Superbowl champion Osi Umenyiora, who is widely regarded as the best African-born NFL player of all time and has remained very active in numerous communities to help spread awareness of NFL games abroad.

In recent years, the NFL has since established the ‘NFL Africa program,’ which aims to grow the game’s awareness within the continent as well as scouting out any potential candidates who may seek to pursue American football as a career by allowing aspiring athletes to partake in a three-day football camp that will showcase their skills in a combine-style set of drills.

There are invitations available for any who impress to join the NFL academy in Loughborough, UK, or through the International Player Pathway program, which has produced several renowned NFL talents such as Pro Bowl caliber players like TE David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba from the Seattle Seahawks.

The program has traveled to many African destinations. It has since migrated to Umenyiora’s native country of Nigeria, with plenty of raw but intriguing talents already being assessed for future NFL careers.

At this current juncture, the NFL has retained a significant interest in further increasing its fanfare in Africa as there remain plenty of potential avenues to exploit when it comes to the international series of games, a mass population to attract interest in the sport, and scouting lively talents who could one day become household names in the league.

While other sports such as soccer, rugby, cricket, basketball, and athletics continue to be the preferred choice for African audiences to tune into or pursue a sporting career in, there remains plenty of optimism that American football can become a mainstay throughout the continent and more fans will gather a considerable amount of interest in the sport.

The NFL is a business that is solely focused on increasing its broader international investment, with the African sector being a largely unexplored developing market that continues to arouse future involvement due to its populous’ overriding amount of passion directed towards sports and the significant participation of foreign stars that continue to impress every game week.