Infront of an impressive spectator turnout, the Egyptian Eagles Athletic Club celebrated winning the African Flag Ladies Cup (AFLC), which was held in collaboration with the Cairo Bears. It was also the first time the Eagles Athletic Club hosted and won an American football tournament on the African level.

Four teams took part in the African tournament including the two Egyptian teams, Eagles Athletic Club and Cairo Bears, the Moroccan Jaguars and the guest of honor, the Philadelphia Phantomz.

Taking the first steps to support the sport as the official tournament sponsor, Zed Club opened the event on their field on Friday, 8 January. Zed is also launching the first Juniors American Football Academy in West Cairo by February.

American football has been widely spreading over the past six years on the Egyptian fields, becoming more popular and attracting more participants to

the game. The sport is being run and lead by the Egyptian Federation of American Football, which is now comprised of 16 member teams.

The Eagles Athletic Club is one of the oldest teams in Egypt, with unique management focused on building a strong base which has enabled them to host an event of this scale along with the Cairo Bears.

The Eagles’ president and AFLC director, Mostafa Hamad, has expressed his pride for hosting this tournament and ensured that both his team and the Egyptian Federation of American Football have a strong strategy in the coming phase that will continue the spread of this sport that attracts a large number of male and female players.

Furthermore, the Cairo Bears’ president, Shady El Kadry, added that the tournament did require a lot of effort to be carefully organized on a large scale. El Kadry has also expressed his gratitude to Zed for hosting the event and all the guests who play an important and significant role in spreading the American football game in Egypt and Africa.

Throughout the day, the two Egyptian teams managed to make a bold statement, reflecting their level of skills and talent while also displaying impressive high- level performances, which revealed how far the Egyptian American football athletes have reached nowadays.

The tournament’s opening game saw the Eagles Athletic Club taking on the Moroccan Jaguars in a game that proved the Eagles’ streak was there to stay. The game ended with a score of 26-06, which meant the Eagles would be playing the AFLC final game.

Next was the Cairo Bears vs. the Philadelphia Phantomz. While this game may have been feared since the Bears where playing against an American team, where the sport originates, the Bears were able to put on a solid offensive and defensive game earning them a 14-06 win, making them the second Egyptian team to make it to the finals. The Moroccan Jaguars and the Philadelphia Phantomz then faced off in a play-off game to determine the third-place winner. As the game was light and cheerful, it ended with an 8-0 win for the Jaguars placing them in third place at the AFLC.

Finally, the undefeated Eagles Athletic Club faced the restless Cairo Bears in a game that kept the audience on the edge of their seat. The two teams were determined to earn the win and played a great game to achieve that victory. Right until the last seconds of the game, it was still unclear who would end the game and clinch the win. With a three-point difference, the Eagles earned the title of the African Flag Ladies Cup champions with a 33-30 win.