2026 German Football League
| 2026 German Football League | |
|---|---|
| League | German Football League |
| Sport | American football |
| Duration | 9 May – 3 October |
| Teams | 15 |
| Regular season | |
The 2026 German Football League season is the 47th edition of the top-level American football competition in Germany.
The regular season started on 9 May and is expected to end on 30 August 2026, followed by the play-offs.[1][2] The season will be concluded with the GFL Bowl, which is planned to be held on 3 October 2026 in Dresden.
Modus
The league is divided in two conferences, north and south, and both conferences are divided in two divisions. During the regular season each club plays all other clubs in its division twice, home and away, and the teams of the other division of its conference once. In addition, each team plays one home and one away game against a team of the other conference, resulting in each team playing 12 regular season games.[1] Since in the northern conference there is one team missing, there are extra games.
The best four teams in each conference qualify for the play-offs where, in the quarter finals, teams from opposite conferences play each other, whereby the better placed teams have home field advantage. The first placed team plays the fourth placed from the other conference and the second placed the third placed team. From the semi-finals onwards teams from the same conference can meet again.[2]
The eighth placed team in the southern conference is relegated to the German Football League 2, the second tier of the league system in Germany. The seventh placed teams of the conferences meet each other in a two-leg play-down. The losing team is relegated to the GFL2. The winner of this contest remains in the GFL for the following season.[2]
League tables
GFL
The league tables of the two GFL divisions:
North
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dresden Monarchs (Q) | 11 | 11 | 0 | 400 | 132 | +268 | 1.000 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Potsdam Royals (Q) | 11 | 10 | 1 | 524 | 79 | +445 | .909 | |
| 3 | Hildesheim Invaders (Q) | 10 | 7 | 3 | 289 | 222 | +67 | .700 | |
| 4 | Düsseldorf Panther (Q) | 11 | 5 | 6 | 223 | 272 | −49 | .455 | |
| 5 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | 11 | 3 | 8 | 154 | 340 | −186 | .273 | |
| 6 | Braunschweig Lions | 11 | 3 | 8 | 247 | 401 | −154 | .273 | |
| 7 | Berlin Rebels | 10 | 2 | 8 | 147 | 317 | −170 | .200 | Playdowns to GFL2 |
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
South
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (Q) | 11 | 11 | 0 | 478 | 164 | +314 | 1.000 | Qualification to play-offs |
| 2 | Ravensburg Razorbacks (Q) | 11 | 8 | 3 | 407 | 186 | +221 | .727 | |
| 3 | Pforzheim Wilddogs (Q) | 12 | 8 | 4 | 403 | 164 | +239 | .667 | |
| 4 | Munich Cowboys (Q) | 11 | 6 | 5 | 288 | 284 | +4 | .545 | |
| 5 | Regensburg Phoenix | 11 | 5 | 6 | 252 | 311 | −59 | .455 | |
| 6 | Saarland Hurricanes | 11 | 2 | 9 | 175 | 458 | −283 | .182 | |
| 7 | Allgäu Comets | 11 | 1 | 10 | 127 | 534 | −407 | .091 | Playdowns to GFL2 |
| 8 | Straubing Spiders (R) | 11 | 0 | 11 | 188 | 438 | −250 | .000 | Relegation to GFL2 |
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
GFL2
The league tables of the two GFL2 divisions:
GFL2 North
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krefeld Ravens | 10 | 10 | 0 | 499 | 168 | +331 | 1.000 | Qualification to promotion playoffs |
| 2 | Rostock Griffins | 10 | 8 | 2 | 414 | 197 | +217 | .800 | |
| 3 | Hamburg Pioneers | 10 | 6 | 4 | 264 | 345 | −81 | .600 | |
| 4 | Leipzig Lions | 10 | 4 | 6 | 204 | 274 | −70 | .400 | |
| 5 | Elmshorn Fighting Pirates | 10 | 4 | 6 | 256 | 354 | −98 | .400 | |
| 6 | Langenfeld Longhorns | 10 | 2 | 8 | 181 | 322 | −141 | .200 | |
| 7 | Minden Wolves | 10 | 1 | 9 | 185 | 343 | −158 | .100 | Relegation to Regionalliga |
Rules for classification: 1) Winning percentage, 2) Head-to-head results
GFL2 South
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wiesbaden Phantoms | 10 | 9 | 1 | 356 | 167 | +189 | .900 | Qualification to promotion playoffs |
| 2 | Albershausen Crusaders | 10 | 7 | 3 | 277 | 226 | +51 | .700 | |
| 3 | Augsburg Centurions | 10 | 6 | 4 | 329 | 190 | +139 | .600 | |
| 4 | Montabaur Fighting Farmers | 10 | 5 | 5 | 280 | 205 | +75 | .500 | |
| 5 | Gießen Golden Dragons | 10 | 3 | 7 | 226 | 306 | −80 | .300 | |
| 6 | Biberach Beavers | 10 | 0 | 10 | 84 | 458 | −374 | .000 | Relegation to Regionalliga |
Rules for classification: 1) Winning percentage, 2) Head-to-head results
Postseason
Playoffs
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | GFL Bowl | ||||||||||||
| S1 | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | |||||||||||||
| N4 | Düsseldorf Panther | |||||||||||||
| N2 | Potsdam Royals | |||||||||||||
| S3 | ||||||||||||||
| N1 | Dresden Monarchs | |||||||||||||
| S4 | Munich Cowboys | |||||||||||||
| S2 | ||||||||||||||
| N3 | Hildesheim Invaders | |||||||||||||
References
- 1 2 "Start der 47. Saison der effect® Energy GFL". gfl.info (in German). 8 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "GFL Spielplan – GFL". www.gfl.info (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2026.
External links
- Official GFL website (in German)