American Football League Europe
Upcoming season or competition: 2026 American Football League Europe season | |
 | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2 December 2025 |
| First season | 2026 |
| Owner | American Football League Europe LLC |
| CEO | Joel Nagel |
| COO | Moritz Heisler |
| President | Jim Tomsula |
| Commissioner | Andreas Nommensen |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Countries | Germany Austria Switzerland France Poland Italy United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Hamburg, Germany[1] |
| Continent | Europe |
| Broadcasters | Sport1 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) Krone TV (Austria) Polsat Sport (Poland) Red Bull TV (Worldwide/Vikings Games Only) Sport en France (France) |
| Streaming partner | AFLE+ |
| Website | www.aflepro.com |
The American Football League Europe, abbreviated as AFLE and also referred to as The League Europe, is a professional American football league in Europe. It was founded in December 2025 and began competition 23 May 2026.
History
Background
Following the 2025 season, several teams departed the European League of Football (ELF), which had been established in 2020. Tensions had reportedly grown between a number of franchises and the league's central leadership over governance, financial transparency, and long-term strategic direction.
Among the main concerns raised by clubs were allegations of limited transparency in league operations and dissatisfaction regarding the distribution of commercial revenues. Some organizations argued that participating teams were not receiving adequate revenue shares relative to their sporting and operational contributions.
As a result, a number of former and current ELF-linked organizations began discussions during 2025 regarding the creation of an alternative pan-European competition. These talks led to the formation of the European Football Alliance (EFA), a project intended to unite several clubs under a new organizational model.
Split from the European Football Alliance
Despite the initial momentum behind the EFA project, participating teams were unable to reach a full agreement on the structure and governance of the proposed competition.
One group of clubs favored a decentralized, team-led league in which member organizations would collectively manage the competition and hold primary decision-making authority. Those clubs later continued under the EFA banner and announced plans for the 2026 EFA season.
Another group supported the creation of a professionally managed league backed by external investment. Proponents of that model argued that centralized management and access to private capital would provide stronger long-term stability, commercial growth, and the resources necessary to expand the sport across Europe.
The differing visions ultimately resulted in a formal split, with the investor-backed faction moving forward independently.
Foundation of AFLE
The American Football League Europe (AFLE) was publicly presented on 2 December 2025 as a new professional American football league for Europe. The organization announced plans to launch competition in 2026 with a mixture of established clubs and expansion markets.[2]
AFLE positioned itself as a modern league focused on professional standards, commercial development, digital media growth, and a continent-wide footprint. League officials stated that the new structure was intended to provide greater organizational clarity and a more sustainable long-term model than previous European ventures.
Inaugural season
The league announced that its inaugural season would begin on 23 May 2026, with Berlin Thunder scheduled to face the Vienna Vikings in the opening game.[3]
The first championship game, branded as the Gold Bowl, is scheduled to be played on 6 September 2026 at Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena in Duisburg concluding the league's debut campaign.
Ownership and administration
The American Football League Europe LLC is headquartered in Casper, Wyoming, United States. The league is owned by a United States-based family office, although the identities of the families involved have not been publicly disclosed.[4]
AFLE also maintains a league office in Hamburg, Germany, which serves as its principal European operational center.
Its European corporate structure includes AFLE Betriebs GmbH, a company wholly owned by Venture FOMO GmbH, based in Vienna, Austria. Venture FOMO GmbH is wholly owned by Robin Lumsden, who is also the majority shareholder of the Vienna Vikings franchise.
Teams
On 6 December 2025, Rhein Fire, the two-time ELF, champion became the first team to announce its participation in the league.[5] For the 2026 season, the league has confirmed eight teams. In addition to Rhein Fire, the teams are Berlin Thunder,[6] Panthers Wrocław,[7] and the Vienna Vikings,[8] all from the ELF. Newly founded teams that have been added are the Alpine Rams,[9] the Paris Lights,[10] and the Firenze Red Lions.[11] Finally, the London Warriors from the BAFA National Leagues Premier Division South joined on 6 May 2026.[12] The league has also announced an expansion team from Monaco for 2027.[13]
| Teams | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Head Coach | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/West Division | |||||
| Alpine Rams | .svg.png){kind=small} Biel/Bienne |
Tissot Arena | 5,200 |  Joshua Fitzgerald |
new |
| London Warriors | .svg.png){kind=small} London |
Cherry Red Records Stadium | 9,215 | Tony Allen |
BAFA Premier, 9–1, lost Championship Game |
| Paris Lights |  Paris |
Vélodrome Jacques-Anquetil | 7,151 | David Shelton |
new |
| Rhein Fire |  Düsseldorf/Duisburg |
Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena | 31,500 | Mark Ridgley |
ELF, 8–4, Wild Card game |
| South/East Division | |||||
| Berlin Thunder | Berlin |
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, Kleines Stadion | 2,000 | Shawn Cooper |
ELF, 3–9 |
| Firenze Red Lions |  Florence |
Stadio Gino Bozzi | 3,800 | Bill Shuey |
new |
| Vienna Vikings |  Vienna |
Wiener Sport-Club Stadium | 5,600 | Chris Calaycay |
ELF, 11–1, lost Championship Game |
| Panthers Wrocław |  Wrocław |
Olympic Stadium | 11,000 | Dave Likins |
ELF, 5–7 |
Future teams
| Team | Location | Stadium | First season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monaco |  Monaco |
TBD | 2027 |
References
- ↑ https://www.aflepro.com/about
- ↑ Walter Reiterer (2025-12-02). "AFLE präsentiert neues europäisches Football-Projekt: "The League Europe" soll Stabilität bringen". Österreichs Football Portal (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ↑ "AFLE Spielplan 2026". Österreichs Football Portal (in German). 2026-04-14. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Hendrik Müller (2025-12-02). "Neue europäische Liga – AFLE präsentiert Vision". Foot Bowl (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-14.
- ↑ "AFLE: Rhein Fire als erstes Team bestätigt" (in German). 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ↑ "ELF und AFLE verkünden weitere Teams für 2026" (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ Hendrik (2025-12-09). "Panthers Wrocław schließen sich The League Europe an". Foot Bowl (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ "Vikings-Footballer greifen 2026 in dieser Liga an". January 2026.
- ↑ "Alpine Rams offiziell Teil der AFLE". 17 December 2025.
- ↑ "L'AFLE a son équipe parisienne : les Paris Lights". TDActu.com - Actu NFL (in French). 2026-02-08. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "AFLE – The League Europe". www.aflepro.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "AFLE – The League Europe". www.aflepro.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ https://www.aflepro.com/news/the-afle-confirms-final-franchise-lineup-for-inaugural-season