European Football Alliance
Upcoming season or competition: 2026 European Football Alliance season | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 5 July 2025 |
| First season | 2026 |
| CEO | Eric Reutemann |
| No. of teams | 6 (2026) |
| Countries | Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy (2027), United Kingdom (2027) |
| Headquarters | Frankfurt, Germany |
| Continent | Europe |
| Broadcasters | Sportdigital+ (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) FuboTV (Canada, USA) Hessischer Rundfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk (Germany) Sporty TV (Czech Republic) Molotov TV (France) Verdens Gang (Norway) |
| Streaming partner | YouTube |
| Website | efafootball.com |
The European Football Alliance, commonly abbreviated as EFA, is a professional American football league based in Europe. Its inaugural season began on May 15, 2026. Teams are located in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, with expansions teams in Italy, and the United Kingdom announced for 2027. The current clubs previously competed in the European League of Football (ELF).
History
Background
The European Football Alliance emerged from the ELF Franchise Association. This group had been founded in early 2024 as an alliance of several teams from the European League of Football (ELF).
The ELF, founded in 2021 by TV expert Patrick Esume and sports executive Zeljko Karajica, began competition with eight teams and expanded to 17 teams by 2024. The league was centrally managed by ELF GmbH, which was majority-controlled by CEO Karajica.
After the 2024 season, the team alliance, operating under the name Football Franchise Association (FFA) called for greater financial transparency and equal treatment of all franchises.[1] It criticized, among other things, that certain teams were directly or indirectly owned by Karajica. According to the FFA, the planned creation of a franchise in Amsterdam also failed because of the league’s lack of transparency.
Founding
In July 2025, the FFA reorganized itself as the European Football Alliance with eight initial members. The EFA renewed its criticism of the ELF’s financial and organizational structure and raised concerns about the sporting competitiveness of certain franchises, particularly those closely linked to league management. It called for structural reforms and suggested the creation of an alternative league.[2]
As a result, the sporting leadership of the ELF, including Commissioner Patrick Esume, resigned, citing “irreconcilable differences regarding the leadership and financial structure of the ELF with managing director Zeljko Karajica.”
On September 9, 2025, two days after the ELF Championship Game 2025, the eleven EFA members announced they would leave the ELF and compete in a new league starting in 2026. The new league was intended to follow the ownership model of the NFL, with club owners controlling league governance.
Ten franchises confirmed on October 6, 2025, that their contracts with the ELF had expired or been terminated and that they would join the EFA in 2026.[3] Only Raiders Tirol was reportedly still contractually tied to the ELF for 2026.
However, internal disagreements soon emerged over the future structure of the competition. Some member clubs supported a team-controlled league model and remained within the EFA framework for the 2026 season. Others favored the creation of a separate competition backed by an external investor and broke away from the EFA. This rival league, the American Football League Europe, was publicly presented on December 2, 2025.[4]
In November 2025, the EFA admitted new members from London and Milan.[5] Between late November 2025 and mid-January 2026, the EFA and ELF GmbH held further talks regarding cooperation.[6] The EFA ended negotiations on January 15, 2026, stating that ELF GmbH had failed to secure financial stability.[7]
The EFA then returned to its original plan of launching an independent league, joined on February 3, 2026, by the Munich Ravens as the seventh team.[8] In contrast, the Madrid Bravos announced their withdrawal from competition on March 10, 2026.
2026 Season
On March 10, 2026, the league released its 2026 schedule.[9] The inaugural season began on May 15, 2026, with the Friday Night Kickoff Game at PSD Bank Arena in Frankfurt am Main.
The same stadium will also host the Playoff Weekend, named BIG4, on August 15 and 16, 2026, where both semifinal games will be played. The season concludes with the first EFA Championship Game, scheduled for August 29, 2026.
Teams
2026 teams
2027 expansion teams
The EFA begins its inaugural 2026 season with six former ELF teams. The Madrid Bravos withdrew shortly before the schedule was announced. Statements from both the team and the league leave open the possibility that the Bravos could join the league at a later stage.
Since November 2025, franchises from London and Milan have been members of the EFA. These teams are expected to begin competition in the 2027 season. The owner of the London team is David Gandler, who also owns Leyton Orient. Behind the new Milan franchise are Giulio Gallazzi, president of Alcione Milano, as well as former NFL player Justin Pugh, who is also Commissioner of the Italian Football League.
The following teams are member of the European Football Alliance:
| Franchise | City | ELF since | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 teams | |||
| Frankfurt Galaxy |  Frankfurt |
2021 | PSD Bank Arena |
| Munich Ravens | Munich |
2023 | Uhlsport Park, Unterhaching |
| Nordic Storm |  Copenhagen |
2025 | Gladsaxe Stadium, Søborg |
| Paris Musketeers |  Paris |
2023 | Stade Bauer, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Stade Robert Bobin, Bondoufle |
| Prague Lions |  Prague |
2023 | FK Viktoria Stadion |
| Raiders Tirol |  Innsbruck |
2022 | Tivoli Stadion Tirol |
| 2027 expansion teams | |||
| London Guard |  London |
– | Brisbane Road[10] |
| Milano Football Team |  Milan |
– | Velodromo Vigorelli[11] |
Timeline
Former Members
The following teams were members of the EFA when it was still operating as a franchise association, but ultimately did not join the league:
- Berlin Thunder (August to October 2025, later joined the AFLE)
- Panthers Wrocław (July to October 2025, later joined the AFLE)
- Rhein Fire (July to October 2025, later joined the AFLE)
- Vienna Vikings (July to October 2025, later joined the AFLE)
- Stuttgart Surge (August to October 2025, club declared bankruptcy)
- Madrid Bravos (July 2025 to March 2026, withdrew from competition)
People and Organizational Structure
The European Football Alliance is governed by its Board of Governors, in which the participating teams are represented. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Eric Reutemann, who also holds the same position with Frankfurt Galaxy. He is supported by Charlie Elgeti, Head of Marketing & Communications, and Anna Liza Kubiak, Operations Manager. The EFA also employs content creators such as former quarterback Jan Weinreich. Head of Officiating is Frank Kristensen.
Rules
The EFA follows the framework of the National Football League (NFL) rules. A notable exception are the overtime rules, where it uses the NCAA's college football rules. Unlike most European sports leagues, (including European American football leagues) there cannot be a tie. The head of officiating is Frank Kristensen.[12]
Rosters
Each team has a 65-player roster and up to 12 players on a practice squad. The game-day roster is restricted to 48 players, with two additional spots for players under 21 years of age.[13] The league has a salary cap for all franchises.
Unlike the NFL Europe, whose team rosters consisted mostly of American players, EFA focuses on developing European talent in American Football. Each team is allowed to have four A imports on the gameday roster–that is players from the United States, Canada, Mexico, or Japan–with two on the field at the same time.[13] Additionally, six E import players from Europe or the rest of the world can be signed to the game day roster. The rest of the roster is reserved for homegrown players. Some teams have homegrown territories that extend beyond their own country:[14]
- Raiders Tirol: Austria, Switzerland, Italy,
- Prague Lions: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland,
- Nordic Storm: Denmark, Sweden,
- Paris Musketeers: France,
- Frankfurt Galaxy and Munich Ravens: Germany.
Season Structure
The European Football Alliance season is divided into the regular season and the playoffs (postseason). In the 2026 regular season, each team plays every other team twice. The top four teams qualify for the semifinals, which—like the final—are decided in a single game. The period between seasons is referred to as the offseason.
Broadcasting and Media Coverage
The games are available free of charge on the YouTube platform. Games involving German teams will be streamed by Hessischer Rundfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk via their online platforms. In German-speaking countries, selected games will also be broadcast on Sportdigital+. Additional international broadcast partners include Sporty TV in the Czech Republic, Molotov TV in France, Verdens Gang in Norway and FuboTV in the United States and Canada.
References
- ↑ "Franchises bündeln sich zu einer Association". football-aktuell. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Thelen, Friedhelm (2025-07-05). "Neuer Verband: Rhein Fire sieht ELF-Saison in großer Gefahr". www.nrz.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "TIROL ABSENT AS EFA CONFIRMS 10 FOR 2026". Gridiron Magazine. 2025-10-06. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ https://football-austria.com/afle-praesentiert-neues-europaeisches-football-projekt-the-league-europe-soll-stabilitaet-bringen/
- ↑ Football | 11/07/2025, AFI | American. "EFA welcomes the addition of London and Milan". Retrieved 2026-04-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "ELF and EFA agree to reunify European American Football". europeanleague.football. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Football | 01/15/2026, AFI | American. "European Football Alliance (EFA) terminates cooperation with ELF". Retrieved 2026-04-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Football | 03/11/2026, AFI | American. "European Football Alliance unveils landmark 2026 schedule and new playoff format". Retrieved 2026-04-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Price, Steve (2025-11-07). "London Gets A Professional American Football Franchise". Sportank. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Foglio, Massimo (2025-11-08). "Londra e Milano entrano nella EFA". Huddle Magazine (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "EFA-Schiri "Wir bauen ein Schiff, während wir schon damit segeln"". football-aktuell. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
- 1 2 "About the European League of Football - Paris Musketeers". www.parismusketeers.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.