American Football League Europe
| Upcoming season or competition: 2026 The League Europe season | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2 December 2025 |
| First season | 2026 |
| Owner | American Football League Europe LLC |
| Countries | Germany Austria Switzerland France Poland Great Britan Monaco |
| Headquarters | Hamburg, Germany; Vienna, Austria |
| Continent | Europe |
| Official 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. Founded in December 2025, it will begin competition in spring 2026.
Background
After the 2025 season, numerous teams left the European League of Football (ELF), which had existed since 2020. The ELF's leadership was criticized for a lack of transparency, and teams complained that they were not receiving revenue shares from the league. The teams that formed the European Football Alliance were unable to agree among themselves on a league structure. Some teams favored a team-led league and ultimately agreed with the ELF on a new structure. However, others preferred creating a new league with the support of an external investor. This new league was publicly presented on December 2, 2025, as AFLE – The League: Europe.[1]
The American Football League Europe LLC is headquartered in Casper, Wyoming. It is owned by a U.S.-based family office.[2] The families behind it are not publicly known. AFLE has league offices in Hamburg and Vienna.
On December 6, 2025, the two-time ELF champion Rhein Fire became the first team to announce its participation in the league.[3]
Teams
As of December 18, the league has confirmed five teams.[4][5] Further participants are expected to include the Vienna Vikings, whose owners co-initiated the league. The league has also announced teams from Italy, the United Kingdom, and Monaco.[1][2]
| Teams | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Head Coach | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Thunder[6] | Berlin | Phil McGeoghan | ELF, 3–9 | ||
| Panthers Wrocław[7] | Wrocław | Olympic Stadium | 11.000 | Dave Likins | ELF, 5–7 |
| Rhein Fire | Düsseldorf/Duisburg | Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, Duisburg | 31.500 | ELF, 8–4, Wild Card game | |
| Alpine Rams | Biel/Bienne | Tissot Arena | 5.200 | Joshua Fitzgerald | new |
| Vienna Vikings | Vienna | Chris Calaycay | ELF, 11–1, lost Championship Game | ||
| Paris | new | ||||
| Italy | |||||
| Monaco | |||||
| Great Britan |
References
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Hendrik Müller (2025-12-09). "Panthers Wrocław schließen sich The League Europe an". Foot Bowl (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-09.
- ^ "Instagram". Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "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.