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 Monaco Great Britain Italy |
| 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. AFLE Betriebs GmbH, based in Hamburg, is 100% owned by Venture FOMO GmbH, based in Vienna, which is itself 100% owned by Robin Lumsden, the majority shareholder of the Vienna Vikings.
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 January 1, 2026, the league has confirmed five teams: in addition to Rhein Fire, Berlin Thunder[4], Panthers Wrocław[5], and the Vienna Vikings[6] from the ELF. Newly founded teams have also been added, namely the Alpine Rams[7] and a team based in Paris[8]. The league has further announced additional teams from Italy, Great Britain, and Monaco.
| Teams | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Head Coach | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Thunder |  Berlin
|
ELF, 3–9 | |||
| Panthers Wrocław |  Wrocław
|
Olympic Stadium | 11,000 |  Dave Likins
|
ELF, 5–7 |
| Rhein Fire | Düsseldorf/Duisburg
|
Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, Duisburg | 31,500 | Mark Ridgley
|
ELF, 8–4, Wild Card game |
| Alpine Rams | .svg.png){kind=small} Biel/Bienne
|
Tissot Arena | 5,200 | Joshua Fitzgerald
|
new |
| Vienna Vikings |  Vienna
|
Chris Calaycay
|
ELF, 11–1, lost Championship Game | ||
| Paris Lights[9] |  Paris
|
new |
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Instagram".
- ^ https://touchdownactu.com/349641/lafle-a-son-equipe-parisienne-les-paris-lights/