2026 German Football League
Sports season
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The 2026 German Football League season is the 47th edition of the top-level American football competition in Germany.
| 2026 German Football League | |
|---|---|
| League | German Football League |
| Sport | American football |
| Duration | 9 May – 3 October |
| Teams | 15 |
| Regular season | |
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 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 452 | 153 | +299 | 1.000 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Potsdam Royals | 12 | 11 | 1 | 583 | 79 | +504 | .917 | |
| 3 | Hildesheim Invaders | 12 | 9 | 3 | 348 | 272 | +76 | .750 | |
| 4 | Düsseldorf Panther | 12 | 6 | 6 | 265 | 290 | −25 | .500 | |
| 5 | Braunschweig Lions | 12 | 4 | 8 | 270 | 421 | −151 | .333 | |
| 6 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | 12 | 3 | 9 | 184 | 376 | −192 | .250 | |
| 7 | Berlin Rebels | 12 | 2 | 10 | 187 | 363 | −176 | .167 | Playdowns to GFL2 |
South
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 12 | 12 | 0 | 515 | 177 | +338 | 1.000 | Qualification to play-offs |
| 2 | Pforzheim Wilddogs | 12 | 8 | 4 | 403 | 164 | +239 | .667 | |
| 3 | Ravensburg Razorbacks | 12 | 8 | 4 | 428 | 238 | +190 | .667 | |
| 4 | Munich Cowboys | 12 | 6 | 6 | 288 | 343 | −55 | .500 | |
| 5 | Regensburg Phoenix | 12 | 5 | 7 | 265 | 348 | −83 | .417 | |
| 6 | Saarland Hurricanes | 12 | 2 | 10 | 196 | 484 | −288 | .167 | |
| 7 | Allgäu Comets | 12 | 2 | 10 | 153 | 555 | −402 | .167 | Playdowns to GFL2 |
| 8 | Straubing Spiders | 12 | 0 | 12 | 206 | 480 | −274 | .000 | Relegation to GFL2 |
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
GFL Playoffs
For the third time in a row the Dresden Monarchs and Potsdam Royals meet in the GFL Bowl.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | GFL Bowl | ||||||||||||
| S1 | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 23 | ||||||||||||
| N4 | Düsseldorf Panther | 20 | ||||||||||||
| Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 12 | |||||||||||||
| Potsdam Royals | 39 | |||||||||||||
| N2 | Potsdam Royals | 48 | ||||||||||||
| S3 | Ravensburg Razorbacks | 21 | ||||||||||||
| Potsdam Royals | ||||||||||||||
| Dresden Monarchs | ||||||||||||||
| N1 | Dresden Monarchs | 61 | ||||||||||||
| S4 | Munich Cowboys | 14 | ||||||||||||
| Dresden Monarchs | 36 | |||||||||||||
| Pforzheim Wilddogs | 7 | |||||||||||||
| S2 | Pforzheim Wilddogs | 21 | ||||||||||||
| N3 | Hildesheim Invaders | 8 | ||||||||||||
GFL Playdowns
The Allgäu Comets withdrew prior to the playdowns. As a result the Berlin Rebels remain member of the German Football League. The Comets lost their license and have to drop down to the Regionalliga.
GFL2 Playoffs
| Semifinals | GFL2 Bowl | ||||||||
| N1 | Krefeld Ravens | 42 | |||||||
| S2 | Albershausen Crusaders | 14 | |||||||
| Krefeld Ravens | 24 | ||||||||
| Rostock Griffins | 14 | ||||||||
| S1 | Wiesbaden Phantoms | 35 | |||||||
| N2 | Rostock Griffins | 54 | |||||||