European Football Alliance
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Upcoming season or competition: 2026 European Football Alliance season | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 5 July 2025 |
| First season | 2026 |
| No. of teams | 6 (2026) |
| Countries | Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy (2027), United Kingdom (2027) |
| Headquarters | Frankfurt, Germany |
| Continent | Europe |
| Official website | efafootball.com |
The European Football Alliance, commonly abbreviated as EFA, is a professional American football league based in Europe. Its inaugural season begins 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).
The European League of Football was a professional league established in 2021.[1] In early 2024, eleven of the seventeen ELF clubs formed the ELF Franchise Association, citing their dissatisfaction with the league's lack of transparency and its financial distribution.[2] In July 2025, the association reorganized as the European Football Alliance with eight teams. They threatened to organise their own league if there would be no changes to the ELF's economic system.[3]
On 6 October 2025, ten clubs announced that they would compete under the EFA banner in 2026.[4] On 7 November 2025, the EFA announced the addition of London and Milan as franchise markets. The brand identities will be revealed later, and both teams will start in the 2027 season.[5][6] On 26 November 2025, the ELF and the EFA announced that the two competitions would reunify ahead of the 2026 season, with a number of administrative and commercial changes.[7] However, on 15 January 2026, the EFA terminated the agreement because the conditions required for a sustainable partnership could not be met.[8]
The plans for the league were finalised after the Munich Ravens joined the EFA on 3 February 2026.[9] On 10 March 2026, the EFA league published its 2026 schedule after the Madrid Bravos withdrew at the last minute.[10] The inaugural season starts on 15 May 2026 with a Friday night kickoff game at PSD Bank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany. This venue will also host the so-called playoff weekend, featuring both semifinals on 15 and 16 August 2026.[10] The season will conclude with the first EFA Championship Game, which is tentatively scheduled for 29 August 2026.
