Central European Football League kicks off 2023 season this weekend
The Sportklub Central European Football League kicks off this weekend with four games on tap.
A total of 12 teams from nine different countries will be battling to reach CEFL Bowl XVII as the winners of the opening weekend games will move on to face four teams with a bye in the first round.
The following teams will be vying for the right to appear in the CEFL Bowl XVII:
Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns: German champions and CEFL Bowl XVI champions
La Courneuve Flash: French champions
Firenze Guelfi: Italian champions
Parma Panthers: CEFL Bowl XVI finalists
Calanda Broncos: Swiss runners up
Stockholm Mean Machines: Swedish champions
Kuopio Steelers: Finnish champions
Thonon Black Panthers: French runners up
Madrid Osos Rivas: Spanish champions
SBB Vukovi Belgrade: Serbian champions
LG OLED Las Rozas Black Demons: Spanish runners up
Budapest Wolves: Hungarian runners up
The competition will take place on five weekends: April 22, April 30, May 13, June 3 and June 24.
The four opening games feature impressive matchups as Swedish title holders the Stockholm Mean Machines will take on Finland’s defending champions, the Kuopio Steelers. Meanwhile, SBB Vukovi Belgrade, winners of the 2022 Serbian crown will face Hungary’s number two team, the Budapest Wolves. The two top teams in Spain, Osos Rivas from Madrid, winners of the 2022 title and their opponents in that championship game, Las Rozas Black Demons, will square off for the second time in three weeks. They face each other for the 2023 Spanish title on April 29. Finally, on April 30, the Calanda Broncos, second place finishers in Switzerland in 2022 and who are currently unbeaten in their home country, will take on the Thonon Black Panthers from France who are undefeated in the French league so far this season.
The four seeded teams – the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, La Courneuve Flash, Firenze Guelfi and Parma Panthers – have an automatic bye to the second round when they will face the four first round winners.
The four second round winners will go through to the semis which will be played on June 3. Semifinal matchups will be decided after the second-round games have been played. CEFL Bowl XVII is scheduled for June 24 and the hosting rights will be awarded to one of the finalists.
