Czechia, Denmark, Hungary & Sweden Battle Across Europe

The battle for fifth place overall at the IFAF European Championships for men’s tackle football begins this weekend with four nations in action on Saturday, August 2. Games will be streamed live at IFAF.TV.

While the IFAF Final Four will determine whether Austria, Germany, Finland or Italy are crowned European champions in Krefeld and Dusseldorf in October, the quartet of teams who finished second in the group stages in October will fight for their own bragging rights.

Denmark missed out on a place at the Final Four by a single point, losing 28-27 to Italy having beaten Switzerland. They will take on Hungary, whose victory over Serbia earned them a place in the placement games, at the Gentofte Sportspark on Saturday, kickoff 6pm CET.

“It will be exciting to see what we can accomplish together,” says Denmark head coach Sebastian Johansson. “We’re a new team with a new setup – both on and off the field – and we’re still finding our rhythm. Hungary is a strong and interesting opponent, and it will be great to see if we’re a good match. One thing’s for sure: the players are hungry, and we’re ready for the challenge.”

Hungary head coach Ferenc Szody said: “I’m looking forward to playing against Denmark. They’re a tough team to match up with and I’m positive that we’ll have to give our very best to be able to beat them on their home turf.

“My players and my coaching staff are motivated and work hard to prepare properly for the game. I’m quite sure that the players will enter the field with the right mindset and will give their best to achieve a good result in Copenhagen.

“Even though we might be considered as underdogs in this matchup we’re seeking to secure the best European Championship result our country ever had and the first step in this quest is the game on Saturday.”

Sweden beat Great Britain into second place in Group D and will host one of Europe’s up and coming nations Czechia, who produced a surprise win away to France to advance to the fifth-place tournament.

The 5,6000-capacity Nobelstadion in Karlskoga will host a Swedish national team game in American football for the first time at 1pm CET on Saturday.

“This game will be a great opportunity for our players to showcase their talents and abilities on an international stage against a strong and capable opponent in Czechia,” says Sweden head coach Björn Mazetti. “Competing at home adds an extra layer of excitement and motivation for our team, and we are committed to delivering a performance that reflects the hard work and dedication we’ve invested. We have great respect for Czechia and are prepared to meet them with our best effort.”

The two winning teams will meet in October to decide fifth place overall in the IFAF European Championships, while the losing teams will contest seventh place.

Photo: FIDAF