IFAF: European Championship action intensifies with four international matchups

The 2026–27 IFAF Men’s European Championships continue this weekend with four international matchups across Europe, as established powers, emerging contenders and developing national teams pursue their ambitions at Levels 1 and 2.

Three Level 1 games take place Saturday, October 17, with Turkey hosting Belgium, Hungary welcoming Poland and Denmark facing Switzerland. On Sunday, the Great Britain Development Team hosts Spain in Level 2 competition.

The weekend offers a mixture of fresh starts and important early tests. Austria’s emphatic opening victory has already established the standard in Group A, while Italy and Switzerland survived much closer encounters. Several teams will now make their first appearances in the competition, with promotion, national team development and qualification for the championship’s final stages providing plenty of motivation.

Turkey makes Level 1 debut against Belgium

Turkey begins its Level 1 campaign against Belgium at Hasan Doğan Stadyumu in Ankara on Saturday.

The Turkish national team earned promotion from Level 2 during the 2024–25 competition after topping a group featuring Ireland and the Netherlands. Now competing among Europe’s leading national teams, the immediate challenge is establishing itself at the higher level.

“We are proud to represent our country at the highest level of national team football,” said Turkey head coach Batur Kaplan. “Our goal is to remain permanently at this level.”

Belgium arrives after a difficult opening assignment against defending European champion Austria, suffering a 70–0 defeat on October 4.

Head coach Cyrille Bouron nevertheless sees the competition as an important opportunity for Belgian football.

“It is an incredible source of pride to represent Belgium, our players, and all the clubs that contribute to the development of American football in our country. We want to play against the best teams to find out where we stand, measure how far we still have to go, and continue raising the level of Belgian football.”

For Turkey, victory would provide an ideal introduction to Level 1. For Belgium, the objective is demonstrating progress against another developing European program.

Poland looks to build on impressive return

Hungary hosts Poland at Budapest Rugby Centre on Saturday in a Group C matchup featuring two teams with reasons for optimism.

The Polish national team returned to international competition last weekend after an eight-year absence and immediately demonstrated its competitiveness, pushing three-time European champion Italy throughout a narrow 21–14 defeat in Wrocław.

Quarterback Mariusz Górecki threw two touchdown passes as Poland took an early lead and later tied the game before the Italians finally secured victory in the fourth quarter.

Although the result was disappointing, the performance suggested that Poland could be a difficult opponent throughout the competition.

Hungary, meanwhile, finished eighth overall in the previous European Championship.

The Hungarians defeated Serbia 25–19 in group play but lost to eventual champion Austria. They subsequently suffered a narrow two-point defeat against Denmark before losing to Sweden in the placement round.

Saturday’s contest gives Hungary an opportunity to begin its campaign positively, while Poland will be looking to turn its encouraging opening performance into a victory.

Denmark faces confident Switzerland

Denmark opens its campaign against Switzerland at Vejle Stadium on Saturday, with the visitors already holding an early advantage in Group D.

The Danes finished sixth in the previous competition, defeating Switzerland 27–20 and edging Hungary by two points before suffering a surprising 23–0 defeat against the Czech Republic in the fifth-place game.

Head coach Sebastian Johansson is looking forward to seeing his young squad compete.

“We have a young, hungry team eager to make the most of the final days of football in 2026,” Johansson said. “We’re looking forward to stepping onto the field, competing hard, and sharing a tough, physical, and fun game with Switzerland.”

The Swiss enter with renewed confidence following an 11–9 victory over the Czech Republic last weekend, their first win at this level in a decade.

Leading 11–3 at halftime, Switzerland survived a late comeback by stopping a two-point conversion attempt before sealing the victory with an interception.

Head coach Geoff Buffum recognizes the difficulty of the group.

“We are in a tough group with two teams who both finished in the top six in the last competition,” he said.

Another Swiss victory would strengthen their position considerably, while Denmark will be determined to avoid opening its campaign with a home defeat.

Great Britain Development Team welcomes Spain

Sunday’s Level 2 encounter brings the Great Britain Development Team and Spain together at Nick Newbold Stadium in Coventry.

The British squad opened its campaign with a convincing 61–0 victory over Georgia in Tbilisi, where quarterback Louis Benzey threw three touchdown passes, including two to fellow Bristol Aztecs player Oliver Luck.

The result was particularly encouraging for a program designed to develop the next generation of British international players.

The British American Football Association has replaced its under-19 national team with a Development Team averaging just 22.5 years of age. Meanwhile, the senior Great Britain Performance Squad competes at Level 1 against Finland.

“These are all players with huge potential looking to earn vital experience in order to step up to the GB Performance program in 2027,” said Development Team head coach Adam Lillis. “The opportunity to represent our country will always mean a lot to our players and coaches.”

Spain makes its tournament debut under new head coach Fernández Pino, who is also focused on developing young talent.

The Spanish national team last competed at Level 2 in 2022–23, defeating Ireland 26–7 before losing 30–23 to Israel.

“I’m very excited about making my debut as head coach of the national team and, above all, about the new project we are putting in place,” Pino said. “We are starting a new chapter in which we also want to build with the future in mind, and developing young talent will be a very important part of that.”

The Spanish coach identified building cohesion quickly as his greatest challenge.

“The biggest challenge is getting a new group of players to function as a team in a very short period of time.”

With Great Britain already showing its offensive potential and Spain beginning a new chapter, Sunday’s game should provide a useful measure of both programs.

IFAF Men’s European Championships Level 1 — Results, standings and schedule

Group A

Austria (1–0)
Turkey (0–0)
Belgium (0–1)

Result

Austria 70, Belgium 0

Upcoming games

Saturday, Oct. 17
Turkey vs. Belgium
Hasan Doğan Stadyumu, Ankara
3 p.m. local (2 p.m. CET)

Sunday, Oct. 25
Austria vs. Turkey
Wiener Sport Club Stadion, Vienna
1 p.m. CET

Group B

Finland (0–0)
Great Britain (0–0)

Upcoming game

Saturday, Oct. 24
Finland vs. Great Britain
MUP Stadion, Vantaa
2 p.m. local (1 p.m. CET)

Group C

Italy (1–0)
Hungary (0–0)
Poland (0–1)

Result

Poland 14, Italy 21

Upcoming games

Saturday, Oct. 17
Hungary vs. Poland
Budapest Rugby Centre
2 p.m. CET

Saturday, Oct. 24
Italy vs. Hungary
Vigorelli Stadium, Milan
6 p.m. CET

Group D

Switzerland (1–0)
Denmark (0–0)
Czech Republic (0–1)

Result

Switzerland 11, Czech Republic 9

Upcoming games

Saturday, Oct. 17
Denmark vs. Switzerland
Vejle Stadium
2 p.m. CET

Saturday, Oct. 24
Czech Republic vs. Denmark
Spartak Přerov
1 p.m. CET

IFAF Men’s European Championships Level 2 — Results, standings and schedule

Great Britain Development Team (1–0)
Spain (0–0)
Georgia (0–1)

Result

Georgia 0, Great Britain Development Team 61

Upcoming games

Sunday, Oct. 18
Great Britain Development Team vs. Spain
Nick Newbold Stadium, Coventry
Noon local (1 p.m. CET)

Saturday, Oct. 24
Spain vs. Georgia
Municipal Football Field, Jaca
5 p.m. CET

2027 schedule

Oct. 9–10: Great Britain Development Team vs. Georgia

Oct. 16–17: Spain vs. Great Britain Development Team

Oct. 23–24: Georgia vs. Spain