Although playing the game of American football was primarily confined to the United States for quite some time, today, the sport is played by more than 30 European countries, each of which has its own league. Here is our pick of the top four leagues. And after reading, check out some of the top teams’ games online. You may be surprised at just how much their games are as every bit as thrilling and immersive as those played on American soil.
4. Superserien
Superserien is the top American football league in Sweden. The league consists of six teams, including the Örebro Black Knights, the Carlstad Crusaders, and the notorious Stockholm Mean Machines. But the number of teams that participate has changed over the years. The four best teams advance to the playoffs to attempt to become the Swedish champions. The league may be small, but it has seen many notable players come through the ranks over the years, and the league teams still provide some of the most thrilling matches in Europe. If the league can expand from its small number of competing teams, the Superserien could become one of the hottest American football leagues in Europe in the coming years.
If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest odds for upcoming games in the Superserien and other American football leagues, as well as catch live-action of the sports you are interested in, check out the online Casumo Sportsbook. Casumo betting is organized according to your favorite sports and leagues so you can easily see all matches and events that are upcoming and in play.
3. Vaahteraliiga
Finland’s premier American football league is the Vaahteraliiga. The season lasts from May to September, and the winner of the league is crowned Finnish champion. The first season was played back in 1980.
Undoubtedly, the league’s most successful team is the Helsinki Roosters, who have won 17 championships, including six consecutive wins between 1995 and 2000. That was a record until the Porvoo Butchers tied it with wins from 2005 to 2010. Over the years, the Vaahteraliiga has had a different number of teams competing, but in recent years, the number has been around seven or eight. With no limit on the number of European imports allowed, this Finnish league is a melting pot for some of the greatest American football players in Europe.
2. The Austrian Football League
The Austrian Football League is regarded by most as one of the greatest American football leagues in Europe. It was founded in 1984 by the teams Salzburg Lions, Vienna Ramblocks, and Graz Giants. The league is particularly well-known by European American football fans for its glory days from 2004 to 2011, when an AFL team won the European Football League seven out of eight times.
In 2010, the AFL saw its first non-Austrian team join: the Czech Republic’s Prague Panthers. The team left the AFL in 2016. In the same year, Slovakia’s Bratislava Monarchs and Slovenia’s Ljubljana Silverhawks joined the AFL. The regular AFL season consists of ten games and begins in mid-March. Playoffs continue until July, when the final game, the Austrian Bowl, is played.
1. The German Football League
The German Football League was formed in 1979, under the name of American-Football-Bundesliga. It switched to its present name in 1999. The GFL uses rules based on those of the American NCAA. At present, the GFL beats other European-leagues hands down. The players of Europe, and beyond, aspire to play for teams like the New Yorker Lions, the Berlin Rebels, and Frankfurt Universe. And the league is perhaps in such prime condition because it enables players from Europe and North America to play on the teams. The large league size also allows teams to be evaluated in much the same way as football in the US.
GFL2 has the exact same rules and structure as the GFL, and despite playing second-fiddle, most teams in the GFL2 can beat the other top leagues in Europe. Indeed, many of the games in the GFL2 are highly competitive and just as thrilling to watch as those competing in the premier GFL.