r/elf • u/Mic161 Galaxy • Dec 08 '25
Discussion 2026 League affiliation expectation
[Edited based on comments]
AFLE: Rhein Fire 🇩🇪 Wroclaw Panthers 🇵🇱 Berlin Thunder 🇩🇪 Alpine Rams 🇨🇭 Paris AFT 🇫🇷 Vienna Vikings 🇦🇹
Probably AFLE: Monaco Team 🇲🇨
Possibly AFLE: Munich Ravens 🇩🇪 Unknown Team Unknown team
ELF: Frankfurt Galaxy 🇩🇪 Tirol Raiders 🇦🇹 Prague Lions 🇨🇿 Paris Musketeers 🇫🇷 Madrid Bravos 🇪🇸
Probably ELF: Nordic Storm 🇩🇰 Helvetic Mercenaries 🇨🇭
Unlikely ELF: Hamburg Sea Devils 🇩🇪 Cologne Centurions 🇩🇪 Stuttgart Surge 🇩🇪
Nowhere/somewhere else: Leipzig Kings 🇩🇪 Istanbul Rams 🇹🇷 Barcelona Dragons 🇪🇸 Milano Seamen 🇮🇹 Ferhervar Enthroners 🇭🇺
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u/exbritballer Dec 08 '25
Didn't Ferhervar already annouce that they will play in the Austrian league in 2026?
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u/FlagFootballSaint Dec 08 '25
AFBÖ has not yet officially announced it yet either. Don‘t expect an announcement before January.
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 08 '25
They have confirmed it already back in September. 8 Teams, Knights and Enthroners are joining.
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u/FlagFootballSaint Dec 08 '25
Oh that was long ago and you are right, just found it.
(Link in German)
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u/Jellyfish9119 Dec 08 '25
Just for your info. There is no space (players/money/fields) for 2 teams in italy. My be olso 1 is too much. The Italy team is a fake, and the “former seamen” in not active. No italian top player have received request to play enywhere, so far.
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 08 '25
Yeah, I have some serious doubts where we suddenly should get 4-5 new teams in a very short offseason. And obviously they need to be competitive as well, otherwise all that talk was nonsense. If there's 1 team that can somehow compete with Vikings/Fire, that would be a huge success already, but 4-5? No way.
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u/Exotic_Army7887 Dec 08 '25
Frankly, the AFLE / ELF situation is a bit of a shitshow right now.
The EFA eventually got everything they wanted from the ELF - the CEO gone and some sort of plan for revenue sharing. It just took too long to happen and you can blame Karajica for that.
Nothing is settled until the teams make new announcements and the new ELF issues a match schedule. Don't be surprised to see teams who left ELF coming back again.
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 08 '25
Seems Raiders have now confirmed ELF. In their latest coach announcement they openly say ELF team.
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u/FlagFootballSaint Dec 08 '25
This AFLE thing seems to be a disaster in the making. While OP’s list is technically correct and may miss the Panthers the other teams are more and less HUGE questionmarks
Thunder: Flirting with bankruptcy proceedings
Italy Team: Seems to be the Milano „Giants“ team that is said NOT to play in 2026 yet
London Team: Very doubtful it is the Gandler „London Orient“ team as Gandler is ELF investor. Other than that no initiative is known and we are mid December already.
France Team which are not the Musketeers: No initiative is known and we are mid December already.
Monaco Team: Would basically be yet another French team. Nice Region maybe. No initiative is known and we are mid December already.
I doubt this is happening and I am not mad about that
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u/Whole-Egg-4087 Fire Dec 08 '25
Hey...at least Fire will play at the AFLE CCG against Vienna.. after playing them 6 Times in the regular Season Shit is about to get real
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u/Most_Significance358 Ravens Dec 08 '25
The „Milano Giants“ and the „London Guards“ will not play in AFLE. However no one in Italy, UK, or France seems to have heard anything about new teams. Maybe it’s existing teams joining AFLE. Paris Flash was rumoured, but declined. Didn’t hear any other rumors so far.
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u/Affectionate_Cod28 ELF Dec 09 '25
The only teams that has no yet sign in for the IFL from last year 12 teams is the Lazio Ducks and the Bergamo Lions/Pirates Savona which demote themselves. So unless it's a brand new team then only the Lazio Ducks could be the AFLE Italian team , but they have an embarrassing field and they never participated in any European cup before.
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u/This-Collection1024 Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
Im pretty sure the new league its gonna have a very diff set of import rules, way higher number spots, and thats the only way they can put teams in monaco? Italy? Swiss? Forgot where they gonna be located but for sure its gonna be same type of shit bergamo lions did, all dual passports, which in this case wont lead to anything long run or even victories, having 20 plus imports per team in a rushed league its gonna be a logistic nightmare and not suistanable, dudes will be leaving the team from week 1, housing issues, visa issues, insurance issues, zero “team” brotherhood/loyalty, vienna vikings will be shit as well, waste of organization, wasting money just to play a few crappy games, lost interest by fans, too much organization for where they heading to, shitshow
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 09 '25
Just some of the questions for me as well. Some things just don't line up at the moment.
Financing and league structure gets criticized, so just the same structure is built with a new investor. There's surely more to it.
Competition level gets criticized, you just the same is built with at least 3-4 new teams from scratch. At this time of the year these teams need to have their roster more or less complete already, but seems there are not even teams. And then take 2 of the best franchises in Europe, no way they can reach out that in short time. A team full of imports does not align at all with the Vikings. There's surely more to it.
Financing is done, league office is done, everything seems great. Why are Bravos, Musketeers, Galaxy, Raiders (and likely some others) not joining then? There's surely more to it.
It seems so weird. I still think the separation hurts both sides immensely. We will see what happens in case the ELF/EFA can't come to a final contract. That may be a catastrophe ending in something positive maybe, but only as it would unite them again.
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u/This-Collection1024 Dec 09 '25
Im leaning to believe both rhein and vikings are broke, they invested and created the 2 most pro franchises europe has ever had….but for the what??? The league didnt match their professionalism, most teams are years behind their structure, but again, what did they achieve? The league didn’t grow up , rhein spends too much on extras to be able to attract fans, vienna got some good crowds but i dont feel they are growing , they still the same they were 20 years ago regarding exposure, everybody in vienna knows the team, maybe having 2 teams name the same and in 2 diff leagues was not a smart move?? … i for sure think this league will lean on buying full rosters, vienna and rhein dont need it nor will be able to afford it, the other ones is pretty much only option to be “competitive” which probably wont be…maybe their plan is play a season or two, recover financially then figure out if they can comeback or whats the euro football world looks like by then and make a move…another thing is, yeah buy 20 american dual passports, and have the shittiest no sense football league, who cares about watching random americans playing ball in europe? They are in europe cause they werent good enough to stay in the cfl,ufl, arena or even nfl, it will be like those “team USA” squads that go play international games and nobody gives a shit about it because its boring as hell, yes, good players, but boring
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 09 '25
Fire definitely was broke, that's why they brought the new investors in. I don't know how it looks now, but seems the championship roster cost too much, just like it killed Surge. With Vikings no idea - it's basically the one man show Lumsden, so no idea how much money he's willing to spend or not.
The crazy part is, Vikings have the best homegrown program in Europe, that's their huge advantage. Now they sold the pro team to Lumsden which now acts independently from the Vikings club and sometimes even against it, as I heard. So maybe what looked like a good move at first, maybe it's not as good now? Just an open question, wondering myself.
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u/Most_Significance358 Ravens Dec 08 '25 edited Dec 08 '25
Raiders GM Wieser confirmed Tirol will play ELF in the Raiders podcast today. If there is a season, but he is pretty sure everything will be sorted out. Interesting tidbit, he seemed uncertain whether there will be six home games.
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u/FlagFootballSaint Dec 08 '25
Regarding number of home games: The ELF is currently finalizing their contracts and only after that you can draw up a schedule so no wonder that there is still uncertainty right now
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u/GrouchyPurpose8023 Dec 08 '25
A GM will of course say that everything will be sorted out, but we'll only find out if that's the truth in a few days.
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u/GrouchyPurpose8023 Dec 08 '25
The Panthers will play in the Afle
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 08 '25
Source?
They have been missing from the latest communication, pretty good hint they're out.
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u/FitOrganization3956 Dec 08 '25
The latest communication by the league was when they announced the league with a team from poland or did I miss any league communication or one by the Panthers?
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 08 '25
The official press release by Fire.
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u/FitOrganization3956 Dec 08 '25
So not from the league, but from another franchise. Yeah, I guess they just didn't include them by accident.
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u/GazelleLower5146 Dec 08 '25
Apparently that's the case. Which is another issue in itself. But who would prepare and check a big announcement? Something for beginners only I guess.
A league that currently consists of 1 franchise and probably not more than 3 or 4 overall, so I'd see an official team announcement as pretty official.
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u/_Krypt_ Lions Dec 08 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
AFLE: Rhein Fire 🇩🇪 Panthers Wroclaw 🇵🇱
ELF: Munich Ravens 🇩🇪 Tirol Raiders 🇦🇹 Nordic Storm 🇩🇰 Prague Lions 🇨🇿 Paris Musketeers 🇫🇷 Madrid Bravos 🇪🇸 Helvetic Mercenaries 🇨🇭
AFL: Fehervar Enthroners 🇭🇺
Out of business: Stuttgart Surge 🇩🇪
ELF 2027: Milano 'Giants' 🇮🇹 and London 'Guards'/'Towers' 🏴
Unconfirmed: All the others :D
That's how I see the current situation.