After two years, the European Championship comes to a close with the first ever Final Four in Germany. The home team, after ten years, will host a huge event in continental Tackle Football, coming back after a ban arrived as a result of problems with the old IFAF management. They will face Austria, the defending champions and the favourites to win it all. In the other semifinal, Finland, the National Team with more continental wins than any other country, will face Italy, c

Another edition of the Portuguese American Football League has come to an end, once again capped off by a televised final. It was a season of plot twists, revenge stories, and new stars who stepped onto the stage and shone brightly. And we’ve now gathered all their grades.   Top of the Class Lisboa Devils – A The Devils did exactly what was expected of them: reach the final. With major reinforcements like Jordan Vieira  and Chris Thelasco , plus a culture of consistency bui

The sun is setting on another British American Football season, and a rematch for the ages is the final treat before the 2025 season enters the history books and the 25/26 British University American Football season can be born out of its ashes. A new playoff format for those competing in Divisions 1 & 2 means that no teams from those divisions will be loading their car with pads and helmets to take the field at the home of British American Football at Butts Park in Coventry

The curtain has fallen on the regular season, and as tradition dictates, the council gathers one last time. The grades are in, the exam papers have been marked, and it’s time to see which teams proudly move to the top of the class, which barely scraped a passing grade, and which will be stuck in detention until next year. We could have done that division by division to hand out the grades, but here’s a little spoiler for the impatient: nobody really shone across the board. Ea

As every year, Dublin dressed up to host a new edition of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Shop windows and pubs across the city were adorned with the vibrant colors of the universities: the red of Iowa State and the purple of Kansas State blended into every corner. Yet this time there was something truly special in the air: for the first time, the Aviva Stadium would host a game officially considered a rivalry — the storied Farmageddon. This is one of the oldest and

Almost a month later, First Down Mag is back with some news on Italian Football during the offseason. The Italian Movement is running wild despite the forced stop after the end of the Senior championships in July. Now the focus is on the national Flag Football teams playing in both The World Games and in the Euros in September, while the Junior Tackle Championships will start in less than two months, while the National Tackle team will face a new challenge in November. ...

The Italian Football League has come to an end as Guelfi Firenze have beaten the Ancona Dolphins 49-14 to take their second Italian Bowl in the team’s history. With that, though, the offseason has just started. Right up until the start of the 2026 season in February, First Down Mag will inform you about all the movements in the IFL by all teams and around the league...

A (POSSIBLE) NEW DYNASTY We might have a new dynasty on our hands. The Carlstad Crusaders were Swedish champions for 8 years in a row between 2010 and 2017 and HC Christian Forsman might have just restored that old glory with a second consecutive title. Crusaders key players seem to be going nowhere and they are reinforcing their strong homegrown squad with clever (and long-term) import choices each season. As we see what unfolds in the offseason, we could be looking at yet

The halfway point of the European League of Football season is here, and there's more drama and excitement than ever. We've seen the rise of programs like the Prague Lions fighting for playoff positioning, the dominance of the new program Nordic Storm, and the consistency of teams like the Rhein Fire, Stuttgart Surge, and Paris Musketeers. Last year’s midseason MVP list was all over the board. This year, to promote a more focused conversation, Fourth Down Fiasco has introduc

With just 1 week left in the regular season, we know what 4 teams will compete for a chance at AFL Championship glory!

On Sunday, Bucharest will host RoBowl XV, a showdown between two clubs who know each other all too well: the undefeated Bucharest Rebels, seeking their sixth straight national title, and the ever-ambitious Mureș Monsters who are still chasing that elusive first.

Another week has come to a close, bringing with it yet another excellent opportunity to take a closer look at how each team is positioning itself and performing as the season continues to unfold. 1. Vienna Vikings It was a bye week for this team. The real challenge of their season is just around the corner. Things will truly get going next week as they prepare to host the Rhein Fire in their highly anticipated Week 6 matchup. 2. Nordic Storm The Storm completely dominated t

You missed the chaos, the drama, and the jaw-dropping moments of those two electrifying back-to-back semi-final weekends? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. As your ultimate sports guide and savior, we’re here to walk you through every major twist, turn, and turning point from both unforgettable matchups. Whether it was last-minute touchdowns, shocking upsets, or heroic performances, we’ll break it all down for you, play by play, highlight by highlight. So buckle up and get

The Italian Football League has awarded both finalists for the June 28th Championship Game in Toledo and a relegated team for next year's tournament. Guelfi Firenze and Dolphins Ancona have won against Frogs Legnano and Panthers Parma in the deciding games for the second final in the States, while the Pirates Albisola have beaten the Bergamo Lions, who have been relegated to IFL 2, the Second Division of Italian Football, at least on the field. The stage Is almost set for th

In a rivalry that ended up closer than anyone could have expected entering the 4th quarter there were two words that really made the difference: special teams, special teams, special teams.  This was truly the difference in this game between German teams. Sure you could point to Russell Tabor’s inability to stick in the pocket and deliver accurately to his receivers. You could look at the lack of pressure put on Reilly Hennessey throughout the game, leading to his ability t

After the end of the regular season, the Italian Football League playoffs have finally started. The second Road To Toledo sees six teams on the field competing for a ticket to the United States of America. Dolphins Ancona (9-1) and Guelfi Firenze (10-0) are the two best teams in the league after the regular season, so they will skip the Wild Card round and will directly play in next week’s Semifinals, while Frogs Legnano (8-2), the two time defending champions Panthers Parma

Ancons Dolphins : A+ (9-1) Fantastic season for the Ancona Dolphins who dominate Girone A, the change of head coach seems to have given them greater awareness. They won both the direct clashes with Parma and edged over Legnano to get the #1 seed and enter the playoffs as favorites. Their import QB Blake Eaton has shown great ability and perseverance, together with the help of one of the best defenses we've ever seen in the IFL they'll be a tough matchup for anyone. Will they

The Italian Football League regular season is over and the Road to Toledo is starting once again. After 14 weekends of games played, the six remaining teams will face each other in the playoffs starting this weekend in the Wild Card round. The games will see the second and third place teams from both groups on the field. That means we'll see a rematch of last year's semifinal with the Skorpions Varese hosting the Panthers Parma, whilst the Legnano Frogs will host the Giaguar

Damn, it felt amazing to see these teams back on the field after a short break. The energy is high, the stakes are real, and the road to the throne officially begins. It’s ride or die now, and it’s kicking off in full force. All eyes were on these 2 playoff-opening matchups this past weekend. Grizzlys - Perpignan @ Flash - La Courneuve  Running back Jason Bofumba was the first to light things up, striking early with a thunderous 35-yard run that electrified the field. It wa

Despite winning back-to-back titles, Rhein’s mindset has not changed. Despite losing the most lethal offensive one-two combo, Rhein’s mindset has not changed. Despite an even more competitive league that saw all their rivals improve, Rhein’s mindset has not changed. The mindset is to win—and not just win, but dominate. The Rhein Fire have been an unstoppable force the past two years. With two MVPs leading the way in Jadrian Clark and Glen Toonga, the Rhein Fire found themse