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LPFA – Weeks 11 & 12 Recap
With the regular season entering its decisive stretch, Weeks 11 and 12 brought exactly the kind of football the LPFA needed: physical battles, a statement win from the league leaders, and a crucial result in the race for the final playoff spot. As the postseason picture starts to take shape, every game now carries extra weight — and this past stretch made that clearer than ever.
Cascais Crusaders 21 – 14 Braga Warriors
One of the most competitive games of the season saw the
Apr 11


THE MOST COMPETITIVE LEAGUE IN EUROPE IS BACK AND WILL BE HOLDING ON TO THAT TITLE
The preseason must have been harsh, because this week ended with a lot of upsets and not a single expected win. The Ducks beat the ex-ELF Enthroners, the Prague Black Panthers won against the Graz Giants and the Danube Dragons defeated their lifelong rivals, the Vienna Vikings.
SALZBURG DUCKS VS. FEHERVAR ENTHRONERS (16:3)
I can only imagine what the Ducks had to go through in the preseason to get such an amazing win in the first week. The most disappointing team in the lea
Apr 7


BACK TO SCHOOL - IFL 2026 MIDTERM GRADES
With the Easter holidays already upon us, the IFL is taking a general Bye Week before resuming full steam ahead until the end of May with the Regular Season.
In this special edition of the Power Ranking, in addition to the usual commentary on the league games—only one this weekend—there's also a rating for the teams based on their performances this season.
1. Guelfi Firenze (A)
There's no getting around it. Guelfi Firenze's season start, undefeated in 14 consecutive game
Apr 2


GFL News You Can Use!
Dresden Signings
The Dresden Monarchs of the German Football League will be without star receiver Tyler Hudson for part of the season while he plays in the United Football League with the Louisville Kings.
To fill the gap, Dresden signed receiver Montigo Moss from the University of Maine. Moss totaled 61 receptions for 722 yards and seven touchdowns in his final season and is a deep-ball and red-zone threat who should immediately factor into their offensive game plan, espec
Apr 1


WTF is going on in Spain?!
This is the most competitive season the LNFA has seen in decades, marked by the first loss of Las Rozas Black Demons in 2 years, who has recently fell against the Osos de Rivas.
After 9 weeks and 35 games played, we are in the midst of the LNFA season. With only one regular season week left, it’s safe to say that, at least this year, the Spanish league has turned into one of the most entertaining competitions in Europe.
I'm aware that a statement of that caliber is no joke,
Mar 31


Portuguese American Football League - Week 9
Week 9 of the LPFA didn’t just bring results — it brought clarity.
As the regular season progresses, the gap between contenders and the rest is no longer subtle. With dominant performances at the top and growing struggles at the bottom, the identity of this year’s championship race is beginning to take shape.
And now, more than ever, the standings tell the story.
Devils set the benchmark
The ...
The Lisboa Devils continue to separate themselves from the rest of the league.
Mar 27


DAFL: A New Era for American Football in Southeastern Europe
American football in Southeast Europe is entering a new chapter with the creation of the Danube American Football League (DAFL). A regional competition built on ambition, collaboration, and a shared vision for growth.
The league was not created overnight. The idea of a regional competition had been circulating since 2019, when something close to a true regional platform last existed. Over the years, founding teams met in different competitive contexts. The Bucharest Titans p
Mar 19


Portuguese American Football League – Weeks 7 & 8
Playoff Picture Begins to Take Shape
As the Portuguese American Football League approaches the final stretch of the regular season, every result begins to carry heavier weight in the playoff race. Weeks 7 and 8 provided a clearer picture of where each team stands — with some solidifying their position among the contenders while others now appear to be playing primarily for development heading into next season.
With the Lisboa Devils on a bye week, three matchups highlighted
Mar 16


Portuguese American Football League – Week 3
Separation Season: Hierarchies Are Forming
Three weeks in, the league is no longer experimenting. It’s organizing itself.
Week 3 didn’t just produce results — it clarified trajectories. Some teams are building momentum. Others are already fighting urgency.
And one contender used the weekend to tighten its grip on the top.
With the Lisboa Navigators on a bye week, attention turned to three matchups that reshaped the table.
Cascais Crusaders 40 – 9 Lisboa Bulldogs
Structure
Mar 2


Portuguese American Football League – Week 2
Defense Sets the Tone Again, Bulldogs Rebound, Navigators Confirm Momentum
Week 2 of the Portuguese American Football League reinforced an early-season trend: physical football, trench battles, and defenses dictating outcomes. While some offenses are still searching for rhythm, certain teams are already separating themselves through discipline and execution.
With the Crusaders on a bye week, the spotlight fell on three matchups, each offering a different storyline as the s
Mar 2


IFL 2026 Preview
In Italy, once the NFL season is over, anticipation grows ever greater for the start of the Italian Football League.
The Italian Football League, now in its forty-fifth edition, is ready to return at the end of February, as per tradition, with plenty of players and plenty of stars, both established and emerging, ready to battle it out on the Italian pitches.
First Down Magazine, this year's Media Partner of FIDAF, will accompany you in this preview with the top names to fol
Feb 28


TURBULENCE IN THE AFL
The ELF isn’t the only league in Europe suffering from serious changes and disputes. The players weren’t the only ones busy during the offseason. Reviews were conducted here and there, which led to drastic changes in the results of the 2025 season.
VIOLATION BY THE SALZBURG DUCKS
The Austrian Football League has a very strict policy on import players and what actually counts as an import player. If a player has spent his whole career in Austria, he is considered an ö-class
Feb 13


THE FIRST LNFA POWER RANKINGS OF THE YEAR
1. LG OLED BLACK DEMONS
The reigning champions sit alone atop the West Conference and remain the team everyone has to beat. Built around a strong Spanish core—largely the nucleus of the Madrid Bravos—plus a top-tier trio of running backs, they’re still the benchmark.
2. OSOS RIVAS
Paradoxically, this week’s loss to Black Demons has pushed Osos up to No. 2 in the rankings. The encouraging signs from a high-octane second half earn them this spot on merit.
3. TERRASSA REDS
Feb 5


Portuguese American Football League – Week 1
Built in the Trenches: Week 1 Proves the League Is Faster, Tougher and Here to Compete
Week 1 rarely tells the whole story, but it always reveals tendencies: who is prepared, who is still experimenting and who already looks like they’ve been playing meaningful football for months.
The opening weekend of the Portuguese American Football League didn’t feel like a cautious start to a season. It felt sharp, physical and tactically mature — three games decided less by big plays
Feb 3


News You Can Use - FFFA D1 Edition #1
A changing landscape ahead of the new season
As the next FFFA Division 1 season approaches, French American football is entering a period of transition. Between relegations, promotions and roster changes, the league will not look the same as it did last year. Several familiar faces are gone, while new projects are stepping into the spotlight.
New teams in, old heads out
The 2025 season highlighted a clear competitive gap at the bottom of the standings. The Cougars de Saint
Jan 27


The race for the XXXII Spanish Bowl starts: LNFA 2026
Last weekend kicked off the 32nd LNFA season, and it's a very special one after the first NFL regular season game in Spanish history:
For those who don't know, Spain is the first league to kickoff the European calendar each year. And while we don't have the National Football League (NFL), we do have its Spanish counterpart: the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano (LNFA). This is a very special season after the first NFL regular season game in the history of the country, while
Jan 19


A League in the Making: How Preseason Shaped the 2026 LPFA
Preseason football is rarely about answers. It is about clues.
Across Portugal, the LPFA’s preseason games offered something far more valuable than results: a glimpse into how teams are thinking, building, and positioning themselves for a season that promises little margin for error. With a limited preseason schedule and every snap used as an evaluation tool, preparation may decide championships long before kickoff weekend.
From controlled defensive battles to flashes of of
Jan 8


The AFLE Conundrum
American Football continues to make news with our friends across the pond, and there is a lot to cover this offseason. Shortly after the end of the 2025 European League of Football (ELF) season, there was an outcry from ownership for better transparency and a more democratic style of league management.
Team owners became frustrated with ELF CEO Zeljko Karajica at the helm. Money was not coming in, sponsors were not paying up, and the entire league reeked of a potential coll
Dec 19, 2025


British University American Football - Mid Season Report
So, as we reach the halfway point of the British University American Football season as Week 8 has come to a close, what better time to look back on the first seven weeks of BUCS American and highlight the teams that have surprised us and those whose first half of the season has left us bewildered.
National Premiership:
When comparing the 25/26 and 24/25 seasons in the National Premiership, there are some striking similarities. Leeds Beckett struggles to maintain the grip
Dec 13, 2025


News You Can Use – IFL Edition #5
This fifth issue of our monthly magazine dedicated to Italian football has a lot on the table, from the National Tackle team's final match of the calendar year to the presentation of the new Italian Football League.
There's a lot of news to report, especially regarding the IFL sidelines, with both confirmed players and new arrivals.
Italy loses against Canada in Milan, losing the first Gridiron Nations Championship
On November 9th, Italy and Canada took to the field at the
Dec 5, 2025
OTHER NEWS


FLORIAN BIERBAUMER INTERVIEW - “Seikovits and I played rock-paper-scissors to decide…”
“Seikovits and I played rock-paper-scissors to decide…”
Florian Bierbaumer is one of the star players of the Vienna Vikings. The Graz native, who carries the nickname “Cheat Code”, recently had to take an enforced break due to an ankle injury but used the time to try out new things alongside his recovery.
The former NFL hopeful looked back on his AFLE season so far exclusively with First Down Magazine, spoke about his experience as a co-commentator, his collaboration with f
Aug 13


IFL Teams Get Their Grades!
With the IFL having wrapped up its 2026 season about a month ago — featuring the Guelfi Firenze victory over the Panthers Parma in Ferrara—the final bell has rung, and it is time to grade the teams in the top league.
This article reviews the season for the nine teams competing in the First Division of Italian Football.
Which teams made the grade, which ones have work to do before the new term, and which ones failed?
Guelfi Firenze: A
The Italian Football League’s model te
Aug 6


SUPERSERIEN TAKEAWAYS 2026
Tyresö gets it’s championship
After a lot of years of being the dark horse to win the prestigious SM-Guld, the Tyresö Royal Crowns can finally call themselves Champions of Sweden upsetting #1 seed Carlstad and #3 seed Stockholm in the semis and final respectively.
This team had arguably no weakness and only finished in the #4 seed by having a game overturned and losing to both SMM and Calrstad with only one score each during the regular season.
While the semi against the C
Jul 16


Perfect From Start to Finish: Budapest Cowbells Capture the HFL Championship
The HFL Championship Game had everything fans could ask for. Hard hits, defensive stands, momentum swings, and late-game drama. After an unbeaten regular season, the Budapest Cowbells completed the job, defeating the Győr Sharks to finish the year with a perfect record and lift the HFL trophy.
It wasn't an offensive shootout. Instead, it was a defensive battle for most of the afternoon, with both teams refusing to give an inch.
The game opened with an early fumble by the Co
Jul 14


DAFL History Made: Wild Boars Complete a Perfect Season to Become the First DAFL Champions
The inaugural DAFL Championship delivered an exciting battle between the Wild Boars and the Bucharest Titans. Both teams entered the final determined to make history, but in the end, it was the Wild Boars who proved why they had been the league's most dominant team all season.
From the opening kickoff, both offenses showed they were ready for the big stage.
The Wild Boars struck first as RB Bogdan Djordjevic powered into the endzone to give his team an early lead. The Titan
Jul 14


IFL - Italian Bowl Weekend Recap
The Italian Bowl Weekend took place in Ferrara on July 4–5, 2026, with all three FIDAF senior football finals held at the same venue: the Paolo Mazza Stadium.
Saturday saw action from the IFL2 and the IFL, while Sunday’s stage belonged to the Nine Football League - the third division of Italian football.
Who won the three titles? Who were the standout players? What tone will the sport set for the coming year?
2026 Italian Bowl – Guelfi Firenze vs. Panthers Parma: Guelfi’s
Jul 9


First Down Magazine's IFL 2026 Season Awards!
With the Italian Bowl 2026—the 45th edition in Italian football history—just a week away, it is time to present awards to the top players of the season that is now drawing to a close.
Ahead of the grand finale, the Italian editorial team at First Down Magazine is announcing its picks for the season's top players in Italian Football’s Top tier.
The categories are:
MVP (Most Valuable Player)
OPOY (Offensive Player of the Year)
DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year)
MIP (Most Imp
Jul 3


XLeague Breakdown!
With well known names from European football such as AJ Wentland and Reece Horn moving to the XLeague in 2026, many on the old continent have been asking for information about football in Japan.
So, here are some facts about Japanese gridiron - including several to show how it differs from the game in Europe.
Football started at the university level in Japan in 1934, and within a year USC came to the Land of the Rising Sun to play games against Japanese colleges - starting
Jun 30


AFLE and EFA Hit Cruising Speed as Early Contenders Begin to Emerge
The 2026 European football season is no longer warming up. Both the AFLE and the EFA are already moving at full speed, and after another packed weekend of football, the early shape of both competitions is becoming clearer. Some teams are confirming their status as contenders, others are still searching for rhythm, and several teams that looked beaten have shown enough fight to suggest that this season will not be short on drama.
AFLE Week 2: Vikings Stay Perfect as Thunder,
Jun 5
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