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

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

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

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

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

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