IFL - Wild Card Round Recap

The Italian Football League kicked off its season finale with the playoffs, the final step toward the Italian Bowl in early July.

Six teams are taking to the field this hot June on the Road to Ferrara, which will determine the Italian American Football champion for the 2026 season.

Four of these teams — Giaguari Torino, Dolphins Ancona, Frogs Legnano, and Aquile Ferrara — with Guelfi Firenze and Panthers Parma also looking ahead to next week's semifinals, took to the field this weekend to open the feast.

Only two of these teams are continuing their journey, while the defeated teams will be left with some regrets for a season that could have gone better.

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Giaguari Torino vs. Aquile Ferrara: The Jaguars tear the Eagles to pieces

The match between the third-place team at the end of the Regular Season, Giaguari Torino, and Aquile Ferrara, who narrowly qualified for the playoffs, seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Giaguari, thanks in part to their excellent regular season results, secured third place in every tie against the Dolphins Ancona and one between the Parma Panthers and the Legnano Frogs. This secured a match against a more manageable opponent on paper, namely Aquile Ferrara. Ferrara had beaten Rhinos Milano on the final day after five consecutive losses, securing sixth place over the Lazio Marines, with whom they shared a 3-5 record. However, the Emilian team's Week 3 win put an end to any hesitation.

The first half was dominated by the yellow and blacks, as expected. A 35-7 halftime victory felt like a job done for the home team against the Estense team, who have struggled against top-ranked teams this year.

Giaguari kicked off with an initial offensive drive, scoring their first six points with a 5-yard run by Ethan Greenfield, one of the best runners in the 2026 IFL. The Special Teams team also showed off, recovering the ball on the ensuing kickoff.

That fumble recovery led to the second touchdown of the game, by Cameron Colangelo, well found by Riccardo Duranti near the end zone.

At the start of the second quarter, Tommaso Tenconi entered the end zone with a strong run to the goal line, but the Aquile responded immediately, coming on a long pass from Zack Wright to Tommaso Pozzebon, who brought home the Estense team's first points.

Torino responded on their next drive with a 30-yard run from Italian QB Duranti, extending the score in his team's favor. 

Ferrara felt the impact and found themselves in serious trouble. After a punt on fourth down and 25 yards, Luciano Giuliani's kick return to the opposing team's halfway line set the stage for another touchdown by Greenfield, who found plenty of green in front of him and scored his second.

The second half, with the score already sealed for the home team, saw the defense dominate. Very little scoring occurred, including a 36-yard field goal by Aquile’s kicker Alberto Barbaro with just seconds left in the third quarter and a reception in the end zone by Giaguari WR Luciano Giuliani, punctuated by an interception in the end zone by Paolo Lazzaretto on a long throw from Estense QB Kraft.

The game ended 42-10 to the locals, who, after a long drought, returned to the top four in the league, while Ferrara completed a subdued and largely disappointing season. The offseason will serve the Emilians to get back on track, while Torino, who will face the Parma Panthers in the semifinals, continues its journey toward the Italian Bowl.

P.S.: In 1991, the year of their last semifinal appearance, Giaguari Torino managed to go all the way, winning their first and only title. What if it happened again this year?

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Dolphins Ancona vs. Frogs Legnano: The Dolphins' Miracle Run Continues

Both tied in the standings (5-3 at the end of the regular season), they were expected to face a truly evenly matched matchup, with the two teams coming from different positions in the standings.

After a slow start, with two losses in their first two games, Ancona bounced back thanks in part to the rise of Cameren Grodhaus, one of the best import players the IFL has produced this year. Grodhaus took over a team struggling, partly due to injuries to two of their key players, dual-passport Henry Blackburn and american Carter Cravens. Cravens returned to the field in time for the playoffs and, alongside one of the best organizations in our league, led his team back to the big dance.

Legnano, partly due to an unfavorable schedule in their last two games, where they faced both Guelfi and Panthers, has slumped significantly, and the two losses suffered in the final part of the season have significantly impacted their progress. From second place, they fell to fifth place due to the loss against Parma. Despite the black-and-silver team's strong season, two losses in their last two games forced them to make a trip to the Marche region.

Unlike the game between the Giaguari and Aquile, whose outcome seemed already written, the game between the Dolphins and the Frogs was a true back-and-forth affair.

The home team struck first, first with a one-yard QB run from QB Cravens, who, as previously mentioned, returned to the field after an injury-related absence, following a long offensive drive, and then with a TD from former Lions Bergamo Giovanni Zani for 73 yards, with the receiver standing ready on the other side of the rainbow.

Despite the challenges of playing on the road, the Frogs were there. After a disappointing first quarter, Josh Taylor and Luke Caliendo reopened their partnership with a 23-yard touchdown pass into the end zone.

The Dolphins responded immediately, with Raffaele Rotelli, starting at running back, completing the drive with a 10-yard run after a superb kick return, netting another six points.

Toward the end of the first half, the Frogs completed a perfect two-minute drill, with Niccolò Pulsinelli ready in the corner of the end zone to score another touchdown. Unfortunately, both post-TD conversions were unsuccessful, so the score at halftime was 21-12.

The second half opened with Legnano on offense, racking up yards and managing to score another touchdown on a Taylor-Caliendo connection, after the Ancona defense gave the American QB too much time, as he was agile in getting free and finding an open teammate.

An American company on one side, an American company on the other. The Dolphins' response was immediate, coming from the Cravens-Grodhaus partnership, with the all-rounder from Ohio finding himself unmarked beyond the goal line.

The second half was a back-and-forth between the two teams, evident when the Frogs scored again. This time, Andrea Postè crossed the goal line and, with the subsequent extra point, his first, put his team within three points of the opponents.

The final quarter opened with another touchdown for Cameren Grodhaus, considered by experts to be the best import player of the year. It was the third touchdown of the game for the safety, who became a QB and WR during the season.

The Frogs' night worsened on the next drive, when Taylor threw an arm punt to Junior De Jesus, a player of Brazilian origins but with extensive experience with Italian teams. It was the first interception of a breathtaking game.

That interception led to Giovanni Zani's second touchdown of the day, a 66-yard surface-to-air missile that sealed a victory for the Dorics.

Matteo Mozzanica scored an 8-yard touchdown reception to sweeten a bitter pill, with the two-point conversion failing. Matteo Dazzani's 37-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning sealed the game and Ancona's qualification for the semifinals.

After a difficult start, the Dolphins managed to get back on their feet and repeat their feat, returning to the semifinals like last year, where they will face top-seeded Guelfi Firenze in a remake of the last Italian Bowl. Legnano, meanwhile, who had started the season very well and for long periods seemed to be the tournament's dark horse, exits the scene after a disappointing end to the season.

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Four teams remain in the Italian Football League ahead of the finals on July 4th.

In addition to the Giaguari Torino and the Dolphins Ancona, who came through the Wild Card Round, the top two teams in the standings at the end of the Regular Season, Guelfi Firenze and Panthers Parma, finally take to the field.

The undefeated team, at least in Italy, Guelfi Firenze took to the field during the break, losing 45-41 in a hard-fought match against the Thonon Black Panthers. This match was valid for the CEFL semifinal, which will once again see Italian teams without European titles.

The game also served as a training ground for the penultimate game of the season, which will be a remake of the last Italian Bowl, as they will face the Dolphins Ancona.

As during the Regular Season, when Guelfi managed to defeat the Dolphins 51-17 on May 2nd (Week 9), the match will be played at the Guelfi Sport Center. Will the result be overturned? Or rather, will we see a close matchup?

On the other side of the bracket, the Parma Panthers, who qualified directly for the semifinals thanks to their 43-42 overtime home win over the Legnano Frogs on the final day, will face Giaguari Torino in a game that, on paper, is very evenly matched.

During the Regular Season, the yellow-and-blacks conquered the black-and-silvers' home court 23-21 on May 10 (Week 10).