European Football Alliance Unveils Inaugural Season Schedule

The European Football Alliance has unveiled the finalized schedule for its inaugural season this year, with the Opening Weekend taking place over the weekend of May 15–17.

The inaugural season will take place across the continent and feature six franchises — the Prague Lions, Paris Musketeers, Frankfurt Galaxy, Munich Ravens, Swarco Raiders Tirol and Nordic Storm —in a condensed, ten-game regular season. The season will consist of a double round-robin format played over a 13-week schedule, including a mid-summer league-wide bye week.

That will be followed by an innovative “Destination Playoff” format, which is designed to enhance the postseason experience with two destination “Party Weekends” that will unite fans across Europe for a celebration of sport and culture.

Using a refined league footprint, the EFA wants every matchup on the calendar to be a high-stakes clash between the premier talent in European American football, with each game carrying major implications.

The season will kick off with an Opening Weekend from May 15–17, beginning with a Friday night clash as the Frankfurt Galaxy host the Paris Musketeers at PSD Bank Arena. The Saturday will see the Nordic Storm play the Prague Lions and the Munich Ravens will take on the Raiders Tirol on the Sunday.

Meanwhile, as part of the “Destination Playoff” format, the semi-finals will both be held during the Frankfurt Playoff Weekend on August 15–16. Rather than scattered semi-finals, the league has decided to create two centralized “Party Weekends”, ensuring that the city can put on a significant, league-wide fan event.

The EFA Championship Game will mark the climax of the first EFA league season, and details around the date and the host city are set to be announced in due course.

Team Updates

It has also been announced that the Madrid Bravos will not compete in the 2026 season, following a strategic decision by the franchise owners to formally withdraw from sports ownership.

“The Madrid Bravos have played an instrumental role in elevating the profile of the sport in Spain,” stated the EFA. “We thank the ownership group for their vision and contribution. The EFA remains deeply committed to Spain as a vital growth market, and with the NFL’s upcoming presence in Madrid, the foundation for the sport in the region remains exceptionally strong.”

Looking ahead, London and Milan have also been confirmed as franchise markets, with their brand identities still to be unveiled. They are set to begin competing from the 2027 season.

Tensions

Despite reaching a “strategic cooperation agreement” with the European League of Football in November to reunify Europe’s American football leagues, the EFA ended its talks with the ELF in January after the proposed unified structure was said to have failed to meet mandatory standards for financial stability and transparency.

In particular, EFA members accused the ELF of failing to provide transparent revenue sharing from TV and sponsorship deals and to meet obligations around merchandising and overall management.

The EFA wanted to create a league operating with an NFL-style model, in which franchises are collectively governed and maintain control over operations, which was a clash with the existing ELF structure. The ELF’s inaugural season came in 2021 and had 16 teams for its 2025 season.

Following the disagreement, the EFA went ahead with plans to launch its own independent league for the 2026 season, with franchises refusing to continue operating under the ELF umbrella.

Eleven teams announced plans at the end of the 2025 season to leave the ELF — Berlin Thunder, Prague Lions, Paris Musketeers, Frankfurt Galaxy, Nordic Storm, Raiders Tirol (inaugural EFA season franchises), Rhein Fire, Stuttgart Surge, Madrid Bravos, Panthers Wrocław and Vienna Vikings — though it is not yet clear when or if the final five teams will join the EFA league at a later point.

Season Schedule

The complete week-by-week schedule offers a clear path through the summer:

• Week 1 (May 15-17): Frankfurt Galaxy vs. Paris Musketeers; Nordic Storm vs. Prague Lions; Munich Ravens vs. Raiders Tirol.
• Week 2 (May 23-24): Nordic Storm vs. Raiders Tirol; Paris Musketeers vs. Prague Lions. Bye: Frankfurt Galaxy, Munich Ravens.
• Week 3 (May 30-31): Frankfurt Galaxy vs. Munich Ravens. Bye: Prague Lions, Raiders Tirol, Paris Musketeers, Nordic Storm.
• Week 4 (June 6-7): Paris Musketeers vs. Munich Ravens; Raiders Tirol vs. Frankfurt Galaxy; Prague Lions vs. Nordic Storm.
• Week 5 (June 13-14): Paris Musketeers vs. Raiders Tirol; Munich Ravens vs. Prague Lions; Nordic Storm vs. Frankfurt Galaxy.
• Week 6 (June 20-21): Frankfurt Galaxy vs. Prague Lions; Nordic Storm vs. Paris Musketeers. Bye: Munich Ravens, Raiders Tirol.
• Week 7 (June 27-28): Raiders Tirol vs. Prague Lions; Munich Ravens vs. Nordic Storm. Bye: Frankfurt Galaxy, Paris Musketeers.
• Week 8 (July 4-5): Raiders Tirol vs. Munich Ravens; Paris Musketeers vs. Frankfurt Galaxy. Bye: Nordic Storm, Prague Lions.
• Week 9 (July 11-12): Prague Lions vs. Paris Musketeers; Raiders Tirol vs. Nordic Storm; Munich Ravens vs. Frankfurt Galaxy.
• Week 10 (July 18-19): Frankfurt Galaxy vs. Raiders Tirol; Paris Musketeers vs. Nordic Storm; Prague Lions vs. Munich Ravens.
• Week 11 (July 25-26): League-wide bye week
• Week 12 (August 1-2): Frankfurt Galaxy vs. Nordic Storm; Munich Ravens vs. Paris Musketeers; Prague Lions vs. Raiders Tirol.
• Week 13 (August 8-9): Nordic Storm vs. Munich Ravens; Prague Lions vs. Frankfurt Galaxy; Raiders Tirol vs. Paris Musketeers.

Ticket packages for individual regular-season games and the Frankfurt Playoff Weekend will go on sale soon, according to the EFA.