The complete AFLE franchise lineup for the 2026 season
The American Football League Europe has confirmed all eight franchises that will compete in its inaugural season beginning May 23, 2026. With the London Warriors now officially announced, the full picture of Europe’s newest professional football league is complete. Here is a look at every team taking the field.
Rhein Fire, Germany
Rhein Fire is one of the most recognisable names in European football history. Originally founded as part of NFL Europe in the 1990s, the franchise carries a legacy that spans decades. Based in the Rhine region of Germany, Rhein Fire brings an established fanbase and a track record of developing talent to the AFLE’s inaugural season.
Berlin Thunder, Germany
Berlin Thunder is another franchise with deep roots in European football. Also born out of the NFL Europe era, Thunder represents one of Europe’s great football cities. Berlin has a passionate and active football community, and the Thunder bring name recognition and history to the league alongside a modern ambition to compete at the highest level.
Vienna Vikings, Austria
The Vienna Vikings are widely regarded as one of the most successful club football organisations in European history. Based in the Austrian capital, the Vikings have won multiple European championships at the club level and have long been a benchmark for what a professional football organisation in Europe can look like. Their presence in the AFLE adds immediate credibility and competitive weight to the league.
Wroclaw Panthers, Poland
The Wroclaw Panthers represent Poland, one of the fastest-growing football markets in Europe. Based in Wroclaw, a city with a strong sporting culture, the Panthers are a symbol of how quickly the sport has developed in Central and Eastern Europe. Their inclusion in the AFLE reflects the league’s commitment to building a genuinely continental competition rather than one limited to Western Europe.
Alpine Rams, Switzerland
The Alpine Rams bring Switzerland into the AFLE for the first time at a professional level. Switzerland has a growing football community and a strategic location at the heart of Europe. The Rams represent an ambitious new project built on solid foundations, and their participation adds both geographic diversity and a committed ownership group to the league.
Paris Lights, France
The Paris Lights bring the AFLE into one of the most important sports markets in Europe. France has seen significant growth in American football participation over recent years, and Paris as a host city gives the league access to one of the world’s most visible sporting stages. The Lights are a new franchise with major ambitions and the backing of a market that is ready for professional football at this level.
Firenze Red Lions, Italy
The Firenze Red Lions are based in Florence and represent Italy, a country with a longer football history than many fans outside the sport might expect. Italian football has produced competitive club teams for decades, and the Red Lions bring that tradition into a professional league context for the first time. Florence is a city with a strong sense of sporting identity, and the Red Lions are building something that fits that culture.
London Warriors, United Kingdom
The London Warriors complete the AFLE’s inaugural lineup as the eighth and final franchise. London is one of the most important cities in the world for sport, and the Warriors give the league a presence in the UK market at a time when interest in American football in Britain has never been higher. The NFL’s regular season games in London have built a substantial fanbase over the years, and the Warriors are positioned to tap directly into that audience as a homegrown professional team.
A league built across a continent
The eight AFLE franchises span eight countries and cover the full breadth of European football. Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom each contribute a franchise to a league that was designed from the start to be genuinely international. The inaugural season runs from May 23 to September 6, 2026, with the AFLE Championship Game closing out the summer.
The AFLE operates as a team-owned league, meaning the franchises themselves govern the competition. That structure is rare in European sport and is central to the league’s vision of long-term stability and shared growth across all eight organisations.
