Uncertainty about American football in Europe grows as group of franchises split with local league

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MADRID (AP) — Uncertainty about the future of American football in Europe increased Thursday after a group of franchises split and said they plan to play in a new independent league.

The European Football Alliance said it was terminating the cooperation agreement it had with the European League of Football and planned to start its own league based on the NFL model in which the member franchises govern the league.

The announcement came a few months after the ELF and EFA had said they reached a “strategic cooperation agreement” to join forces for the 2026 season.

“Following our Nov. 26 announcement, the EFA engaged in an evaluation of the proposed unified structure to ensure it met our mandatory standards for financial stability and transparency," the EFA said. "Based on this assessment, the EFA Board of Governors has determined that the conditions required for a sustainable partnership could not be met and has severed formal ties effective immediately.”

Another separate group of franchises had announced in December that they would create their own independent league for 2026 — the American Football League Europe.

Thursday's break essentially put an end to the ELF, and could lead to a merger between the EFA franchises and those in the recently created AFLE.

“The EFA and our member franchises remain fully focused on preparation for the upcoming season,” the group said in a statement. “Our operations are secure, our 2026 season planning is on track, and our commitment to delivering the premier professional American football experience in Europe is stronger than ever.”

The ELF launched in Germany in 2021 with eight teams. Sixteen teams played last season with the Stuttgart Surge beating the Vienna Vikings 24-17 in the championship game in September, but more than half eventually switched to the EFA.

The EFA, created in July, had announced in September its teams would not participate in the ELF as they sought structural reform, economic fairness and transparency to promote a more sustainable development of the sport.

Unlike the NFL Europe's model in the late 1990s and 2000s, the ELF was focused on homegrown talent, with only 10 foreign players allowed on each roster, including only four Americans.

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