Austria defeats Belgium to open new IFAF European Championship cycle

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has launched a new two-year cycle for the Men’s European Championships. The competition features a two-tier structure, with Level 1 consisting of twelve teams competing in a round-robin group stage throughout October 2026, followed by semifinals in August 2027 and a final in October 2027.

Defending champions Austria opened their title defense with a dominant 75-0 victory against debutant Belgium in Salzburg. The match, attended by 1,370 spectators, marked the debut of new head coach Stefan Pokorny and featured 24 national team debutants. Austria maintained control throughout the game, led by quarterback Nico Hrouda and wide receiver Jonas Dachs-Wiesinger.

The new championship cycle also sees several nations making their debut in the top tier, including Belgium, Norway, and Poland. While Austria and Belgium competed in Group A, other groups include matchups such as Norway against Finland and Poland against Italy.