The 2025 ELF season is the fifth season of the
European League of Football
The European League of Football (ELF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football sports league, league based in Europe, continuing some team names and logos of the former NFL Europe. The ELF played its first season in 2 ...
, a professional
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
league based in Europe. Sixteen teams from nine countries will participate. The season starts on May 17, 2025, and will conclude with the ''ELF Championship Game'' in the
MHPArena
Neckarstadion, officially known as MHPArena for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium located in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and home to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. It hosted football matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Euro ...
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on September 7, 2025.
Format
The 16 teams are divided into four divisions of 4 teams. Each team plays 12 games during the regular season, six in the division and two games versus one from each other division.
On January 29, 2025 the league announced to expand the ''homegrown'' territories for multiple teams. Most of each teams' players need to be ''homegrown'', i.e. they need to have started playing football in the same country that the team is based in. Now, players from
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
,
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
and
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
will also be considered homegrown for the
Panthers Wrocław, players from
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
are considered homegrown for the
Prague Lions, and players from
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
and
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
for the
Fehérvár Enthroners. Players from western
Northern Italy
Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...
are considered homegrown for the
Helvetic Mercenaries while those from eastern Northern Italy are so for the two Austrian franchises. The
Nordic Storm had already been announced as having Denmark and Sweden as their homegrown territory in September.
Teams
Of the 17 teams from the
2024 season, 15 are competing in 2025, and are joined by one new expansion team: the
Nordic Storm. Teams not returning for the new season are the
Barcelona Dragons, and the
Milano Seamen, the latter on hiatus with plans to return to the league in 2026.
Berlin Thunder left the ''Großes Stadion'' of
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark
The Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the western part of the Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Prenzlauer Berg in the Boroughs and localities of Berlin, borough of Pankow in Berlin. The sp ...
whose demolition started after the 2024 season, and planned to move to the adjacent ''Kleines Stadion'' after expanding it with temporary stands for 3,500 to 5,000 people. After these plans fell through Thunder moved into the
Preussenstadion. The Helvetic Mercenaries are moving to the
Lidl Arena in
Wil where the
Helvetic Guards played during their only season in 2023. The Hamburg Sea Devils will return to
Stadion Hoheluft, after playing home games in stadiums all over northern Germany.
Regular season
Schedule
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Standings
:C - Clinched division title
:Q - Clinched playoffs
:E - Eliminated
Attendance
Statistical leaders
Notable players
Players who played in the
European League of Football
The European League of Football (ELF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football sports league, league based in Europe, continuing some team names and logos of the former NFL Europe. The ELF played its first season in 2 ...
in 2025
Quarterbacks
*
Ben Holmes – (Vienna)
*
DJ Irons – (Wrocław)
*
Chad Jeffries – (Rhein)
*
Matthew McKay – (Frankfurt)
*
Conor Miller – (Raiders)
*
N'Kosi Perry
N'Kosi Perry (born June 30, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Raiders Tirol of the European League of Football (ELF).
He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes football, Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Atlantic Owls f ...
– (Raiders)
*
Reid Sinnett – (Madrid)
*
Jakeb Sullivan – (Berlin)
*
Taulia Tagovailoa – (Hamburg)
Other positions
*
Jordan Bouah – WR – (Rhein)
*
Anthony Dablé – WR – (Paris)
*
Moubarak Djeri – DL – (Frankfurt)
*
Aaron Donkor – LB – (Vienna)
*
Ja'Len Embry – DB – (Prague)
*
Jordan Genmark Heath – RB/LB – (Nordic)
*
Valentin Gnahoua – DL – (Paris)
*
Reece Horn – WR – (Vienna)
*
Kyle Kitchens – DE – (Hamburg)
*
Jamalcolm Liggins – DB – (Paris)
*
Anthony Mahoungou – WR – (Paris)
*
Chris Mulumba – DL – (Stuttgart)
*
Steven Nielsen – OL – (Frankfurt)
*
Sandro Platzgummer – RB – (Frankfurt)
*
Thomas Schaffer
Thomas Schaffer (born 23 October 1998) is an Austrian professional gridiron football defensive lineman. He played college football at Stanford. He has been a member of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), the Raiders Tirol an ...
– DL – (Vienna)
*
Malik Stanley – WR – (Munich)
*
Raheem Wilson – DB – (Stuttgart)
References
External links
Official website of the European League of Football
{{2025 European League of Football season by team
ELF
An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
ELF
An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
European League of Football seasons