ELF STILL CONFIDENT OF 2026 SEASON
The leadership of the European League of Football insists that the competition remains viable despite a turbulent winter that has seen teams depart and rival leagues emerge across the continent.
In an interview with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, league CEO Zeljko Karajica defended the future of the ELF, arguing that the league still possesses the infrastructure, commercial backing and contractual framework required to continue operating. “The ELF product as such works,” Karajica said, pointing to broadcast agreements with DAZN and German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 as evidence of the league’s stability.
Karajica acknowledged the challenges facing the five-year-old competition, which launched in 2021 and expanded rapidly across multiple European markets, but insisted the project remains worth developing rather than abandoning.
“American football made in Europe is something that can work,” he said, before seemingly aiming a note of caution at his rivals that building a sustainable professional league requires significant effort and long-term investment.
“I still see potential there, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it,” Karajica emphasised. “But unfortunately, it’s not a walk in the park. It’s not gold lying around on the street that you just have to pick up. You have to work hard for it. To establish such a sport in the sporting calendar, to get the right response from sponsors, generating sufficient distribution revenues… all of that is hard work.”
The comments come amid a fractured landscape for the sport in Europe, where multiple competitions — namely the European Football Alliance (EFA) and American Football League Europe (AFLE) — are now vying for teams, sponsors and media attention. Karajica questioned whether the market can realistically support three separate leagues, warning that the financial burden of competing ventures could strain resources across the sport.
“That’s a misjudgment of reality,” he claimed. “Today, we have three leagues competing for American football in Europe. What has changed so dramatically in the market that people are saying: ‘Now we can have three leagues. The sponsors and partners are all just waiting to get involved’. The reality is completely different. In the competitive environment we are facing, it’s still hard enough for one league — and, if we don’t exist, American football made in Europe will not survive!”
Despite those pressures, the ELF chief says existing partnerships remain intact, stressing that the league continues to operate under long-term contracts with broadcast and commercial partners, and adding that the organisation still expects several franchises to honour their agreements with the league. The possibility of legal action being taken against teams that have explored alternative competitions remains, with Karajica stating that the ELF will ‘not budge an inch’ on the validity of existing franchise contracts.
“From our point of view, agreements with nine teams are absolutely valid,” he insisted. “And, in this respect, we expect these teams to play in our league. Our position is clear. Ultimately, contracts are there to be honoured. From a legal standpoint, we have now made our position on the franchise agreements and the fulfillment of the contracts very clear.”
Even so, the CEO indicated that dialogue with rival organisations is continuing, leaving open the possibility of further developments as European American football attempts to stabilise its fragmented structure ahead of the 2026 season.
“We are in talks,” Karajica claimed. “It wouldn’t be the first time that things suddenly start moving at the last minute.”