KARAJICA: TEAMS CANNOT SIMPLY PLAY SOMEWHERE ELSE
The future structure of professional American football in Europe has again been called into question after publication of the 2026 European Football Alliance prompted a fresh response from the European League of Football.
Speaking to Footbowl, ELF CEO Zeljko Karajica reiterated the league’s position that the current fragmented landscape is unsustainable, warning that multiple competing competitions threaten the long-term development of the sport on the continent.
“Absolutely not. There’s no room for three leagues,” Karajica argued, repeating his belief that European American football does not yet have the commercial strength to support three rival organisations operating simultaneously. “American football made in Europe is strong enough to be a good product. But three leagues, competing against each other… I don’t see a chance for that.”
Despite both the EFA and rival American Football League Europe (AFLE) having published their schedules for the coming season, the ELF is pressing ahead with plans for its own 2026 campaign. According to Karajica, the organisation is currently working on a reduced competition format while it waits for confirmation from clubs still tied to the league through existing agreements.
“We are talking about nine teams,” Karajica said, noting the contraction from last year’s high of 16. “There are teams in the EFA such as Tirol, Paris, Nordic Storm and Madrid that have ongoing contracts with us, as does Munich, which is also a shareholder in the ELF. On the other hand, in the AFLE, we have Berlin that still has a current franchise agreement — and the Wroclaw Panthers are still shareholder in the ELF.
“These teams are bound by contract and cannot simply play somewhere else. We have tried to find a very reasonable solution together. However, we will now do everything we can to enforce this right. We have ongoing contracts, we will insist on that, and that will be the basis for our season and our league. Last week, we sent our schedule to the teams that we believe are eligible to play in the ELF… We are waiting for their response.”
With the season provisionally targeted to begin at the end of May, Karajica acknowledged that the timeline for finalising the league’s line-up is rapidly narrowing, but insists that the ELF is as well positioned as its rivals to make the deadline.
“If we want to start at the end of May, we have to get started now so that the planning can still work out seriously,” he confirmed. “We still have everything we need to run the games — we have enough staff and service providers to actually get this up and running.”
Despite the escalating tensions between all three parties, Karajica suggested dialogue between the various factions of European football remains possible, even if the clock is ticking.
“I would like everyone to put their egos aside so that we can talk to each other and take the next steps,” he insisted, seemingly oblivious to the disdain with which his organisation is currently treated. “The ELF is definitely still the perfect place to bring the teams together.”
With rival leagues unveiling their own plans for the coming season and legal disputes looming, the battle for the future structure of professional American football in Europe appears far from settled.