THUNDER ROLLS TO AFLE
As expected, the Berlin Thunder have become the third team publicly aligned with the nascent American Football League Europe (AFLE), having confirmed that they will contest the 2026 season alongside Rhein Fire and Wroclaw Panthers.
Berlin were anticipated to be the third of four announcements based on the breakaway teams that did not realign with the European League of Football last month, and given that the new league appeared to be unveiling its protagonists in alphabetical order of nickname. The latter theory holds true with the Vienna Vikings, a powerhouse in the image of Rhein rather than mirroring either of the other confirmed teams, being the fourth of the holdouts expected to be added to the AFLE roster. Operating under ‘The League: Europe’, the ELF rival has spoken repeatedly of adding teams in London, Paris, Switzerland and Monaco — the latter now rumoured to have approached former Fire head coach Jim Tomsula to fill the same role in the Principality.
Berlin, meanwhile, will be a surprise confirmation to many who believed that the team was failing financially throughout a dismal 2025 campaign. Reports of fresh investment were first assumed as true when the Thunder were added to the list of teams under the European Football Alliance banner in September and, while that link has now been severed by the team’s alignment with the AFLE, confirmation of the latter clearly comes with the league’s belief that Berlin is a viable concern.
Like the Fire, it is expected that Berlin will be able to retain their former NFL Europe nickname despite leaving the ELF — a quandary GM Rasheed Mokka played down as long as five weeks ago.
“We are not worried about having to change the name,” Moka told Foot Bowl Newszone in early November. “Should that happen, we naturally have ideas in the background that we will implement. But, as of now, there is no danger that we will have to do that.”
Further confirmation of Berlin’s resurrection came with the recent re-signing of three 2025 standouts — WRs Niklas Schumm and Bais Kouanda, and kicker Nils Schauerte — as well as the announcement that former NFLE Thunder player Phil McGeoghan was returning to the German capital to take up the reins as head coach.
Having been ‘loaned’ to Berlin from the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2002 summer season, McGeoghan also spent time with both the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints before injury curtailed his on-field career. Since then, the 46-year-old Massachussets native has worked his way up the coaching ladder, initially at alma mater Maine before switching between the college and pro ranks, including time at South Florida, East Carolina and Colorado as well as with the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers. Most recently, McGeoghan progressed from overseeing the wide receivers at the UFL’s St Louis Battlehawks to becoming the team’s offensive coordinator — a role he will also hold alongside his HC duties in Berlin.