WROCLAW CONFIRMS AFLE ALLEGIANCE
The Panthers Wroclaw have officially joined the newly-formed American Football League Europe (AFLE), which is scheduled to begin next season.
The announcement from Poland comes just days after double European champions Rhein Fire became the first team to publicly commit to the new venture, which was created from a split in the European Football Alliance that saw the majority of members reunite with the European League of Football for 2026. The Vienna Vikings and Berlin Thunder are also expected to pledge their futures to the AFLE in the near future, prior to the announcement of teams from France, Italy, Monaco and the United Kingdom.
“We know that many fans have been waiting for this news,” Panthers president Jacek Tarczyński acknowledged. “Over the past few months, together with our partners, we have been working to determine the best direction for the development of American football at the European level.
“Joining the AFLE is an important and natural step forward for us, an opportunity to further develop professional football in Wroclaw in a stable, well-organised environment. We are delighted to be part of a new European league and a community of clubs that are committed to the future of the sport. This project is not only a competition between the best teams, but also an investment in the long-term development of the sport on our continent, something we are already discussing with our partners,”
Despite its wordy legal name, the AFLE will operate under the modern, international brand of The League: Europe, and is confident that it will have assembled a competent continental cohort in time for its inaugural season to kick off next spring.
“The Panthers are one of the best organisations in Europe, and we intend to prove it on the pitch,” insisted new head coach Dave Likins. “The league promises to be demanding — we don’t expect any easy matches, and that’s a good thing! Our plan for 2026 is to field a well-trained, disciplined and aggressive team of men who play for each other.”
Despite knowing that they won’t be playing familiar foes from the ELF, Panthers players are looking forward to stepping in a new league.
“As players, we’re happy to finally know what league we’ll be playing in,” center Rafal Rogaczewski confirmed. “Of course, as Panthers Wroclaw players, we’re accustomed to the club making every effort to ensure we compete in the best possible conditions and against the best teams.
“We know the league is built on solid foundations — on people who have experience building this type of project. We also know that the teams that will be in the league are among the absolute top in Europe, so we expect good, tough matches. And that only motivates us, the players, to work even harder.”
Ticket sales for the inaugural AFLE season will begin in January.