The 2025 European Championship was the 17th European Championship in American football. The preliminary round was played around Europe from early October to early November 2024. The final round was played in August and October 2025.
The first round was played around Europe between 12 and 27 October 2024. It saw 12 teams divided to four groups.
The final round was played on 2âÂÂ3 August, and the European Final Four was played in Krefeld, Germany, 25âÂÂ28 October 2025.
Switzerland folded the tackle football team in the end of 2024. France folded tackle football in January 2025.
3 teams participate for the level 2 competition, 3 games will be played in 2024. The winner will be promoted to Level 1.
The two-year run of the IFAF European Men's Tackle Championship may be best known for the collapse of leading programs during and after the competition.
The return of Germany to the top tier of IFAF European competition was short-lived. With the 0-2 record at the European Final Four they hosted which reulted in a fourth-place finish, coupled with a last-place finish in the Gridiron Nations Championship, the American Football Association of Germany (AFVD) withdrew its men's national team from the IFAF European Championship cycle for 2026 and 2027, citing financial constraints and internal restructuring. The AFVD is focusing on domestic development, separating itself from IFAF.
The SWE3 Federation withdrew the Swedish men's national American football team from the IFAF 2026âÂÂ2027 European Championship due to severe financial constraints shortly after the competition. A 100% cut in elite sport funding from the Swedish Sports Federation for 2026 forced this decision, resulting in a halt to the team's participation in international tournaments.
2018 European champion France shut down its senior menâÂÂs tackle national team in early 2025 in the middle of the competition, after French American football lost its âÂÂhigh-level sportâ recognition from the Federal Ministry. In a March 2025 interview, FFFA president Frédéric Paquet says the status was lost âÂÂofficially since January 2, 2025,â and links that to both the closure of the Pôles and the disappearance of the national tackle teams due to lack of funding. The lack of an IFAF World Championship was also cited.
Also, Switzerland effectively withdrew its menâÂÂs tackle national team from the IFAF European Championship mid-tournament when the SAFV announced in December 2024 that it was suspending all tackle national teams âÂÂfor the time being.â The stated reasons were a strategic shift toward flag football with LA 2028 in view, plus a review of results and cost structure. Switzerland is the only team of the four folded during the 2024-25 Championship to have restarted their program for the 2026-27 European cycle.