Sweden takes on defending champions Austria for the Gold Medal in the IFAF Europe U19 Championship at Behrn Arena in Örebro, Sweden this Saturday, September 16, kickoff 15:00 CET.
All the action will be streamed live on IFAF.TV.
The clash at the 13,000-capacity home of the Örebro Black Knights headlines six U19 games being played across the European continent this weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In a repeat of the 2022 final, which saw Austria win narrowly by 13-10, Sweden hopes to unseat a powerhouse opponent unbeaten against European opposition since as far back as 2011, a span that includes winning the past five European titles.
“It is incredibly exciting to be in a position where we can play for a European gold medal at our home turf in Örebro,” said Swedish head coach Sebastian Brinkenfeldt. “Austria always brings a disciplined and talented team to these types of games, and they are used to winning them as well.
“When we played Austria last year in Vienna, we got within three points of them and hopefully our home field advantage can be a differentiator for us this time. Austria has been close to unbeatable at the junior level of American football in Europe, but Team Sweden is where we want to be, we are ready to go and feel that this is our time to make history.”
Austria head coach Roman Floredo said:
“Both we and the Swedes have some players who we already know from last year’s final, and the coaching staff at our opponents has also remained the same. We already know each other quite well, since 2019 the final pairing has always been Austria versus Sweden. It’s sure to be an exciting and difficult game for both teams. We are well prepared and will certainly show up in Sweden highly motivated.”
In the semifinals back in April, Austria cruised past Finland 45-12 while Sweden overcame a 10-point deficit and trailing by a single point at halftime to beat Denmark 31-17.
Finland and Denmark meet for the Bronze Medal at the Myyrmäki Stadium in Vantaa, Finland at 14:00 (13:00 CET) on Saturday in a game also streamed live on IFAF.TV.
Denmark claimed third place in last year’s championships, while Finland won the competition’s first three titles, beginning in 1992.
Fifth place will be contested between Germany and Italy at Optima Sportpark in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany on Sunday, September 17, at 14:00. In the previous round, Germany were 28-12 winners over France, while a dominant running game helped Italy score 34 unanswered points against Great Britain. Germany returned to international competition this year after a period of absence of and last won the European title in 2008, while Italy claimed bronze back in the inaugural tournament in 1992.
Great Britain and France get the weekend’s action underway at 19:00 (20:00 CET) on Friday, September 15, playing for seventh place in the final standings, at the Butts Park Arena in Coventry as GB hosts its first U19 international fixture since 2019.
The Czech Republic and Spain meet at the Rugby Sparta Stadium in Prague at 14:00 on Saturday with ninth place on the line. The hosts beat Switzerland 39-3 in April, while Spain eased to a 48-6 win over Belgium. Belgium host Switzerland at 18:00 on Saturday at the Mijnstadion in Beringen for 11th place overall.
IFAF Europe U19 Championships
All kickoff times local
Saturday, September 16
Championship Game
Sweden vs Austria
Behrn Arena, Orebro, 15:00
Saturday, September 16
Bronze Medal Game
Finland vs Denmark
Myyrmäki Stadium, Vantaa, 14:00
Sunday, September 17
Fifth Place Game
Germany vs Italy
Optima Sportpark, Schwäbisch Hall, 14:00
Friday, September 15
Seventh Place Game
Great Britain vs France
Butts Park Arena, Coventry, 19:00
Saturday, September 16
Ninth Place Game
Czechia vs Spain
Rugby Sparta Stadium, 14:00
Saturday, September 16
Eleventh Place Game
Belgium vs Switzerland
Mijnstadion, Beringen, 18:00