The European League of Football has announced that the historic first ever ELF International Game will be held in Šibenik, Croatia on August 24, 2024 between the newest member of the ELF, the Madrid Bravos and the Hamburg Sea Devils.
The game will be played in cooperation with the local soccer club, HNK Šibenik, on the final weekend of play in the regular season. Šibenik, with a population of about 35,000, is located on Croatia’s Adriatic coastline.
ELF Managing Director Zeljko Karajica:
“The ELF is growing in all areas, and we are very proud to be able to host the first International Game in Croatia in the 2024 season. This is another huge step in the development of our league, with which we want to reach and entertain fans across Europe. Our idea was received with enthusiasm in Šibenik, and we are looking forward to a big football party. With the International Game, we will further increase awareness of the ELF, provide the best advertising for our sport and thus underline the attractiveness of the league. For the 2024 season, we have set ourselves the goal of welcoming 750,000 spectators to the stadiums – and the game in Šibenik will certainly contribute to this.”
The ELF International Game follows in the footsteps of the highly successful NFL International Series which was launched in 2007. This year, the NFL will be playing five international games with three to be played in London, one in Munich, Germany and another in São Paulo, Brazil.
Seventeen teams from nine nations will compete in the 2024 ELF season: Berlin Thunder, Hamburg Sea Devils, Rhein Fire, Frankfurt Galaxy, Cologne Centurions, Stuttgart Surge and Munich Ravens (Germany), Paris Musketeers (France), Milano Seamen (Italy), Raiders Tirol and Vienna Vikings (Austria), Wroclaw Panthers (Poland), Madrid Bravos and Barcelona Dragons (Spain), Prague Lions (Czech Republic), Helvetic Guards (Switzerland) and Fehérvár Enthroners (Hungary).
The Championship Game will take place on September 22 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.