It all comes down to this weekend.
There are four games remaining in the group stages of the IFAF 2024/25 Men’s European Championships, with eight teams mathematically still in contention for the four semifinal places at stake.
The equation is simple for six of the teams in action this week: win and you’re in. The others will be watching from afar to see how the group standings shake out to determine the playoff and placement games to be played next year.
Group A will be the last to conclude when Austria (1-0) takes on Serbia (0-1) in Salzburg on Sunday at 1pm CET. Reigning European champions Austria will clinch the number one playoff seed if they defeat a Serbian team that dramatically lost in overtime at home to Hungary last week. A defeat for the Serbs will mean they finish third in the group behind Hungary (1-1).
Saturday features three games, with one of the most intriguing at the Myyrmäen jalkapallostadion in Vantaa, Finland where last year’s silver medalists Finland (1-0) host a French team looking to bounce back from a surprise home defeat to Czechia (1-0). A France (0-1) win would create a three-way tie with points scored the tiebreaker with the teams level head-to-head. Otherwise, Finland would advance as the second seed in the semifinals with Czechia finishing second.
Italy (1-0) and Denmark (1-0) have both beaten Switzerland in Group C so the winner of their clash in Milan will advance, while the loser finishes second. They meet at the Vigorelli Velodrome at 6pm CET on Saturday.
Similarly in Krefeld, Germany (1-0) welcomes Sweden (1-0) to Grotenburg Stadion on the back of last weekend’s dominant 49-11 win over Great Britain, who the Swedes edged 20-19 a week earlier. That game kicks off at 5pm CET on Saturday.