LIVESTREAM: 2018 IFAF European Championships – Finland v. Great Britain – July 29, 8p (7p CEST, 1p EST)

AFI | 2018 European Championship | 07/29/2018

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic

Team Finland will face a familiar foe in their opening game of the 2018 IFAF European Championships as they take on the Great Britain Lions in Vantaa, Finland on July 29.

These two teams have faced each other many times in medal games. The last time was in 2005 when Finland defeated Great Britain 34-12 to win the bronze medal. These two teams played each other for the gold medal in both 1989 and 1991 and Great Britain came out on top both times. Finland defeated Great Britain for the bronze medal as well in 1987.

Finland has a proud history in the European Championships. The Finns have won the title a record five times and have four silver medals to go along with the five golds. They have won the bronze medal twice and finished fourth once. They won an unprecedented four straight titles – 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2000 – but the last time they reached the championship final was in 2001 when they lost to Germany.

Great Britain has won the gold medal both times they have reached the final, in 1989 and 1991. The Lions have reached the bronze medal game a record four times (1987, 1997, 2001, 2005) but never won it.

The last time Great Britain took the field was in 2017 when they were edged by Team Sweden 15-12 in Gothenburg, Sweden. To qualify for the tournament, the Lions defeated both Russia and the Czech Republic in a qualification tournament in 2016.

Finland blanked Sweden in 2017 37-0 in the last game Team Finland played before this tournament.

After this game, Great Britain will face Team France on July 31. Finland and France square off on Thursday, August 2.

Interesting stat: Of the 13 European Championships that have been held, the host country has won only four times. Italy hosted and won the inaugural tournament in 1983, Germany did the same in 2001 and 2010, and Sweden in 2005.

The IFAF European Championships wind up on Saturday August 4 with both the gold medal and bronze medal games as well as the game for fifth-sixth place.

Watch the game live presented by American Football International in partnership with Mobile-TV and YareTV. The stream is geo-blocked in Austria and Germany, but available on-line to the rest of our worldwide audience.