Unraveling the European international tournaments

The European Club Team Competition and Central European Football League tournaments, which involve 13 teams from 11 different countries, have almost reached the halfway point with one clear winner and three other conference champions to be determined.

Championship teams from Austria, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Spain, Switzerland, Serbia, Czech Republic and Turkey as well as contenders from Poland and France are competing in one of the biggest European club tournaments in years.

To date, four of the 13 teams have been eliminated from contention: Sweden’s Stockholm Mean Machines, the Badalona Dracs from Spain, the Triangle Razorbacks from Denmark and Turkish champions, the Koc Rams have all been officially knocked out of contention.

ECTC Central Division

The Dacia Vienna Vikings (Austria) have won the ECTC Central Division title after easily disposing of their opponents, beating Spain’s Badalona Dracs 38-8 and the Triangle Razorbacks from Denmark 60-0 and now wait to play the winner of the Northern Division for the overall ECTC crown.

ECTC Northern Division

So far, the Copenhagen Towers, Danish title holders, and Finnish champions, the Helsinki Roosters, have each played and beaten Sweden’s Stockholm Mean Machines, both in close games. The Roosters defeated Stockholm 21-19 in mid April while Copenhagen downed the Mean Machines 28-25. Copenhagen and Helsinki will now meet to decide the Northern Division title on May 11.

CEFL Western Division

Only one game has been played so far in the CEFL Western Division with Austrian champions, the Swarco Raiders, comfortably beating the Thonon Black Panthers from France, 41-7. The Raiders will play Italian champions, the Milano Seamen, on May 11 while Milano and Thonon square off on May 25. The winner will face the Dacia Vienna Vikings June 8/9.

CEFL Eastern Division

In the only four team group, three teams are still in the running to win the title. Switzerland’s Calanda Broncos defeated the Wroclaw Panthers from Poland in the first round 27-3 while Serbian champions, the Kragujevac Wild Boars defeated the Koc Rams from Turkey 53-36. The Panthers then rebounded from their loss to Calanda and overwhelmed the Rams 55-7, eliminating them from title contention. Wroclaw now faces the Wild Boars on May 11 while Calanda and the Rams square off the same day.