The sport of American football is enjoyed by many, but most people focus solely on the NFL, without a doubt the biggest league in the world. However, there is lot more out there for fans of the sport, and one option is the new European League of Football.
The NFL tried to conquer Europe in the past and didn’t quite make it work, despite a couple of attempts. The upstart ELF now aims to fill the void as the top professional American football league in Europe, and seemingly the only hope of a big breakout on the continent for the game.
With the NFL playing mainly on Sunday’s, there is certainly room for another league to come alongside. Those who watch the sport, especially people betting on it, will want more and if the demand is there, the ELF could eventually fill the gap. Rather than waiting until the following Sunday for the main NFL action, fans could find the best new betting sites in the UK and use those to place ELF wagers on different days.
It may seem a long way off that the ELF joins the NFL as a competitive football league that appeals to millions of fans in Europe, but if things go right in the future then this is certainly a possibility. At the moment, the league is relatively small, but expansion plans are in place, and we have a number of lower tier European leagues which take place in different countries around the continent, which could eventually give new teams, and new areas of Europe for the ELF to market itself.
What Teams Take Part in the European League of Football?
At the moment in the 2021 season of the ELF will feature a total of eight teams, and those are spread across three countries.
These teams are split into two divisions, the north and south, with four teams in each.
North
Berlin Thunder (Germany)
Hamburg Sea Devils (Germany)
Leipzig Kings (Germany)
Wroclaw Panthers (Poland)
South
Barcelona Dragons (Spain)
Cologne Centurions (Germany)
Frankfurt Galaxy (Germany)
Stuttgart Surge (Germany)
The Future of the ELF
The ELF has been talking about expansion for some time. Their hope is that the league will have 20 teams in years to come, and those 20 teams will be spread across 10 different countries, in a real bid to grow American Football around Europe, not just in small pockets.
That is certainly possible, and if you look online at the moment, there are many other European leagues that show regular live games, and these are the countries where expansion is likely in the coming years.
This would mean countries such as Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and more could come along and join the league in the future. With north and south splits at the moment, things would need to be looked at to try and keep those balanced, but as many current teams are in Germany, this is certainly something that can be done.