It’s official! Sportklub Central European Football League is announcing the details for the 18th season of its CEFL Championship. The 2024 season will feature 12 participants from 8 European national leagues. Led by last season’s CEFL Championship winners, 8 other teams are reigning national champions.

This is a list of teams which will compete for the opportunity to play in the CEFL Bowl XVIII:

La Courneuve Flash, CEFL Bowl XVII champions
Thonon Black Panthers, French champions
Parma Panthers, Italian champions
Danube Dragons, Austrian champions
Florence Guelfi, Italian vice-champions
Stockholm Mean Machines, Swedish champions
Calanda Broncos, Swiss champions
Thalheim Graz Giants, Austrian semifinalists
Kragujevac Wild Boars, Serbian champions
Belgrade SBB Vukovi, Serbian vice-champions
Manchester Titans, British champions
Copenhagen Towers, Danish champions

What’s notable is that Austrian and Danish teams are returning to the CEFL Championship. At the same time, the British national league will have its first representative in the CEFL ever.

The competition will take place over the following four weekends: 20 April, 11 May, 1 June, and 22 June. As a result of technical issues, Copenhagen Towers were added to the tournament subsequently.

Due to the limited number of available weekends and the number of participants, a modified cup system was the only viable option. Four seeded teams, La Courneuve Flash, Thonon Black Panthers, Parma Panthers and Vienna Danube Dragons, will skip the first round. Remaining eight teams will compete in four single-elimination first-round games, matched regionally.

First round, 20 April

Florence Guelfi – Belgrade SBB Vukovi
Stockholm Mean Machines – Manchester Titans
Calanda Broncos – Copenhagen Towers
Thalheim Graz Giants – Kragujevac Wild Boars

Second round, 11 May

La Courneuve Flash – Stockholm Mean Machines/Manchester Titans
Thonon Black Panthers – Thalheim Graz Giants/Kragujevac Wild Boars
Parma Panthers – Calanda Broncos/Copenhagen Towers
Vienna Danube Dragons – Florence Guelfi/Belgrade SBB Vukovi

The semifinals, scheduled for 1 June, will feature four winners of the second round games. Semifinal matchups are to be determined after the conclusion of the second round. The CEFL Bowl XVIII, set for 22 June, will be hosted by one of the finalists.