Sportklub Central European Football League is opening the door again to some of the best amateur teams in Europe. In the 19^th season of the CEFL Championship the number of participants will remain the same at twelve, but there will be several changes in membership.

Adversities with the schedules of different national leagues have resulted in only five teams returning from last season. A duo of former contestants, one of whom is a two-time champion, is making a comeback. Five other participants will appear for the first time. Polish league is represented again after a long hiatus, while the teams from the Netherlands and Norway debut in CEFL. The list of members looks like this:

Calanda Broncos, Swiss champions
Thonon Black Panthers, French champions
Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, German quarterfinalists
Carlstad Crusaders, Swedish champions
Stockholm Mean Machines, Swedish finalists
Beograd Vukovi, Serbian champions
Amsterdam Crusaders, Benelux champions
Badalona Dracs, Spanish semifinalists
Kragujevac Wild Boars, Serbian finalists
Bristol Aztecs, British finalists
Warsaw Eagles, Polish champions
Eidsvoll 1814’s, Norwegian champions

The CEFL Championship will again be played under a modified cup system, this time with three highest-ranked teams seeded, granting them a bye in the first round. Badalona Dracs will also skip the opener, being far removed from other first-round participants and having their national playoffs set in April.

First round will be played on 26 April to avoid the Easter weekend. That will leave only a fortnight between the first two rounds, while the following gaps will be three weeks long, as has become the norm. Opening round matchups are:

Carlstad Crusaders – Eidsvoll 1814’s
Stockholm Mean Machines – Warsaw Eagles
Belgrade Vukovi – Kragujevac Wild Boars
Amsterdam Crusaders – Bristol Aztecs (to be played in Bristol)

Second round is scheduled for 10 May and the seeded teams will host three games. One last game will be hosted be the highest-ranked team. The pairings will be:

Calanda Broncos – Belgrade Vukovi / Kragujevac Wild Boars
Thonon Black Panthers – Badalona Dracs
Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns – Stockholm Mean Machines / Warsaw Eagles (on Sunday, 11 May)
Carlstad Crusaders / Eidsvoll 1814’s – Amsterdam Crusaders / Bristol Aztecs

The semis will be hosted by the 2 best-ranked semifinalist teams and the matchups will be decided after the second round. Both games will be played on 31 May.

The big finish, CEFL Bowl XIX is slated for 21 June and the hosting rights will be awarded following the semifinals.