After a longer-than-usual preseason, Sportklub Central European Football League is unveiling the arrangements for its flagship CEFL Championship competition. Season 2023 will again be composed of 12 participants ranging from the entire old continent. Seven of them are reigning national champions, including last-season’s CEFL Championship winners.
The following teams will be vying for the right to appear in the CEFL Bowl XVII:
Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, German champions and CEFL Bowl XVI champions
La Courneuve Flash, French champions
Otel Guelfi Florence, Italian champions
E-R Parma Panthers, CEFL Bowl XVI finalists
Calanda Broncos, Swiss vice-champions
Stockholm Mean Machines, Swedish champions
Kuopio Steelers, Finnish champions
Thonon Black Panthers, French vice-champions
Madrid Osos Rivas, Spanish champions
SBB Vukovi Belgrade, Serbian champions
LG OLED Las Rozas Black Demons, Spanish vice-champions
Budapest Wolves, Hungarian vice-champions
There are 4 weekends available for the competition: 22 April, 13 May, 3 June and 24 June. With this constraint, cup system is again the only possible option. In this setting 4 seeded teams will skip the first round, as follows: Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, La Courneuve Flash, Otel Florence Guelfi and E-R Parma Panthers. Remaining 8 teams will be matched regionally in 4 single-elimination first round games.
First round, 22 April
Calanda Broncos – Thonon Black Panthers
Stockholm Mean Machines – Kuopio Steelers
Madrid Osos Rivas – LG OLED Las Rozas Black Demons
SBB Vukovi Belgrade – Budapest Wolves
In the second round, each winner from the opening round will travel to the seeded team closest to them.
Second round, 13 May
Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns – Stockholm Mean Machines/Kuopio Steelers
La Courneuve Flash – Madrid Osos Rivas/LG OLED Las Rozas Black Demons
Otel Firenze Guelfi – Calanda Broncos/Thonon Black Panthers
E-R Parma Panthers – SBB Vukovi Belgrade/Budapest Wolves
Four second round winners will go through to the semis which will be played on 3 June. Semifinal matchups will be decided after the second round games have been played. CEFL Bowl XVII is scheduled for 24 June and the hosting rights will be awarded to one of the finalists.