World Football Leagues

The First attempts at creating a European American Football League were in the 1970s following the hit film M*A*S*H and its climactic ending featuring an American Football game which intrigued European audiences.

Following on from this a couple of failed start-ups led in 1991 to the National Football League (NFL) creating the World League of American Football (WLAF) as a Development League. After two years with teams in USA, Canada and Europe it was shelved and returned in 1995 as a Europe-only league which itself was shelved in 2007 in order to promote the NFL itself in Europe through the International Series of NFL regular season games in London.

Major Football Leagues Standings and Playoffs

International American Football

Whilst not strictly speaking International matches, the National Football League has also played matches against American Football League teams in the 1920s, 1930s, & 1940s. Matches between Canadian Football League teams and American Football League & National Football League teams were played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. IN the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s the National Football League and other leagues played Pre-Season “American Bowls” in European Countries, as well as Canada, Japan, Mexico and Australia. From 2005 onwards those American Bowl games were replaced by Regular season National Football League games in London, Toronto and Mexico City. College Football games have also been played overseas, most notably for Irish readers and readers in Ireland, with the College Football Classic in DUBLIN.

LFA Mexico

American Football was first introduced to Mexico in the late 1800s, and the first Mexican College Championship in 1929 or 1933. Today the Liga de Futbol Americano (LFA) is the Major American Football League for Mexico and Latin America. The sport is played throughout Latin America and the Caribbean with most countries other than Mexico being recent converts to the game.

Mexican American Football

From the first College Championship in the 1930s to the most recent Professional League: Liga de Futbol Americano, the history of American Football in Mexico is the longest in the World outside of USA and Canada. This is a record of 11v11 American Football: for the Arena Indoor (8v8) version of the game which is more popular in Mexico than anywhere else see: Arena Indoor Football; For all Women’s American Football including Mexican Women’s Football see: Women’s American Football; For Flag Football see: Flag Football World

Mexican Professional League Teams

Mexican College Bowls and Champions

Mexican College Champions

ONEFA Mexican University Football

ONEFA – Organizacion Nacional Estudiantil de Futbol Americano – is the leading National Organisation for American Football in Public Universities in Mexico.

The ONEFA Championship was considered the National Championship from 1933 onwards until the CONADEIP organisation of Private Colleges split away from the ONEFA Public Universities body.

The AMFA Poll is now used to decide the Mexican College Champions and the CONADEIP v ONEFA All-Star game is one of the new highlights of Mexican College Football.

CONADEIP Mexican Private Colleges

OEFA Baja California

Federation Mexicana de Football Americano

Latin American Gridiron Leagues

This is a record of Latin American Gridiron (American Football) Leagues. American Football is known as Football Americano, or just simply Football, in Latin America, as opposed to Futbol, which is the Spanish name for Soccer.

The sport was first played in Mexico in the late 19th Century, and leagues first started appearing in Mexico in the 1940s. In the 2000s the first Kitted American Football Leagues started in Argentina and Brazil, and are now played everywhere in Latin America.

Japan American Football

American Football was first introduced to Japan in the 1930s, although it was not until after WWII, that it was played competitvely, with the Rice Bowl, Japan’s version of the Super Bowl, being played between the Universities since 1947, and since 1984 between the University Champions and the Social Champions (Business League – currently X-League).

There is also a third League in Japan, which is the Private Club League, opening up American Football to non-students and non-Corporate Workers. The JPFF (Japan Private Football Association) organises the Ocean Bowl between the JPFF East and JPFF West Champions. It is included in Social Championships.

Japan American Football Association Social Championships

The Japan X-League is the highest level of American Football in Japan. From 1984 to 2020 the X-League Champions played for the Rice Bowl with the University Champions. since 2021 the Rice Bowl is in sole ownership of the X-League after 11 X-League victories in a row. The X-League is divided into X1 Super (Premier League), X1 Area (3 Regional League – Championship) and then below that X2 and X3 Leagues.

The JPFF (Japan Private Football Association) is the National or State Level League, with Leagues run on an East – West basis.

Japan American Football Association University Championships

The Universities played for the Rice Bowl from 1947 when the introduction of American Football to Japan took hold to 1979.

From 1980 to 2020 the University Champions contested the Rice Bowl with the Social Champions (now the X-League) and from 2021 onwards the University Champions no longer compete for the Rice Bowl.

The University Championship Game is called the Koshien Bowl, with Regional Bowl Games as a Qualifier.

Asia American Football

American Football was introduced to Japan in the 1930s and today the Japan X-League is the Major American Football League for Asia. American Football was subsequently introduced to Korea in the 1950s, and the rest of Asia, including China, India, South East Asia, West Asia, Central Asia and Eurasia in more recent decades.

Although American Football was first introduced to Japan in the 1930s it was not until 1947 that it was played regularly, with the Rice Bowl, Japan’s Super Bowl played since 1947. Japan is so big on American Football it has its own page on Eirball at: Japan American Football. Korea, likewise has been playing American Football since the National University Championship was started in 1958. West Asia started playing American Football in the 2000s and China, India, Central Asia and South East Asia in the 2010s.

KAFA Korea American Football Association

American Football has been played in Korea since the 1950s. The Kimchi Bowl is their version of the Super Bowl and has been played since 1995 between the winners of the University Championship (Tiger Bowl) and Social Championship (Corporations) (Gwanggaeto Bowl).

The National University Championship has been played since 1958 and since 1995 is known as the Tiger Bowl. The Gwanggaeto Bowl is the Championship Game of the Social Championship (Corporations).

AFLC American Football League of China

American Football Leagues started in countries like China, India, Philippines and Malaysia in the 2010s. For Japan, where the Rice Bowl, their equivalent of the Super Bowl which started in 1947 see: Japan American Football and for Korea, where their National University Championship started in 1958

South East Asia Football

EFLI Elite Football League of India and South Asia

AFI American Football Israel and West Asia

American Football started in countries like Israel, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan in the early 2000s.

Eurasia American Football

Kontinental American Football, like the Kontinental Hockey League refers to the Open Championships and National Leagues which have started since the fall of Communism in the former USSR in 1989. The Open Championships (such as the League of American Football) have featured teams from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Other Leagues have included an Independent Ukrainian League and a series of Central Asian Tournaments under the auspices of the CAAFA (Central Asian American Football Association).

Kontinental Open Championships

Tom Kelly, the intrepid American with the Irish name attempted to organize the first American Football League in USSR in 1979.It was not, however until 1989, that the first game was played in the USSR, and after a couple of tournaments and one USSR Championship the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Championship was born.

Oceania American Football

Since the 1980s American Football Leagues have been organised in Australia & New Zealand, with State Leagues in each of Australia’s six states as well as the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) and Leagues in three of New Zealand’s Provinces.

In addition Australian States play for the Outback Bowl, and the Champions of each State and Territory play in the Southern Cross Tournament for the right to call themselves Australian Club Champions. New Zealand’s Provinces also play for the National Provincial Championship.

Africa American Football

The Egyptian American Football league is currently the only fully kitted contact American Football League in Africa, although there are Flag Football Leagues (Tag) in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Kenya, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. There was also a 9-man Football League in Morocco in 2019. There are Women’s Flag Leagues as well as Men’s.

Flag Football World

Flag Football was invented in the 1940s as a non-contact version of American Football. The first Pro leagues were set up in the coming decades, with a America-wide League currently in operation with Regional Playoffs followed by a Final with a purse of $1 Million, which includes teams of former NFL players. Below you will find links to Top-Level Leagues Worldwide and International Tournaments: