The Hungarian Football League (HFL) is the top tier national American football competition in Hungary, organized by the Hungarian Federation of American Football (MAFSZ). The competition was formerly called Hungarian American Football League (MAFL) (), the top tier as MAFL Division I and the second tier as MAFL Division II; since 2012 the top tier is HFL, the 2nd tier is MAFSZ Division I and the 3rd tier is MAFSZ Division II.
History Hungarian teams formed and began playing in the 1990's when the Budapest Cowboys and Budapest Lions played in lower level division leagues outside of Hungary. The Hungarian American Football League (MAFL) began in 2005 under the guidance of the Hungarian Federation of American Football (MAFSZ) with 4 teams (Budapest Wolves, Győr Sharks, Debrecen Gladiators, Nagykanizsa Demos. The game rules are the standard gridiron football (NCAA) rules. The first winner of the first Hungarian Bowl was the Wolves.
In the next 2 years, the Wolves participated only in the Austrian Football League 3rd tier. These 2 years the HFL was won by the Sharks. In 2006, eight teams participated. In 2007, the championship had been split into two divisions (6 teams at Division I and 9 at Division II).
In 2008, the Wolves returned, and they won 3 more championships undefeated. In 2009, 26 teams participated so Division III had been introduced (this year 5, 12, and 9 teams have been played in the three tiers). In 2010, they returned into the 2 tier format.
In 2011, MAFSZ restructured the championship format with the introduction of Hungarian Football League (HFL), which was intended to be an international competition with the top 4 Hungarian teams and 4 from abroad. Division I and Division II became the 2nd and 3rd tier competitions, which were played in the spring season. The HFL was scheduled as a fall season but only 3 teams were willing to participate, so in 2011, the Hungarian Bowl was canceled.
In 2012, the HFL finally started, and this year the Budapest Wolves suffered their first-ever defeat against a Hungarian team (against Budapest Hurricanes), but in the final, the Wolves defeated the Hurricanes. However, in 2013, the Hurricanes, in 2014 the Újbuda Rebels, and in 2015 the Bratislava Monarchs defeated the Wolves in the Hungarian Bowl. The 2015 season was the only one when a foreign team participated, and with the Monarchs' win, the official Hungarian champion was the HFL runners-up Wolves.
In 2016, the Miskolc Steelers became the first non-capital city team in HFL history to participate in the finals, and they won the trophy as well, becoming the 6th team to win HFL in the 6 years' HFL history. In 2017, the Cowbells won the trophy, being technically the 7th team to win the HFL, but as they are the successor of Újbuda Rebels, they are the first team to win 2 HFL trophies.
Hungarian American Football League system Season HFL Division I Division II Division III Cup 2005 I. Hungarian Bowl 2006 II. Hungarian Bowl I. Blue Bowl 2007 III. Hungarian Bowl I. Pannon Bowl 2008 IV. Hungarian Bowl II. Pannon Bowl 2009 V. Hungarian Bowl III. Pannon Bowl I. Duna Bowl 2010 VI. Hungarian Bowl IV. Pannon Bowl 2011 (Fall Bowl) V. Pannon Bowl II. Duna Bowl 2012 VII. Hungarian Bowl VI. Pannon Bowl III. Duna Bowl II. Blue Bowl 2013 VIII. Hungarian Bowl VII. Pannon Bowl IV. Duna Bowl 2014 IX. Hungarian Bowl VIII. Pannon Bowl V. Duna Bowl 2015 X. Hungarian Bowl IX. Pannon Bowl VI. Duna Bowl 2016 XI. Hungarian Bowl X. Pannon Bowl VII. Duna Bowl 2017 XII. Hungarian Bowl XI. Pannon Bowl VIII. Duna Bowl 2018 XIII. Hungarian Bowl XII. Pannon Bowl IX. Duna Bowl 2019 XIV. Hungarian Bowl XIII. Pannon Bowl X. Duna Bowl 2020 XIV. Pannon Bowl XI. Duna Bowl 2021 XV. Hungarian Bowl XV. Pannon Bowl XII. Duna Bowl 2022 XVI. VEOLIA Hungarian Bowl XVI. Pannon Bowl XIII. Duna Bowl 2023 XVII. VEOLIA Hungarian Bowl XVII. Pannon Bowl 2024 XVIII. VEOLIA Hungarian Bowl XVIII. Pannon Bowl XIV. Duna Bowl 2025 XIX. VEOLIA Hungarian Bowl XIX. Pannon Bowl XV. Duna Bowl 2026 XX. VEOLIA Hungarian Bowl XX. Pannon Bowl XVI. Duna Bowl
Champions Season Division I Division II Division III 2005 ARD7 Budapest Wolves — — 2006 Győr Sharks — — 2007 Győr Sharks Budapest Cowboys — 2008 Budapest Wolves Nyíregyháza Tigers — 2009 Budapest Wolves Dunaújváros Gorillaz Újbuda Rebels 2010 Budapest Wolves Miskolc Steelers — Season HFL Division I Division II 2011 — Nyíregyháza Tigers Budapest Hurricanes 2012 Budapest Wolves Dunaújváros Gorillaz Budapest Cowboys 2013 Budapest Hurricanes Budapest Cowboys Újpest Bulldogs 2014 Újbuda Rebels Újpest Bulldogs Miskolc Renegades 2015 Bratislava Monarchs Eger Heroes Gladiators 2016 Miskolc Steelers Dunaújváros Gorillaz Budapest Eagles 2017 Budapest Cowbells Fehérvár Enthroners Nyíregyháza Tigers 2018 Budapest Wolves Szombathely Crushers Eger Heroes 2019 Fehérvár Enthroners Szombathely Crushers Miskolc Renegades 2020 — Győr Sharks VSD Rangers 2021 Budapest Wolves Miskolc AFT Budapest Wolves II 2022 Fehérvár Enthroners Budapest Titans Újpest Bulldogs 2023 Budapest Wolves Dabas Sparks — 2024 Budapest Titans Hódkertész Guardians DEAC Gladiators 2025 Diósd Saints Tatabánya Mustangs Budapest Cowbells 2 2026 Budapest Cowbells Hódkertész Guardians Dabas Sparks
Championship Games
Hungarian Bowl The Hungarian Bowl is the Championship Game of the Hungarian American Football League. Between 2005 and 2010 it was the final of the MAFL Division I. In 2011, the new top-tier championship HFL was postponed, no Hungarian Bowl took place, and the Fall Bowl was an unofficial championship. Since 2012, the Hungarian Bowl has been the final of the Hungarian Football League.
Hungarian Bowl results No. Season Winner Opponent Score I 2005, MAFL ARD7 Budapest Wolves Debrecen Gladiators 46–0 II 2006, MAFL Győr Sharks Debrecen Gladiators 7–6 III 2007, MAFL Div I Győr Sharks Debrecen Gladiators 42–12 IV 2008, MAFL Div I Budapest Wolves Budapest Cowboys 20–14 V 2009, MAFL Div I Budapest Wolves Győr Sharks 16–12 VI 2010, MAFL Div I Budapest Wolves Nyíregyháza Tigers 58–0 Fall Bowl 2011 Budapest Wolves Nyíregyháza Tigers 28–0 VII 2012, HFL Budapest Wolves Budapest Hurricanes 65–21 VIII 2013, HFL Budapest Hurricanes Docler Wolves 28–24HFL: bajnok a címvédő Wolvest legyőző Budapest Hurricanes! IX 2014, HFL Újbuda Rebels Docler Wolves 19–9Az Újbuda Rebels a magyar amerikaifutball bajnoka/ X 2015, HFL Bratislava Monarchs Budapest Wolves 55–34HFL: Garzával nem bírtak a Farkasok, a pozsonyiak a bajnokok! XI 2016, HFL Miskolc Steelers Budapest Cowbells 19–16 XII 2017, HFL Budapest Cowbells Miskolc Steelers 14–10Hungary: Budapest Cowbells Steal Trophy from Miskolc Steelers, capture 2nd Hungarian title XIII 2018, HFL Budapest Wolves Miskolc Steelers 34–30 XIV 2019, HFL Fehérvár Enthroners Kiev Capitals 14-12 XV 2021, HFL Budapest Wolves Fehérvár Enthroners 18–7 XVI 2022, HFL Fehérvár Enthroners Budapest Wolves 31–24 XVII 2023, HFL Budapest Wolves Újpest Bulldogs 49–28 XVIII 2024, HFL Budapest Titans Budapest Cowbells 51–29XIX2025, HFLDiósd SaintsÚjpest Bulldogs56–21 XX 2026, HFL Budapest Cowbells Győr Sharks 21–14
Hungarian Bowl Statistics Position Team Champions Runners-up 1. Budapest Wolves 8 (2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2023) 4 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2022) 2. Budapest Cowbells 3 (2014, 2017, 2026) 3 (2008, 2016, 2024) 3. Győr Sharks 2 (2006, 2007) 2 (2009, 2026) 4. Fehérvár Enthroners 2 (2019, 2022) 1 (2021) 5. Miskolc Steelers 1 (2016) 2 (2017, 2018) 6. Budapest Hurricanes 1 (2013) 1 (2012) 7. Bratislava Monarchs 1 (2015) 7. Budapest Titans 1 (2024) 7.Diósd Saints1 (2025) 10. Debrecen Gladiators 3 (2005, 2006, 2007) 11. Újpest Bulldogs 2 (2023,2025) 12. Nyíregyháza Tigers 1 (2010) 12. Kiev Capitals 1 (2019)
Pannon Bowl The Pannon Bowl is the MAFSZ's second-tier championship game that was first played in 2007.
Pannon Bowl results No. Season Winner Opponent Score I. 2007, Division II Budapest Cowboys North Pest Vipers 45–0 II. 2008, Division II Nyíregyháza Tigers Zala Predators 36–20 III. 2009, Division II Dunaújváros Gorillaz Zala Predators 10–0 IV. 2010, Division II Miskolc Steelers no playoffs V. 2011, Division II Nyíregyháza Tigers Békéscsaba Raptors 42–7 VI. 2012, Division I Dunaújváros Gorillaz Békéscsaba Raptors 34–3 VII. 2013, Division I Budapest Cowboys Dunaújváros Gorillaz 12–6 VIII. 2014, Division I Újpest Bulldogs Miskolc Steelers 43–36 IX. 2015, Division I Eger Heroes Dunaújváros Gorillaz 19–16 X. 2016, Division I Dunaújváros Gorillaz Gladiators AFC 28–8Stabil játékkal lett bajnok a Gorillaz! XI. 2017, Division I Fehérvár Enthroners Budapest Eagles 28–7 XII. 2018, Division I Szombathely Crushers Szekszárd Bad Bones 17–7 XIII. 2019, Division I Szombathely Crushers Eger Heroes 32–0 XIV. 2020, Division I Győr Sharks NBA Crushers 32–13 XV. 2021, Division I Miskolc AFT Budapest Cowbells II 43–22 XVI. 2022, Division I Budapest Titans Crushers 18–13 XVII. 2023, Division I Dabas Sparks Budapest Wolves II 17–14 XVIII. 2024, Division I Hódkertész Guardians Diósd Saints 34–33XIX.2025, Division ITatabánya MustangsSzombathely Crushers36–31 XX. 2026, Division I Szombathely Crushers Hódkertész Guardians 22–7
Duna Bowl The Duna Bowl is the third-tier championship game of the MAFSZ.
Duna Bowl results No. Season Winner Opponent Score I. 2009, Division IIIhttp://endzonemagazin.hu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=170:az-els-duna-bowl&catid=42:div3&Itemid=53 ; http://www.rebels.hu/?p=2504 Újbuda Rebels Jászberény Wolverines 33–0 II. 2011, Division II Budapest Hurricanes Újpest Bulldogs 56–14 III. 2012, Division II Budapest Cowboys Újbuda Rebels II 33–7 IV. 2013, Division II Újpest Bulldogs Újbuda Rebels II 41–6 V. 2014, Division II Miskolc Renegades Budapest Hurricanes II 38–21 VI. 2015, Division II Debrecen Gladiators Szekszárd Bad Bones 21–14Divízió I-II döntők a fővárosban VII. 2016, Division II Budapest Eagles Fehérvár Enthroners 35–13Fantasztikus Futballfesztivál Fehérváron VIII. 2017, Division II2017 Berény Sport Divízió II Nyíregyháza Tigers Szombathely Crushers 17–7 IX. 2018, Division II Eger Heroes Dabas Sparks 42-20 X. 2019, Division II Miskolc Renegades Tatabánya Mustangs 40-38 XII. 2021, Division II Budapest Wolves II Tatabánya Mustangs 34–14 XIII. 2022, Division II Újpest Bulldogs Budapest Wolves II 10–6 XIV. 2024, Division II DEAC Gladiators Eger Heroes 38–7XV.2025, Division IIBudapest Cowbells 2Pécs Legioners27–14 XVI. 2026, Division II Dabas Sparks Pécs Legioners 18–0
Blue Bowls In 2006, the MAFSZ created the Blue Bowl, the national cup game.
Blue Bowl results Table of Results Season Winner Loser Score 2006 ARD7 Budapest Wolves Debrecen Gladiators 63–20 2012 Budapest Cowboys Újpest Bulldogs 13–6
Teams
HFL teams Budapest Cowbells (2012–) Budapest Titans (2023–) Budapest Wolves (2012–) Diósd Saints (2025–) Győr Sharks (2012–) Újpest Bulldogs (2023–) VSD Rangers (2023–)Division I teams Dabas Sparks Diósd Saints II DEAC Gladiators Guardians Szombathely Crushers Tatabánya MustangsDivision II teams Budapest Cowbells 2 Cassovia Steelers (HFL: 2015–2022) Eger Heroes (HFL: 2016–2017) Pécs Legioners Sentinels
References
External links The MAFSZ Official Website Hungarian American Football League historical scores