Munich Spatzen on Europe’s Big Stage: Seventh Place at the Champions Bowl in Croatia
Munich Spatzen Face Off Against Europe’s Top Teams
The Champions Bowl is considered one of the most important international competitions for club teams in European flag football. In 2026, the tournament was held for the 16th time, bringing numerous top teams from various countries to Poreč, Croatia, from October 9 to 11.
The Munich Spatzen women’s team was also there. For the Munich club, it was yet another opportunity to compete against strong international opponents and gain valuable experience outside the German league.
It was precisely this opportunity to test themselves against top-tier competition that made the tournament particularly valuable for national team player Zoe Song.
“Of course, this is a really cool opportunity to compete against the other top European teams and get a sense of where we stand on the international stage,” Song told Touchdown Munich.
She also had positive memories of the conditions in Croatia: being able to play in good weather again in October was also “never a bad thing.”
Two Wins in a Challenging Group Stage
In the preliminary round, the Munich Spatzen faced teams from Italy, Slovenia, France, and Switzerland, among others.
They kicked things off with a decisive 33–12 victory over the ASVZ Nightbirds from Zurich. Munich then suffered a 20–46 loss to the Domžale Tigers from Slovenia.
In their third game, they secured an important 26–21 victory over the Parma Panthers, before the Spatzen lost 34–41 to the Bergamo Lions and narrowly fell 37–39 to Fenris Dijon.
With two wins and three losses, the Munich team finished fourth in their group and secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
It was the close games in particular that stuck in Song’s memory. Despite some absences during the long season, Munich was able to field a strong team.
“We lost a lot of games by the narrowest of margins, but we still learned a lot,” explains the national team player.
Eliminated in the Quarterfinals Against Redlips Molosses
In the quarterfinals, they faced a strong team in the Redlips Molosses from France, who had previously finished their own preliminary round group undefeated. The Munich Spatzen were defeated 13–27, thus missing out on a spot in the semifinals. The Munich team then moved on to the placement matches for fifth through eighth place.
Even though they didn’t make it into the top four teams in Europe, the Spatzen deliberately used the tournament as an opportunity to try out new strategies under competitive conditions. For Song, that was precisely an important part of the weekend.
“Testing things out again and seeing what works well and what doesn’t work so well was very helpful.”
Spatzen Secure Seventh Place
In their first placement game, the Munich team lost to the Pribram Bobcats from the Czech Republic, 34–47.
At the end of the tournament, the team put in another strong performance. In the game for seventh place, the Munich Spatzen defeated the Madrid Capitals decisively, 43–26, and thus finished the Champions Bowl in seventh place.
Nevertheless, the result did not quite meet the team’s expectations.
“It wasn’t the result we had hoped for,” says Song. At the same time, there were numerous good games from which the team could draw important lessons for the coming months.
Zoe Song: “Now we know what we need to work on.”
For Song and her teammates, Poreč was the next stop in an intense year of flag football that included national finals, the national team, and international club competition. That’s precisely why the Champions Bowl takes on special significance, especially with an eye toward the upcoming season.
“We’ve simply seen once again what we need to work on during the offseason,” says Song. The goals for 2027 are clearly defined.
First, the Munich Spatzen want to take the next step in Germany and win the national title after finishing as runners-up in 2026.
“So that we can first win gold nationwide next year and then, hopefully, take it up a notch at the Champions Bowl.”
Munich Spatzen Firmly Established in Europe’s Flag Football Scene
International tournaments are by no means new territory for the Munich Spatzen. The club has been one of Germany’s strongest flag football teams for years and regularly participates in high-level competitions outside the German league.
As early as 2022, the Spatzen finished in fourth place at the Champions Bowl.
Their seventh-place finish in 2026 also shows that the Munich team can hold its own against European competition. At the same time, the narrow losses highlight just how close the competition has become among many of Europe’s top teams.
For the Spatzen, this provides an added incentive for the coming months.
Flag football continues to grow—in Munich as well
The Champions Bowl is part of a phase in which flag football is gaining further prominence both nationally and internationally. With an eye toward the 2028 Olympic Games, growing support from the NFL, and an increasing number of teams in Germany, the visibility of this low-contact variant of American football continues to rise.
This trend has long been evident in Munich as well.
The Munich Spatzen are among the scene’s leading teams, while the NFL Munich Game 2026 in November promises to be the city’s next major football highlight.
For the women of the Munich Spatzen, the 2026 Champions Bowl thus ends with a seventh-place finish—but above all, with new insights, international experience, and a clear goal for 2027: to win national gold and then take the next step on Europe’s big stage.
