Vienna v Storm: the final we may never see

The AFLE has already started selling the game. Its release on Storm's planned move says it "could bring together the champions of both European leagues", Gold Bowl winners Vienna Vikings against Nordic Storm, who went 11-1 on their way to the 2026 EFA title. It's the match many of us wanted this year and couldn't have, the two best sides in Europe kept apart by a split nobody outside the boardrooms asked for.

Vienna are keen. Head coach Jordan Neuman called it "the type of news all of Europe has been waiting for" and said he looks forward to "a very competitive 2027".

My ideal would be to skip waiting for a final and open the 2027 season with it, a Friday or Saturday night under the floodlights, champion against champion, to kick things off. The schedule hasn't been published yet, so that's a wish, not a forecast.

However, the move is still "subject to the completion of certain contractual and organizational steps", and the EFA says Storm are bound by their agreements and it reserves all rights.

So I will hold off booking the trip. Whether it gets played is a matter for the lawyers first.