| Formerly | Hungarian American Football League (MAFL) |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Hungarian Federation of American Football (MAFSZ) |
| First season | 2005 |
| No. of teams | 7 (HFL) 6 (Division I) 5 (Division II) |
| Country |  Hungary |
| Most recent champion | Diósd Saints (1st title) |
| Most titles | Budapest Wolves (8 titles) |
| Broadcaster | Digi Sport |
| Official website | MAFSZ Online |
TheHungarian Football League (HFL) is the top tier nationalAmerican football competition inHungary, organized by the Hungarian Federation of American Football (MAFSZ). The competition was formerly called Hungarian American Football League (MAFL) (Hungarian:Magyarországi Amerikai Futballcsapatok Ligája), 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 isMAFSZ Division I and the 3rd tier isMAFSZ Division II.
Hungarian teams formed and began playing in the 1990's when theBudapest 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 standardgridiron 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 (againstBudapest Hurricanes), but in the final, the Wolves defeated the Hurricanes. However, in 2013, the Hurricanes, in 2014 theÚjbuda Rebels, and in 2015 theBratislava 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, theMiskolc 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.
| 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 |
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.
| 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 | 2 (2014, 2017) | 3 (2008, 2016, 2024) |
| 3. | Fehérvár Enthroners | 2 (2019, 2022) | 1 (2021) |
| 3. | Győr Sharks | 2 (2006, 2007) | 1 (2009) |
| 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 Saints | 1 (2025) | |
| 10. | Debrecen Gladiators | 3 (2005, 2006, 2007) | |
| 11. | Újpest Bulldogs | 2 (2023,2025) | |
| 12. | Nyíregyháza Tigers | 1 (2010) | |
| 12. | Kiev Capitals | 1 (2019) |
The Pannon Bowl is the MAFSZ's second-tier championship game that was first played in 2007.
The Duna Bowl is the third-tier championship game of the MAFSZ.
| No. | Season | Winner | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | 2009, Division III[16] | Újbuda Rebels | Jászberény Wolverines | 33–0 |
| II. | 2011, Division II[17] | 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[18] | Miskolc Renegades | Budapest Hurricanes II | 38–21 |
| VI. | 2015, Division II | Debrecen Gladiators | Szekszárd Bad Bones | 21–14[19] |
| VII. | 2016, Division II | Budapest Eagles | Fehérvár Enthroners | 35–13[20] |
| VIII. | 2017, Division II[21] | Nyíregyháza Tigers | Szombathely Crushers | 17–7 |
| IX. | 2018, Division II[22] | Eger Heroes | Dabas Sparks | 42-20 |
| X. | 2019, Division II[23] | Miskolc Renegades | Tatabánya Mustangs | 40-38 |
| XII. | 2021, Division II[24] | Budapest Wolves II | Tatabánya Mustangs | 34–14 |
| XIII. | 2022, Division II[25] | Újpest Bulldogs | Budapest Wolves II | 10–6 |
| XIV. | 2024, Division II[26] | DEAC Gladiators | Eger Heroes | 38–7 |
| XV. | 2025, Division II | Budapest Cowbells 2 | Pécs Legioners | 27–14 |
In 2006, the MAFSZ created the Blue Bowl, the national cup game.
| Table of Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Winner | Loser | Score | |
| 2006 | ARD7 Budapest Wolves | Debrecen Gladiators | 63–20 | |
| 2012[27] | Budapest Cowboys | Újpest Bulldogs | 13–6 | |
HFL teams
| Division I teams | Division II teams
|