September 25, 2022 — Klagenfurt, Austria
The European League of Football’s second season ended where few expected — in the quiet lakeside city of Klagenfurt, under the roof of the Wörthersee Stadion.
It wasn’t just a curious choice. It was a calculated one.
The arena was sleek, modern, and conveniently linked to Zeljko Karajica, the ELF’s co-owner and a shareholder in Austria Klagenfurt, the city’s football club.
On paper, it was a perfect venue.
In reality, it was the first time many realized that in the ELF, money didn’t just flow — it circled.
A Royal Finish to a Rivalry Season
The 2022 Championship Game saw the Vienna Vikings take on the Hamburg Sea Devils, a rematch of North versus Central Europe, precision versus power.
Vienna, in their debut ELF season, had been unstoppable — a machine built from discipline and legacy.
Hamburg came in with unfinished business, still stung from their narrow 2021 defeat.
But from the first drive, it was clear who ruled the mountains.
The Vikings dictated the tempo, crushed the trenches, and suffocated Hamburg’s offense.
By halftime, the Sea Devils were drowning.
Final score: Vienna Vikings 27 – 15 Hamburg Sea Devils.
The King in the North — and the South
As purple confetti rained down in Carinthia, the Vikings raised the ELF trophy — and Austria raised its flag.
The Alpine nation had just taken over the league.
But as celebration echoed through the Wörthersee stands, some fans and journalists started connecting dots.
Why Klagenfurt? Why a stadium tied so closely to the league’s own leadership structure?
Sure, it was scenic — but it also hinted at a pattern:
the ELF wasn’t just building a league, it was building an ecosystem that paid itself.
You could already feel the whispers: money from one pocket, straight into another.
It didn’t tarnish the night — but it left a faint shadow on the celebration lights.
A League Growing, and Showing Its Seams
Still, the football was undeniable.
Vienna were everything the ELF claimed to be: professional, organized, and ready for primetime.
They didn’t just win — they justified the league’s existence.
Yet beneath the fireworks, the whispers grew louder:
a handful of men owned the vision, the teams, and now even the stadiums.
The ELF had its crown. But it was also starting to show its crown jewels were all kept in the same vault.
Europe’s Kings, for Now
The Vienna Vikings walked off the field as champions — the new standard of European football.
But behind the cheers, a question lingered:
Was the ELF expanding its empire, or just building a castle with familiar walls?
Either way, for one night in Klagenfurt, Austria ruled Europe, and the league had its spectacle — no matter whose pocket the lights came from.
