Touchdown in Europe: How American Football is Gaining Fans Overseas

A player for the Groningen Giants scores a touchdown © Carl Wolkahof

The Super Bowl is just around the corner in the US and the buzz of excitement is spreading all the way to Europe. On February 9, 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs will play against the Philadelphia Eagles. The sport is becoming more and more popular outside the US and fans are gathering to share and spread their passion for American football.

There have been growing marketing efforts in Europe for the sport, highlighted by the launch of the European League of Football in 2020. There are more and more points of contact with the sport, as games are increasingly taking place in Europe and sometimes in popular stadiums for little money.

” It's all about eating and just having fun and watching football until late at night.”

In the Netherlands, too, people come together to share their enthusiasm for American football. Groningen Giants, an American football team that has existed for 26 years and continues to grow, plays in the Eredivisie, the Netherlands' highest league. The Giants offer both beginners and experienced players a place to play and organize events that ensure the sport gains popularity.

Carl Wolkahof grew up in the US and is currently playing for the Groningen Giants. Now, he is experiencing a turnaround in his sport - from amateur level to professional. Last year, the team made it to the semi-finals of the biggest Dutch league - previously unthinkable. “This is partly due to the board, partly due to the new coaching we got from the US and the players who are now involved,” Wolkahof tells The Glass Room. “The fascinating thing about the sport is that there is room for all kinds of athletes, which means we have small fast guys, big strong guys and somehow everyone finds a place in the team”.

Groningen Giants training session © Carl Wolkahof

According to a study by Vegas Insider, the Netherlands holds the seventh place in the list of European nations with the greatest interest in the Super Bowl. The countries that enjoy it the most are the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Interest in Germany, in particular, has grown enormously since 2014, as can be seen from the statistics.

By Amelie Janssen, stats by Statista 

Niklas Fleige, a German student in Groningen, discovered his interest in the sport through television and a game on the PlayStation. “My great-aunt is 88 years old, and she started watching American football last year, simply because it's broadcast on TV,” he tells The Glass Room.

Yonatan Kibrom has also been watching the Super Bowl for years and considers himself a fan. He lives in Groningen, the Netherlands, but is originally from Hamburg in Germany. He’s found like-minded friends in both places who share his passion for American Football, with the Super Bowl standing out. “A friend of mine will host it this year, and he definitely cooked a lot,” Kibrom tells The Glass Room,” It's all about eating and just having fun and watching football until late at night.”

Although Kibrom considers himself a fan of the sport, he has never watched a Groningen Giants game. “It's outside, it's cold and I didn't even know we had a team here until recently,” he tells The Glass Room. It will take a while for the sport to really catch on in Europe, but it will probably never surpass football. According to Kibrom, the sport is still too new, and the popularity of a sport – like soccer in Germany - is mainly due to generational transfer. However, personally, he finds it much more interesting than soccer. “You just try to outsmart yourself like in chess,” he says.

Niklas Fliege and a friend at a football game © Niklas Fliege