Vikings challenge defending champion Rhein Fire in the ELF final

More than 40,000 fans are expected at the ELF final in the Schalke Arena. “It’s the biggest game for us,” says Finn Elmeri Laalo, who has been playing in Vienna for two years. The winner of the final can definitely call themselves record champions.

The Vienna Vikings can create the perfect season in the European League of Football on Sunday (3:30 p.m./live ORF Sport+, Puls24). Head coach Chris Calaycay’s undefeated team will challenge defending champions Rhein Fire from Germany in the final in Gelsenkirchen in front of over 40,000 fans. Both clubs are aiming for their second title, and the winner can call themselves record champions. “These are the top teams in Europe, it can be a high-scoring game,” said Calaycay.

The Vikings won the strongest European football competition in their debut season in 2022. A year later, Rhein Fire triumphed, the team of NFL-experienced head coach Jim Tomsula remained undefeated. The Viennese, who won all of their twelve regular season games and the semifinal (47:31 against Paris Musketeers), could now do the same. The crowning glory will take place in Schalke’s football temple, where a record crowd of fans awaits both teams.

Like the Super Bowl?

“In many ways, this is the biggest game for us. It’s the biggest stadium with the biggest number of spectators. And it’s at the highest sporting level,” explained Calaycay at a media event in Vienna. “We’re playing in Germany against a German team, and it’s going to be very loud.” This is our chance to show what we can do on a stage like this.” Vikings quarterback Ben Holmes saw it similarly: “It’s not a match like any other. But at the end of the day, you go out and line up against another football team. We’re trying to keep it simple.”

Rhein Fire is playing a home game and is considered a favorite, especially in Germany. The team led by star running back Glen Toonga lost a game today, but it was against the Madrid Bravos (10:22) at the beginning of June. Since then, the Düsseldorf team, which plays its home games in Duisburg, has got into shape and is on the road to victory. In the semifinals, Stuttgart Surge was defeated in a rain-soaked thriller with 29:23 after overtime.

No underdog

Calaycay has a lot of respect for Tomsula’s team, but does not see his team as an underdog. “I think we are underestimated by the media.” It was said that we had the easiest opponents, a bad conference and that we are not as good as everyone thought. But there are facts: We are undefeated in two regular seasons in a row,” said the 48-year-old. Holmes added: “We have a really good team together.” We all have a lot of trust in each other and that is how we want to perform. You can’t be afraid in games like this. You have to leave everything on the field.”

Both teams have never played against each other, so the final contains a number of unknown variables. Fire star Toonga, who has already scored 31 touchdowns this season, is not one of them. The 29-year-old Briton met the Vikings in the final two years ago, back then with the Hamburg Sea Devils – and came up short. The Vikings now want to stop the running back again. Calaycay can quickly draw on his full squad. “We are healthier than ever, we are only missing two players.”

The Finnish touch

The dream of the perfect season is not important for the team from Simmering, which is flying to Germany on Friday. “We start every week from zero, as if the previous match no longer existed.” You keep trying to make it 1-0. “I only think about Rhein Fire and want to be 1-0 again at the end of the week,” explained US playmaker Holmes. Calaycay has introduced this “1-and-0 routine”. “It’s always just the one week that we play that counts.” We want to stay undefeated, 1-0. That’s written on our clothes and in every text message I write to the team.”

Elmeri Laalo, 23, is one of four Finns in the Vienna team. The business administration student from Helsinki and former military reconnaissance officer has been working in defence for two years. He speaks calmly about his job (“We’ve been here for six months, soon we’ll be going home”), and praises Vienna and the club (“Really unmatched in Europe”). He has a fellow countryman to thank for the fact that he’s playing here, who once sent him a text message asking if he wanted to play here. Then everything took its course and he can win Europe’s crown on Sunday. Not insignificant for Finland, the country of ice hockey players, cross-country skiers and rally drivers. At the Olympics in Paris, they scored a zero, like Austria in 2012. There are no more athletics or swimming winners. Instead, there are other sports that the younger generation likes more. Like football. And that’s why a quartet was happy to move to Simmering.