Vienna Vikings

The Vienna Vikings are a professional American football team from Vienna, Austria, established in 1983. They are a powerhouse in European football, with five Eurobowl championships (2004–2007 and 2013) and five runner-up finishes (2001, 2003, 2008, 2010, and 2012). Domestically, they hold the record for most Austrian Bowl wins, with 15 titles. Since 2026, the first team has competed in the American Football League Europe (AFLE), while the second team remains in the Austrian Football League (AFL).

The club reached its first Austrian Bowl in 1986, losing to the Graz Giants. Their first national championship came in 1994, with another in 1996. From 1999 onward, they won five consecutive Austrian Bowls, all against the Giants, and by 2007 had accumulated ten national titles. Between 2012 and 2017, they added four more. In European competition, they participated in the BIG6 European Football League from 2014 to 2018.

The team has undergone several naming changes: Vienna Vikings (1983–1998), Chrysler Vikings (1999–2005), Dodge Vikings Vienna (2006–2007), Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna (2008–2014), back to Vienna Vikings (2015–2016), and Dacia Vienna Vikings (2017–2022). Notable individuals include executive George Paton (played defensive back in 1993), quarterback Mark Helfrich (1997), youth and senior player Bernhard Seikovits, youth player Bernhard Raimann, defensive coordinator Stacy Collins (1999–2001), running back Tony Hunt (2011), and head coach Thomas Smythe (1994–2006).

In September 2021, the Vikings announced their first team would join the European League of Football (ELF) for the 2022 season, alongside league rival Tyrolean Raiders. The ELF team operates as a private corporation (GesmbH) owned by the voluntary association, with the former AFL coaching staff retained. It plays in the Central Conference and can sign up to six European foreign players and four from the US, Canada, Mexico, or Japan. Business lawyer and former AFL quarterback Robin Lumsden became co-owner and investor at the start of the 2022 season. Home games that year were played at Generali Arena Vienna until soccer club Austria Wien withdrew consent, forcing the semifinal to the football center Ravelin (900 spectators), where the Vikings beat Barcelona Dragons 39–12. They then won the championship 27–15 against the Hamburg Sea Devils in Klagenfurt.

For 2023, quarterback Chris Helbig joined from the Potsdam Royals. Most home games moved to Hohe Warte Stadium, with the opener at Generali Arena. The team went 12–0 in the regular season but lost the semifinal 33–40 to Stuttgart Surge at Generali Arena (10,108 attendance). In 2024, the Vikings debuted a new logo for the ELF team. Four home games were at Wiener Neustadt Arena, the rest at Generali Arena. With quarterback Ben Holmes, they again won all regular-season games, then beat Paris Musketeers 47–31 in the semifinal (10,981 attendance). In the championship at Arena Auf Schalke (41,364 crowd), they lost 20–51 to the defending champions. The Vikings won the ELF title in 2022 and were runners-up in 2024 and 2025.