SEASONS
This page summarises key British Football League Playoffs and highlights for all seasons since 2015, the BFL's inaugural season, up to and including the 2026 BFL season, its 12th season.
This page summarises key British Football League Playoffs and highlights for 2015-present seasons.
BFL standings and playoff results are based on the performance of each team’s assigned NFL affiliate. Full details on affiliate selection, standings calculation, tie rules, and playoff procedures are available on the BFL Rules & Structure page.
BFL Playoff results for both the British and United Conferences and BFL Bowl can be found here.
REGULAR SEASON GAMES
| SEASONS | # |
|---|---|
| 2015-2019 | 10 |
| 2020-2024 | 12 |
| 2025-PRESENT | 10 |
Future changes
2027 BFL Season
This will be the 13th BFL season.
2027 BFL Bowl will be held at Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
From 2027, NFL Affiliates top seeds will be matched against the BFL top seed per conference from seeds #1-#8 from the previous season with effect from the 2026 NFL season.
2028 BFL Season
This will be the 14th BFL season.
2028 BFL Bowl will be held at Old Trafford, Manchester.
From 2028, the BFL will expand to 24 teams with NFL Affiliates top seeds matched against the BFL top seed per conference from seeds #1-#8 and seeds #9-#12 for the expansion teams in alphabetical order from the previous season with effect from the 2027 NFL season.
Playoffs will expand to 12 teams, made up of six division champions/three per conference and six wild card teams/three per conference who have the next best records outside of the division champions.
PLAYOFFS (2015–)
2026 BFL Season
This will be the 12th BFL season.
This will be final season in which the BFL Bowl will be held at Wembley Stadium, London.
Due to changes in the BFL Rules announced prior to the 2026 season, Division Champions are now automatically given the top two seeds, compared to previous seasons and this will be the final season in which each BFL team is assigned an NFL affiliate based on the previous NFL season’s playoff field and matched alphabetically by City/Region of the NFL team.
2026 BFL SEASON SCHEDULE
| Kickoff | SEPT 10 |
| END | NOV 24 (WEEK 11*) |
| Playoffs** | |
|---|---|
| Conference Semi-Finals | November 25-30 (Week 12) |
| Conference Championships | December 4-8 (Week 13) |
| BFL Bowl | December 11-14 (Week 14) |
| 2027 BFL Draft | January 2027^ |
* NFL Week 11 determines the Playoffs teams.
** BFL Playoffs weeks align with the NFL Weeks 12-14 and are subject to change.
^ Last week of the NFL regular season or sooner if NFL Playoffs teams are announced earlier and the final two places.
2025 BFL Season
This was the 11th BFL season.
BFL returned to a 10 game/11 week regular season; expanded to 16 teams with a new conferences realignment with Humberside Destroyers, Sheffield Surge, Avon Fire and Leicester Stallions joining.
BFL playoffs expanded to 8 teams with the realignment of the Conference Playoffs.
BFL Championship Game was renamed the BFL Bowl.
BFL Bowl Champion: Humberside Destroyers
Runner‑Up: Birmingham Bandits
Playoff Teams: Humberside, Tyneside, Merseyside, Yorkshire, Sherwood Forest, Leicester, Birmingham, Sussex
Notes
Humberside won their first BFL Championship in their debut season.
2024 BFL Season
This was the 10th BFL season.
BFL Championship Game Champions: London Monarchs
Runner‑Up: Manchester Demons
Playoff Teams: Tyneside, Manchester, Caledonian, London, Sussex and Welsh
Notes
London won their 2nd BFL Championship.
2023 BFL Season
This was the 9th BFL season.
BFL Championship Game Champion: Sussex Pirates
Runner‑Up: Caledonian Knights
Playoff Teams: Caledonian, Tyneside, Scottish, Sussex, Birmingham, and Thames Valley
Notes
Sussex won their 1st BFL Championship.
2022 BFL Season
This was the 8th BFL season.
BFL Championship Game Champion: London Monarchs
Runner‑Up: Caledonian Knights
Playoff Teams: Caledonian, Merseyside, Manchester, London, Thames Valley and Welsh
Notes
London won their 1st BFL Championship.
2021 BFL Season
This was the 7th BFL season.
Both Merseyside Centurions (Liverpool, England) and Thames Valley Thunder (Milton Keynes, England) joined as the league expanded to 12 teams.
BFL Championship Game Champion: Scottish Claymores
Runner‑Up: London Monarchs
Playoff Teams: Scottish, Caledonian, Yorkshire, Welsh, London, and Sherwood Forest
Notes
Scottish won their 4th BFL Championship.
2020 BFL Season
This was the 6th BFL season.
Season switched from a 10 games/11 week regular season to a 12 games/13 week regular season and the BFL playoffs expanded to a six teams/three rounds tournament with the introduction of the Division Semi-Finals.
BFL Championship Game Champion: Sherwood Forest Outlaws
Runner‑Up: Caledonian Knights
Playoff Teams: Tyneside, Manchester, Caledonian, Sherwood Forest, Birmingham, and Welsh
Notes
Sherwood Forest won their 1st BFL Championship and the season expanded to 12 games.
2019 BFL Season
This was the 5th BFL season.
Both Caledonian Knights (Glasgow, Scotland) and Sherwood Forest Outlaws (Nottingham, England) joined as the league expanded to 10 teams.
BFL Championship Game Champion: Scottish Claymores
Runner‑Up: Welsh Dragons
Playoff Teams: Yorkshire, Scottish, Manchester, Sussex, Welsh, and London
Notes
Scottish won their 3rd BFL Championship and the playoffs expanded to 6 teams.
2018 BFL Season
This was the 4th BFL season.
BFL Championship Game Champion: Scottish Claymores
Runner‑Up: Birmingham Bandits
Playoff Teams: Scottish, Yorkshire, Sussex and Birmingham
Notes
Scottish won their 2nd BFL Championship and 3rd consecutive game to feature both teams.
2017 BFL Season
This was the 3rd BFL season.
BFL Championship Game Champion: Scottish Claymores
Runner‑Up: Birmingham Bandits
Playoff Teams: Scottish, Yorkshire, Welsh and Birmingham
Notes
Scottish won their 1st BFL Championship and 2nd consecutive game to feature both teams.
2016 BFL Season
This was the 2nd BFL season.
BFL Championship Game Champion: Birmingham Bandits
Runner‑Up: Scottish Claymores
Playoff Teams: Yorkshire, Scottish, Welsh and Birmingham
Notes
Birmingham won their 2nd BFL Championship.
2015 BFL Season
This was the 1st BFL season.