As Austria graces the world stage at a fourth IFAF World Junior Championships, head coach Roman Floredo will take charge of his nation’s junior squad for the last time in Edmonton, leaving behind a legacy of success.
When Floredo took over from Chris Calaycay in 2017, Austria had won three titles straight European Championship titles, establishing themselves as the dominant team on the continent since 2011. Floredo simply continued to win, securing three more European crowns in 2019, 2022 and 2023, and will step down from the helm once he has challenged the world in Canada.
Austria kicks off the 2024 tournament in the opening game at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, with a clash against Canada 2 at 11am on Saturday, June 22. Either Canada or Brazil lies in wait on Wednesday, June 26 to decide the order of medal or placement games to be played on Sunday, June 30.
“I am very pleased that we were able to keep coach Floredo to contest the World Championships as the last highlight of this part of his career,” said AFBÖ General Secretary Christoph Seyrl of the head coach who celebrates his 42nd birthday two days before flying to Canada. “We are very excited to see how the team will do in on the world stage compared with in Europe.”
In September last year Austria beat hosts Sweden 42-24 in Örebro to retain their stranglehold on Europe. Wide receiver and game MVP Nils Keimel caught two first half touchdowns having passed for the game’s opening score and was virtually unplayable as Austria tore into a 28-3 halftime lead. Tim Tonko rushed for a touchdown in each half, while quarterback Michael Szabo threw for a pair of scores.
The raising of the age limit for the 2024 world championships from U19 to U20 means that the members of Austria’s successful roster remain eligible to participate, including that triple offensive threat of Szabo, Keimel and Tonko. On the defensive side of the ball, Noel Swancar of the Vienna Vikings is already a two-time European champion, with both the U19 and men's national teams.
Despite his youth, quarterback Szabo has already made numerous appearances for the Vikings, including playing in Austrian Bowl XXXVIII. The 45-man roster boasts three players who represent AFL Division 1 players, three from the European League of Football and 39 from the Austrian Football League.
Austria’s previous appearance in the IFAF World Junior Championships came in 2019 when the age limit denied many players who had become the kings of Europe from traveling to Harbin in China in 2016. Austria fell 65-14 to the United States, having taken a surprise 6-0 first quarter lead then lost 46-7 to Mexico. Victory came in a battle with Australia for fifth place overall as the Austrians won 43-13.
In 2014 in Kuwait, Austria finished fourth overall having entered the competition as the eighth seed. France was beaten 24-7 and the hosts by 64 unanswered points before Austria lost 36-7 to Canada to finish second in Group A. An agonizing single point loss to Mexico by 31-30 denied Austria the bronze medal.
A third place finish had also proved just out of reach two years earlier in a 7-0 defeat to Japan at the 2012 finals in Austin, Texas. Austria had seen off the challenge of Panama 40-0 in the opening game but were no match for the United States in a 70-7 semifinal defeat.
Tickets for single games, Canada Passes, and Tournament Passes are now on sale through TicketMaster and from the tournament website https://worldjrfootballchampionships.com.
2024 IFAF World Junior Championships Schedule
Saturday, June 22 Commonwealth Stadium 12pm USA vs. Panama (Game 2) 5pm Canada vs. Brazil (Game 4) Clarke Stadium 11am Canada 2 vs. Austria (Game 1) 4pm Japan vs. Australia (Game 3) Wednesday, June 26 Commonwealth Stadium 12pm W2 vs. W3 5pm W1 vs. W4 Clarke Stadium 11am L2 vs. L3 4pm L1 vs. L4 Sunday, June 30 Commonwealth Stadium 12pm Bronze Medal Game 5pm Gold Medal Game Clarke Stadium 11am Seventh & Eighth Place Game 4pm Fifth & Sixth Place GamePast winners and host cities 2009: Canton, Ohio, USA: United States 41, Canada 3 2012: Austin, Texas, USA: Canada 23, United States 17 2014: Kuwait City, Kuwait: United States 40, Canada 17 2016: Harbin, China: Canada 24, United States 6 2018: Mexico City, Mexico: Canada 14, Mexico 7
Photo: ©AFBÖ
