Czechia pulled off their second shock of the 2024/25 IFAF European Championships by winning 13-0 on the road against Sweden to reach the placement games playoff final to contest fifth place in the overall standings in October.

Czechia rocked the 2005 European champions and eight time final four Swedes with two first half field goals and a fourth quarter touchdown and will meet Denmark on home soil in the fall. Their win comes on the back of a group stages 14-7 road win against France, who wore the European crown as recently as 2018.

Two field goals from Marek Hruboň earned a 6-0 halftime lead at the Nobelstadion in Karlskoga. The game’s only touchdown came late on as running back Pavel Prokop found the end zone to secure another famous win as Czechia’s defense then held strong.

Hungary came agonizingly close to upsetting Denmark at the Gentofte Sportspark. The home team Danes had only missed out on a place at the Final Four by a single point, losing 28-27 to Italy in the group stages and were pushed all the way by the visitors.

The Danes led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter but saw a Hungary touchdown reduce the deficit to three points before Denmark scored again to take a 30-21 advantage. After clawing back another score to trail by just two points, Hungary was unable to recover an onside kick attempt, and Denmark ran out the clock.

Hungary will host Sweden in October in the battle to secure seventh place overall.

IFAF European Championships Final Four will determine whether group stages winner Austria, Germany, Finland or Italy are crowned 2024/25 European champions in Krefeld and Dusseldorf on October 25 and 28.