During the buildup to the 2025 Euro Flag 2025, IFAF has posed three questions to the head coaches of the men’s and women’s teams ranked in the Top Six in the world, who are about to compete for continental glory.

Austria men’s team head coach Michael Salamon is a former national team quarterback and had the opportunity to coach the men’s national team in 2020. He does not have a tackle football background except for one year as a player and watching games on all levels. He comes from the offensive side of the game but has also coached defense.

Austria won the silver medal at the 2024 IFAF World Championships in Finland and is the world’s second-ranked nation.

What are the goals for your team in this tournament?

As the number one-ranked team we are naturally aiming for the gold medal, though competition is hard, so a medal is the designated goal. Nevertheless, we need to go step by step and have to deliver in every single game to achieve the minimum, which is qualification for the 2026 IFAF World Championships.

What will be the strengths of your team?

Without going into detail, the biggest strength of the team would be, that it really is a team and not a collection of individuals. All guys are equally talented and working hard for each other. Of course you should watch everybody.

What do you think of the group you have been drawn into?

It’s an interesting group to play in as it brings different challenges. Big names like Great Britain and Spain will provide tough tasks, but we shouldn’t underestimate Croatia and the Netherlands either. We’ve played Georgia already in Ireland when they debuted on international stage, so it will be interesting to see their development.

Photo: Ian Humes