Spain bounced back from a narrow defeat in the opening game of the IFAF U19 European Championships last month with a convincing road victory in Czechia and newcomer Israel almost upset Italy, falling narrowly by four points.
Spain head coach Óscar Calatayud led his team to a convincing 43-14 win against a Czechia team they last faced in 2023.
Italy and Israel were in action for the first time in the 2026/27 cycle. Italy head coach Giorgio Longhi’s new generation of U19 players opened a 14-0 first quarter lead but then conceded three unanswered touchdowns as first time competitors Israel took an unexpected 21-14 advantage into halftime. Not until the fourth quarter did the hosts score the winning touchdown.
A Bassi 60-yard punt return to the end zone and Gotti’s extra point edged Italy ahead, followed by a 19-yard scoring pass from Marzullo to Diop for a 14-0 advantage. Israel took command of the second quarter to wrestle control. Eisenberg’s 13-yard touchdown grab from Arbel, a 23-yard Klein run, Arbel’s 15-yard pass to Fried and three extra points from Assouline opened the seven-point advantage at the interval.
Belli’s interception led to a 31-yard Gotti field goal to pull back to within three points, but Israel replied with an Arbel to Kozadayev connection and a 28-18 lead following Assouline’s point after.
Marzullo’s quarterback sneak for a touchdown and a two-point conversion pass to Diop meant Italy trailed by only three points again. Having had a 100-yard interception return to the end zone called back, a second Marzullo to Diop connection for a touchdown proved to be the game winning score.
The action continues in September when Austria (1-0) faces Czechia (0-1) in Group A, Sweden (0-1) hosts Italy (1-0) in Group B, and the Group C winner will be decided when Germany (1-0) takes on Finland (1-0) and Hungary (0-1) travels to Poland (0-1).
IFAF U19 European Championships Schedule
Group A Austria 1-0 Spain 1-1 Czechia 0-1
April 4 Spain 7 Austria 17
May 10 Czechia 14 Spain 43
September 19/20 Austria vs Czechia
Group B Italy 1-0 Israel 1-1 Sweden 0-1
Israel 1 Sweden 0 (Sweden forfeit)
May 10 Italy 32 Israel 28
September 19/20 Sweden vs Italy
Group C Germany 1-0 Finland 1-0 Poland 0-1 Hungary 0-1
April 4 Finland 16 Poland 13 Germany 79 Hungary 7 (hosted by Hungary)
September 19/20 (home teams TBC) Germany vs Finland Poland vs Hungary
2027
March 27/28/29 Group 1-3: C1 vs A1 Group 4-6: A2 vs C2 Group 7-10: SF1 / SF2
May 8/9 Group 1-3: B1 vs C1 Group 4-6: B2 vs A2
September 18/19 Group 1-3: A1 vs B1 Group 4-6: C2 vs B2 Group 7-10: 7th-8th Place / 9th-10th Place
