Nationalligaen (NL) is the top American football league in Denmark founded in 1988. It is organized by the Danish American Football Federation. The league finale and the winning trophy is called Mermaid Bowl.

Nationalligaen
SportAmerican football
Founded1988
No. of teams4
Country Denmark
Most recent
champion(s)
Copenhagen Towers
Most titlesCopenhagen Towers (12)
Relegation toKvalligaen
Official websiteDAFF

The Copenhagen Towers won the 2024 finale for a record twelfth time, defeating the 89ers 33–14.

Teams in 2024

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Mermaid Bowl

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The Mermaid Bowl is the DAFF championship game, the Danish equivalent of the NFL's Super Bowl. The name is taken from the famous Little Mermaid, a symbol of Denmark. The first final, in 1988, was not played under the Mermaid Bowl name and was won by the Copenhagen Vikings (later named the Copenhagen Towers).[1]

# Date Winner Runner-Up Score Venue
1988 Copenhagen Vikings Odense Swans 33–6
I 1989 Copenhagen Vikings Odense Swans 17–13
II 1990 Herning Hawks Odense Swans 20–14
III 1991 Aarhus Tigers Odense Swans 27–0
IV 1992 Copenhagen Towers Herning Hawks 78–50
V 1993 Copenhagen Towers Odense Swans 48–33
VI 1994 Copenhagen Towers Herning Hawks 46–7
VII 1995 Copenhagen Towers Aarhus Tigers 35–20
VIII 1996 Roskilde Kings Copenhagen Towers 62–48
IX 1997 Roskilde Kings Kronborg Knights 56–37
X 1998 Aarhus Tigers Kronborg Knights 48–20
XI 1999 Aarhus Tigers Kronborg Knights 28–0
XII 2000 Aarhus Tigers Roskilde Kings 49–6
XIII 2001 Roskilde Kings Greve Monarchs 17–10
XIV 2002 Avedøre Monarchs Roskilde Kings 27–25
XV 2003 Avedøre Monarchs Roskilde Kings 28–14
XVI 2004 Avedøre Monarchs Herning Hawks 41–12
XVII 2005 Roskilde Kings Kronborg Knights 23–6
XVIII 2006 Triangle Razorbacks Kronborg Knights 21–16
XIX 2007 Triangle Razorbacks Avedøre Monarchs 32–20
XX 2008 Triangle Razorbacks Søllerød Gold Diggers 55–24
XXI October 3, 2009 Søllerød Gold Diggers Triangle Razorbacks 10–0
XXII October 2, 2010 Søllerød Gold Diggers Triangle Razorbacks 13–0 Farum Park, Farum [2]
XXIII October 8, 2011 Triangle Razorbacks Søllerød Gold Diggers 35–31 Farum Park, Farum [3]
XXIV October 6, 2012 Triangle Razorbacks Søllerød Gold Diggers 34–29 Vejle Stadium, Vejle [4]
XXV October 12, 2013 Copenhagen Towers Triangle Razorbacks 28–21 AutoC Park, Randers [5]
XXVI October 11, 2014 Copenhagen Towers Aarhus Tigers 26–3 AutoC Park, Randers [6]
XXVII October 10, 2015 Triangle Razorbacks Søllerød Gold Diggers 21–17 Energi Viborg Arena, Viborg [7]
XXVIII October 8, 2016 Triangle Razorbacks Copenhagen Towers 22–18 CASA Arena, Horsens [8]
XXIX October 7, 2017 Copenhagen Towers Søllerød Gold Diggers 20–7 Harboe Arena, Slagelse [9]
XXX October 13, 2018 Copenhagen Towers Triangle Razorbacks 23–22 Harboe Arena, Slagelse [10]
XXXI October 5, 2019 Triangle Razorbacks Copenhagen Towers 20–14 Gladsaxe Stadium
2020 season abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic – no final played
XXXII October 9, 2021 Copenhagen Towers Søllerød Gold Diggers 24–7 Vejle Atletikstadion, Vejle [11]
XXXIII September 24, 2022 Copenhagen Towers Søllerød Gold Diggers 32–17 Blue Water Arena, Esbjerg [12]
XXXIV October 7, 2023 Copenhagen Towers Søllerød Gold Diggers 50–36 Gladsaxe Stadium
XXXV October 5, 2024 Copenhagen Towers Aalborg 89ers 33–14 Gentofte Sportspark

References

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  1. ^ "Mermaid Bowl vindere" [Mermaid Bowl Winners]. daff.dk (in Danish).
  2. ^ "Gold Diggers gewinnen Mermaid Bowl XXII". football-aktuell.de (in German). 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  3. ^ "Razorbacks gewinnen Mermaid Bowl". football-aktuell.de (in German). 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  4. ^ "Historie". razorbacks.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Towers lösen Razorbacks ab". football-aktuell.de. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Towers Top Tigers; Copenhagen Wins Historic Sixth Mermaid Bowl". americanfootballinternational.com. 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  7. ^ "Triangle Razorbacks Stage Fourth Quarter Rally To Take Danish Title". americanfootballinternational.com. 2015-10-13. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  8. ^ "Triangle Razorbacks Win Denmark's Mermaid Bowl in a Thriller". americanfootballinternational.com. 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  9. ^ "Copenhagen Towers capture 7th Danish title, down Søllerød Gold Diggers to win Mermaid Bowl XXIX". americanfootballinternational.com. 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  10. ^ "Tæt Mermaid Bowl ender med sejr til Copenhagen Towers". mermaidbowl.dk (in Danish). 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  11. ^ "Copenhagen Towers seize Mermaid Bowl XXXII thanks to dominant tail end". 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  12. ^ "Towers vinder tiende Mermaid Bowl" (in Danish). 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2022-12-14.