World Bowl XV Memories

June 29, 2007 - NFL Europe holds World Bowl XV as the Hamburg Seadogs defeat the Frankfurt Galaxy.

World Bowl XV holds immense historical significance for American football as it marked the final game in the history of NFL Europa. Hosted at Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, it pitted the Hamburg Sea Devils against the defending champion Frankfurt Galaxy. The Sea Devils emerged victorious with a 37-28 score, claiming their first World Bowl title in a high-scoring affair that set a record for total points in a World Bowl game with 65.

Beyond the on-field action, the significance of this game is underscored by its role as the culmination of years of effort by the NFL to expand American football internationally. What began as the World League of American Football (WLAF) in 1991, later rebranded as NFL Europe and then NFL Europa, served as a developmental league for NFL prospects and a vehicle to cultivate a global fan base. World Bowl XV, therefore, represents the bittersweet end of an era for a league that, while ultimately unsustainable, played a crucial role in expanding the reach and understanding of American football beyond North American borders.

The NFL also announced that this will be the final game for NFL Europa, and that international NFL games will replace it as the world expansion mechanism for American football.