German Bowl XLII
The 42nd German Bowl in 2021 crowned the Dresden Monarchs as champions, beating the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns 28–19 in Frankfurt at Waldstadion on October 9, with 14,378 fans in attendance. This was Dresden’s first German championship and the first title for a team from the New States of Germany. The 2021 season was the first after COVID-19 canceled the 2020 season, and it also saw changes in the European football scene, including the new ELF.
Dresden, coming off a 9–1 regular season in the GFL North, faced a perfect 10–0 Hall from the GFL South. Hall had eliminated the defending champion Braunschweig Lions in the quarterfinals. In a back-and-forth battle, Dresden took an early lead, Hall answered, and the first half ended with Hall ahead 12–7. In the second half, Dresden surged back. A key moment came when Dresden’s defense forced a crucial turnover, helping set up a late scoring drive. Dresden took the lead with a field goal, and then sealed the win with a 16-yard touchdown pass from K. J. Carta-Samuels to Radim Kalous and a successful two-point conversion.
Hall pushed hard in the final minutes, but a missed field goal as time expired ended their comeback and secured Dresden’s first German Bowl title.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:34 (CET).