The NFL’s (www.NFL.com) UK based Academy program has announced its game schedule for the upcoming season as the program marks the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
Welcoming 70 individuals from 21 different countries to the roster, the NFL’s elite player development program based in Loughborough, U.K., supports talented student athletes from across the world.
Following strong performances during the 2025 season, the Academy will once again face key matchups against four highly regarded U.S. teams, alongside an expanded European schedule that includes hosting two German sides at Loughborough, and away fixtures in Spain and Austria.
The team’s season will kick off at home in Loughborough, U.K., on Aug. 20th against Marietta High School from Marietta, Georgia. The Blue Devils will travel more than 4,000 miles to open their 2026 season against the Academy. The game will be streamed live on the NFL UK & Ireland YouTube channel (https://apo-opa.co/4zrQ7Qw)
The Academy then travels to the U.S. for back-to-back fixtures in Ohio, taking on Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron on Aug. 28th, before facing Massillon High School on Sep. 4. Both programs rank among the most decorated in Ohio high school football.
On Oct. 6, the NFL Academy return to the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they will face Friendship Bowl Academy from Mexico in the second meeting between the Academy and Mexican opposition, following a first-ever fixture in Madrid last season
The final match-up against U.S. opposition sees the NFL Academy return to Bradenton, Florida, for a meeting with IMG Academy on Oct. 16. The meeting has become a regular date on the program’s calendar.
On the sidelines, Kris Durham continues in his role as Head of the NFL’s UK based Academy program, having been appointed in Sep. 2025. The 2026-27 academic year will see over 50 NFL Academy alumni playing NCAA college football, with more than 30 set to feature in Division I.
“Every season brings a new group of athletes with different backgrounds, and our job is to give each of them the environment to reach their potential,” said Kris Durham, head of the NFL’s UK based Academy program. “This schedule will test us against some of the best high school programs in the U.S. and the strongest youth sides in Europe, and that is exactly the standard our student athletes need if they are going to earn opportunities on and off the field.”
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NFL’s UK Based Academy 2026-27 Season Schedule:
- Aug. 20: Marietta High School – Loughborough, U.K.
- Aug. 28: Archbishop Hoban High School – Akron, Ohio, U.S.
- Sep. 4: Massillon High School – Massillon, Ohio, U.S.
- Sep. 12: GB Football Development – Loughborough, U.K.
- Sep. 19: Programm Berlin – Loughborough, U.K.
- Sep. 26: AVO Academy – Loughborough, U.K.
- Oct. 3: Benelux Football – Loughborough, U.K.
- Oct. 6: Friendship Bowl Academy – London, U.K.
- Oct. 16: IMG Academy – Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
- Nov. 7: Spanish National Team U19 – Madrid, Spain
- Nov. 14: Team Austria U19 – Innsbruck, Austria
NFL’s UK Based Academy 2026-27 Roster:
|
Country |
Athlete(s) |
|
Australia / Egypt (1) |
Hamza El-Ghobashy (OL) |
|
Australia / Samoa (1) |
Zarius Matavoa (DL/TE) |
|
Austria (2) |
Lennox Imina-Osemwegie (LB/RB), Mauricio Pires (WR) |
|
Austria / Syria (1) |
Shams Alnusyrat (DL) |
|
Belgium (1) |
Stan Pichon (WR/DB) |
|
Canada (6) |
Nathan Morris (RB), Viktor Lachambre (QB), Andrew Gomon (RB), Zian Iseghohi (LB), Chris Kaleba (DB), Brendan McCausland (TE) |
|
Denmark (2) |
Silas Floche (TE), Julius Lefevre (OL) |
|
Finland (3) |
Aukusti Hugaerts (DB), Terho Vainio (LB), Oliver Lehtinen (OL) |
|
France (3) |
Andrea Balay (LB), Matheo Sompa (LB), Hugo Moutou (LB) |
|
Germany (13) |
Yasir Sani (LB), Dawens Albers (DB), Shaq Cisse (DB), Arved Mohr (QB), Jamil Secka (WR/DB), Oluwakemi Adeoshun (LB), Paul Krause (K/P), Sem Wohlgemuth (LB), Adeola Werner (OLB/TE), Hannes Schmidt (LB), Obinna Esiogu (DL), Benny Kubat (DL), Leo Schoske (DL) |
|
Germany / Greece (1) |
Niko Kampas (OL) |
|
Ivory Coast / France (1) |
Illias Tadjer (RB) |
|
Japan (2) |
Alan Taniguchi (DB), Leon Donato (WR) |
|
Mexico (8) |
Emiliano Albarran (LB), Diego Garcia (WR), Diego Tamez (QB), Armando Gamborino (WR/DB), Patricio Manzano (RB), Maximiliano Guerrero (OL), Matias Ortiz (OL), Leonardo Rois (RB/DB) |
|
Nigeria (2) |
Victor Yakchan (DL), Augustine Irek (DL) |
|
Norway (1) |
Tobias Gadeberg (DL) |
|
Spain (1) |
Tom Gabarro (DB/WR) |
|
Switzerland (1) |
Idriss Mougin (WR) |
|
UK (19) |
Aston Peterkin (WR), Devon Myrie (TE/DB), Malachy McMahon (WR), Israel Adelanwa (DB), Max O'Grady (LB), Jude Morais-Trigg (WR), Lucas Yeo (RB/LS), Ashley Daniel (DB), Mubarak Olalekan (OLB), Hugo Short (TE), Alfie Galloway (OL), Exauce Muteba (DL), John Denbigh (OL), Tyrone Stolarcyzk (OL), Adam Ibironke (OL), Riley Watt (OL), Seb Delzoppo (WR), Ewan Kite (TE), LJ Chanakira (DL) |
|
UK / New Zealand (1) |
Corey Pyke (DL) |
NFL Academy graduates who have signed for the 2026-27 season:
- Bruno Werner, Germany (OL) – Boston College Eagles
- Jonas Kanyanga, United Kingdom/DRC (DL) – NAU Lumberjacks
- Luca Wolf, Austria/Philippines (TE) – Tennessee Volunteers
- Luke Francis, United Kingdom (DL) – Florida State Seminoles
- Moritz Strempel, Germany (OLB) – UMass Minutemen
- Nikau Hepi, New Zealand (OL) – Florida State Seminoles
- Matthew Okunade, United Kingdom/Zimbabwe (WR) – Augustana University Vikings
- Meshach Arthur, United Kingdom/Italy/Ghana (OLB) – Minot State Beavers
- Rafael Varona-Blakstad, United Kingdom/Cuba (WR) – Mary Marauders
- Seb Harris, United Kingdom/Jamaica (WR) – Mary Marauders
- Thayrancel Pinas, Netherlands/Suriname (WR) – Mary Marauders
- Theo Andall, UK/Jamaica/Grenada (OL) – Bowling Green State
- Johannes Mager, Germany (DL) – Rocky Mountain College
- Vili Haapasalo, Finland (TE) – University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Joel Queisser, Germany/Angola/DRC (LB) – Mississippi Valley State
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Football League (NFL).
About the NFL Academy:
The NFL Academy program offers talented student athletes a pathway to combine their full-time education with intensive training in American football, under the guidance of a professional coaching team. The program began in the U.K. serving student-athletes from across the world and has expanded recently to Australia to also service student-athletes across the APAC region.
In the U.K., the NFL Academy is based at Loughborough’s world-renowned center of sporting excellence and in partnership with Loughborough College and Loughborough University. The program promotes world class performance and the development of elite player pathways, supporting student athletes (aged 16-19) with NFL best practices and resources. In April 2026, Seydou Traoré became the first NFL Academy graduate to be selected in the NFL Draft, taken by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round
The NFL APAC Academy in the region, located on Australia’s Gold Coast, opened in Sep. 2024 in partnership with A.B. Paterson College and supported by the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland State Government (for athletes aged 12-18).
