Shamrock Bowl
The Shamrock Bowl is the championship game of the American Football Ireland, the highest level of American football on the island of Ireland, culminating a season that begins in March of the current calendar season. The Shamrock Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, similar to the Super Bowl.
The reigning champions are the Belfast Trojans, who beat UCD 27-0 at Dubarry Park to win Shamrock Bowl XXXVII.
History
From 1986 to 1999, the Shamrock Bowl served as the championship game of the Irish American Football League. This era was dominated by a handful of teams—namely the Craigavon Cowboys, Dublin Celts, Dublin Tornadoes, and Carrickfergus Knights—with at least one of these four teams appearing in every final and each securing multiple titles.Following the re-establishment of the competition under the Irish American Football Association in 2001, the landscape of the Shamrock Bowl shifted. This modern era has been defined by the dominance of several programs, most notably the Dublin Rebels, who have secured a record 10 titles, and the Belfast Trojans, who have claimed the championship 6 times.
The format of the American Football Ireland playoffs has varied over the years but generally involves the top-ranked teams from the Premier Division competing in a postseason bracket. As of 2025, the current format features a four-team playoff, with semifinal matches hosted at the home fields of the top two seeds. The winners advance to the Shamrock Bowl, which is played at a neutral venue as part of a triple-header championship event that also includes the Division 1 Harp Bowl and the women's flag football Claddagh Bowl.