International Football HQ — The Home of Pro Football Outside the NFL
Authentic CFL, WLAF/NFL Europe & International Football Throwbacks. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL.
International Football HQ is the definitive online destination for throwback jerseys, hats, t-shirts, and apparel from every pro football league that ever played outside the United States or with international ambitions. From the Canadian Football League's American expansion era (Las Vegas Posse, Sacramento Gold Miners, Birmingham Barracudas) to the WLAF/NFL Europe years (London Monarchs, Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons), International Football HQ at Royal Retros covers the entire sweep of cross-border, cross-Atlantic, and cross-rules pro football. Free name and number on most styles. Sizes S–5XL.
Shop by League
The International Football HQ collection is your gateway to every international and cross-border pro football league we cover:
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WLAF / NFL Europe — World League of American Football (1991–1992) and its NFL Europe successor (1995–2007): London Monarchs, Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons, Birmingham Fire, Orlando Thunder, Sacramento Surge, Amsterdam Admirals, Rhein Fire, Berlin Thunder.
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Canadian Football League / Football Canada — CFL throwbacks across the league's 100+ year history including the 1990s American expansion teams.
Headline Teams: International Football's Most Beloved Franchises
Las Vegas Posse — The CFL's lone Vegas franchise, a 1994 American-expansion experiment with neon teal-and-purple uniforms and a young Anthony Calvillo at quarterback. Shop the Posse.
London Monarchs — World League of American Football champions in 1991, drawing 61,000+ fans to Wembley Stadium. The flagship of WLAF Europe.
Frankfurt Galaxy — NFL Europe's longest-running franchise (1995–2007), four-time World Bowl champion, and one of the most beloved European football brands.
Barcelona Dragons — The WLAF and NFL Europe franchise that put American football on the map in Spain.
Birmingham Fire — The Magic City's WLAF franchise that drew massive Legion Field crowds in 1991–1992.
Sacramento Surge — 1992 World Bowl champions and the best-attended WLAF North American franchise.
Amsterdam Admirals — Kurt Warner's NFL Europe team. Yes, that Kurt Warner.
Rhein Fire — Two-time World Bowl champions (1998, 2000) and one of the great German football fan experiences.
What You Can Shop
International Football Jerseys — Mesh and twill football jerseys covering CFL, WLAF, and NFL Europe franchises across every era. Free name and number on most jerseys. Sizes S–5XL.
International Football Hats — Snapback, fitted, unstructured dad caps, and trucker styles featuring international team logos.
International Football T-Shirts & Hoodies — Soft cotton tees and pullover hoodies in every league's colorways and eras.
Customization — Free name and number on most jerseys. Custom items are final sale.
Sizes — Small through 5XL on most styles. True family sizing.
Why Royal Retros Is the Home of International Football
- Officially licensed throwbacks across every international football league we cover.
- Free name and number customization on most jerseys.
- Period-correct construction and colorways for CFL, WLAF, and NFL Europe eras.
- Sizes Small through 5XL — true family sizing.
- The widest selection of cross-border and European football apparel anywhere on the web.
- One-stop shop spanning North American, Canadian, and European pro football history.
Quick Buying Questions
What sizes are available?
Small through 5XL on most styles.
Can I customize?
Yes — most jerseys include free name and number. Custom items are final sale.
Is this officially licensed?
Yes. Royal Retros holds the licensing required to make WLAF, NFL Europe, and CFL throwbacks.
How long will my order take?
Stock items ship within a few business days. Custom jerseys typically take 2–3 weeks because each one is sewn to order.
Do you carry both the European NFL Europe teams and the CFL?
Yes. From the WLAF's launch in 1991 through the CFL's 100+ year history, every era is in the catalog.
The History of International Pro Football
American football is a fundamentally American sport — but it has crossed borders more often than most fans remember. From the Canadian Football League's century-long parallel evolution to the NFL's three serious attempts to plant the sport in Europe (and one CFL attempt to plant the sport in the United States), the international story of pro football is rich, weird, and full of cult franchises that died young.
The Canadian Football League — More Than a Century of Cross-Border Football
The CFL traces its roots to 1909 (the first Grey Cup) and stretches in continuous form back to 1958, making it the longest-running pro football league in North America after the NFL. The CFL plays its own version of the game — 12 players per side, 110-yard field, three downs, longer end zones, the rouge — and has produced its own legends across nine franchises that have included the Edmonton Elks (née Eskimos), Toronto Argonauts, Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders, BC Lions, and Ottawa Redblacks (the relaunched franchise that succeeded the Rough Riders and Renegades).
The CFL American Expansion Era (1993–1995) — Las Vegas, Sacramento, Birmingham & Friends
For three remarkable seasons in the early 1990s, the CFL experimented with American franchises. The Sacramento Gold Miners launched in 1993 (later relocating to San Antonio as the Texans). The Las Vegas Posse, Baltimore Stallions (later CFL champion!), Shreveport Pirates, and Birmingham Barracudas joined for 1994. The Memphis Mad Dogs launched for 1995. The Baltimore Stallions famously won the 1995 Grey Cup — the only American team to ever win Canada's championship.
The American CFL teams were doomed by a combination of summer heat (Las Vegas Posse summer afternoons in the desert), small attendance, and the simple fact that American audiences didn't take to Canadian-rules football. The Stallions returned to Canada as the relaunched Montreal Alouettes after 1995. The other American CFL franchises folded.
The WLAF (1991–1992) — The NFL's First European Bet
The World League of American Football launched in March 1991 as the NFL's developmental and international showcase league. The inaugural ten-team format included six North American franchises (Birmingham Fire, Sacramento Surge, Orlando Thunder, San Antonio Riders, Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, Montreal Machine) and three European franchises (London Monarchs, Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons), with the New York-New Jersey Knights rounding out the league.
The London Monarchs won the inaugural World Bowl over the Barcelona Dragons in front of 61,108 fans at Wembley Stadium. The Sacramento Surge won the 1992 World Bowl. The league suspended operations after the 1992 season to restructure. Stan Gelbaugh, Dan Crossman, Reggie Slack, and Stan Brock were among the WLAF stars who'd parlay their WLAF experience into NFL careers.
NFL Europe (1995–2007) — Twelve More Years
The NFL relaunched the league in 1995 as the World League (and rebranded as NFL Europe in 1998 and NFL Europa in 2006), this time as a Europe-only spring developmental circuit. The Frankfurt Galaxy, Rhein Fire, Berlin Thunder, Cologne Centurions, Hamburg Sea Devils, and Amsterdam Admirals played most of the league's history. Frankfurt Galaxy emerged as the franchise of the era with four World Bowl titles. Rhein Fire won two. Hamburg Sea Devils took the final World Bowl in 2007.
NFL Europe's most famous alumnus is Kurt Warner, who played for the Amsterdam Admirals in 1998 before leading the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl championship and earning two NFL MVP awards. Adam Vinatieri, Jake Delhomme, Brad Johnson, and James Harrison all spent time in the league.
NFL Europe folded after the 2007 season as the league redirected its international focus to the NFL International Series, which has played regular-season NFL games in London, Munich, Sao Paulo, and other markets since 2007.
The Players International Football Built
International leagues have launched, sustained, and revived some of the great football careers of the past three decades:
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Kurt Warner — Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe, 1998) before St. Louis Rams Super Bowl XXXIV MVP and Hall of Fame.
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Anthony Calvillo — Las Vegas Posse (CFL, 1994) before becoming the all-time CFL passing leader and Hall of Fame inductee with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes.
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Jake Delhomme — Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe) before quarterbacking the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
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Adam Vinatieri — Amsterdam Admirals before becoming the NFL's all-time leading scorer with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
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Doug Flutie — BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts (CFL) before USFL and a long NFL career.
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Warren Moon — Edmonton Eskimos five-time Grey Cup champion before NFL Hall of Fame.
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Joe Theismann — Toronto Argonauts (CFL) before Washington Redskins Super Bowl champion.
Why International Football Matters
The NFL is the dominant pro football league on Earth, but it has never been the only one — and in many decades, it has not even been the most adventurous. The CFL has played a fundamentally different and equally valid version of football for more than a century. NFL Europe gave us a generation of late-blooming American stars and built a European audience that now fills London's Tottenham Stadium for NFL games every fall. The CFL American expansion gave Las Vegas, Birmingham, San Antonio, and Baltimore a brief taste of pro football years before any of those cities got NFL or USFL franchises.
Royal Retros honors that international history with throwbacks across every league. If you remember when London had the Monarchs, when Frankfurt had the Galaxy, when Las Vegas had the Posse, or when Baltimore won the only American Grey Cup — International Football HQ is the home of your team.
International Football HQ at Royal Retros — Pro Football Without Borders. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL.
Shop International Football HQ
