2022 AFF World Championship
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| Date | 6–27 March 2022 PST | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Rainbow Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Jake Fraser (S.U.) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Terrance Colbert | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance |
56,090 (Peak) 51,019 (Avg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem(s) |
Alyssa Woods (Sierran) Phoenix Orchestra Group (Superian) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Peep Katt and Sophia Moore with Wilhelm Mettenberg | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in Anglo-America | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network |
RBS SBC RTB | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers |
Michael Torrance Jairo Cooke Michael King Saul Sherman | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $6.4 million | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2022 American Football Federation World Championship (AFFWC) was the 27th annual world championship tournament between the various American football clubs organized by the American Football Federation. It was played at the Rainbow Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the preliminary or Bye week beginning on 6 March 2022; the quarterfinals on 13 and 14 March; the semifinals on 20 March; the finals on 26 and 27 March. The title match was played between the Superian club the Green Bay Packers and the Sierran club Porciúncula Falcons. It was the first time the two teams have met in the final round, the eighth overall time both nations have met in the finals, and is the first time the tournament was held in Honolulu. The Packers defeated the Falcons by the score of 39–27.
This was the first championship to be played in front of a full attendance and with complete media coverage since the 2019 final, as the previous two finals were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The games were originally scheduled to be played at the Louis II Stadium in Porciúncula, but following the 2022 North American terror attacks, numerous post-season games amongst the participating leagues would be delayed, leading the AFF executive committee to hold numerous meetings with SAFL officials to assess their original schedule. The championship would ultimately be relocated to the Rainbow Arena in Honolulu with a slightly-different schedule and a strengthened security presence.
After the quarterly and semifinal rounds, the Green Bay Packers (Superior) and the Porciúncula Falcons (Sierra) emerged as the finalists while the San Antonio Colts (Brazoria) would defeat the Seattle Seahawks (Astoria) 41–18 to place third and fourth overall respectively. At the beginning of the title match, Green Bay capitalized on two big plays that were converted into touchdowns. The Packers jumped to a 30–12 lead early in the third quarter with running back Ramon Church's 75-yard touchdown run. During the late third quarter, the Falcons marched 68 yards to score on wide receiver Adrian Sheemes' 16-yard touchdown catch, with a successful conversion to score seven points. In the fourth quarter, Falcons defensive back Henry Goedin's record 76-yard interception return set up a Porciúncula touchdown, limiting the lead 33–27 with seconds left on the clock. Green Bay would respond with Packers quarterback Douglas McKenzie 53-yard touchdown pass to Jake Fraser to clinch the game and firmly position themselves to win. Fraser, who caught 9 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 44 yards, was named that year's World MVP of the sport.
RBS's broadcast of the game was watched by an estimated average of 103.7 million viewers, making it the seventh most watched program in American television history. The halftime show, headlined by Peep Katt and Sophia Moore with Wilhelm Mettenberg, peaked at 120 million viewers, and was widely acclaimed by music critics.
Background
Host-city
Per the annual host rotation, the Kingdom of Sierra was selected to host the world championship. Various executives of the SAFL and franchise owners would award the 2022 AFF World Championship to Porciúncula during a 3 July, 2019 meeting in San Francisco City. This would have been the second time Porciúncula hosted the game; the city previously hosted the 2002 championship, twenty years earlier on 31 March, 2002. However, the 2022 North American terror attacks led various leagues to postpone a number of their season-end games, leading to rumors of whether or not the AFF would postpone much of the world cup. In the end, the SAFL executives proposed moving the tournament to the Rainbow Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, and despite the post-season delays for the individual leagues, AFF Commissioner Joshua Winslow II stated during a press conference on 21 February that the tournament's schedule would feature minor changes as a result of the recent stadium change but that they were "committed to March". This is the only time in AFF history that the world championship has moved host-cities.
Historically, the AFF made allowance for an open weekend between the Semifinal and Final games, however, this would be moved to the first week of March, prior to the actual beginning of the tournament, while restricting the tournament to three-consecutive weeks. After the announcement, the decision for teams to arrive immediately in Hawaii or stay at their home field instead during the preliminary week was given to them. The AFF, SAFL, and Honolulu officials worked diligently to renovate the stadium and surrounding area for the world title, which included digging up and removing the field's entire FieldTurf and replacing it with AstroTurf. One of the more significant logistical challenges was accommodating the Sierran Union of Plumbing and Mechanical Associates (SUPMA) Convention, which was originally slated to occupy the stadium during 20–21 March prior to the host-city change. While the AFF announced its intentions to hold both semifinal games on the 20th, no agreement had been reached with SUPMA at that point. Less than three days before the kickoff game, the three parties came to an accord in which the SUPMA agreed to move its convention to 9–10 April in exchange for financial and other considerations, including promotional spots shown during selected games in the tournament, the following tournament, and the following SAFL regular season. This agreement permitted the AFF to continue forward with their scheduled tournament.
Schedule
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 March, 1:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 13 March, 7:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 14 March, 1:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 14 March, 7:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 20 March, 12:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 20 March, 7:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 26 March, 6:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 27 March, 6:00pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
The quarterfinal round began with the Kickoff game on 13 March 2022 at 1:00pm PST, with the second game in the leg being played at 7:00pm that same day. This schedule would carry on to the following day, 14 March, which featured the remaining two games scheduled with the same broadcast time. The semifinal round would take place on 20 March, beginning with the first match at 12:00pm and the second taking six hours later at 6:00pm. The finals round would begin on 26 March with the third place playoff at 6:00pm and the title game the following day, 27 March, at the same time. In tradition, all matches were played on Sundays apart from the quarterfinal round, which featured additional play on Monday, and the third place playoff, which took place the Saturday prior to the final game.
Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
| Third place | |||||||||||
Participants
A total of eight teams from the four AFF-member associations participated in the 2022 AFF World Championship. Like prior championships, the federation did not report an official ranking and would re-confirm the policy's standing after it was revealed in a leak that they were discussions the prior year amongst committee executives that involved an official ranking, expanding to include four teams from each association, and general changes to the overall format. In a press conference on 4 March in the lead up to the first week, Commissioner Winslow II confirmed that they had been working towards expanding to a longer league with more participants but that it was "down the road". He would continue denying format changes and would reason the championship acts "as its own season more than a part of the playoff games". Nonetheless, many sports commentators and writers continue to regard the tournament as part of the 'post-season'. On 12 March, in the lead-up to the kickoff game, the AFF would publish the official and final records of each participating team from their respective 2021–22 seasons to their website.
| Team | Win | Runners-up | Points for | Points against | Appearances | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Green Bay Packers
|
3 | 0 | 90 | 56 | 3 | 1997, 2005, 2013 | — |
 Houston Oilers
|
1 | 2 | 78 | 113 | 3 | 1999 | 2000, 2014 |
 Portland Pioneers
|
1 | 2 | 67 | 83 | 3 | 1998 | 2005, 2008 |
| St. Anthony Vikings
|
1 | 0 | 37 | 20 | 1 | 2008 | — |
| San Antonio Colts
|
1 | 0 | 34 | 20 | 1 | 2012 | — |
| Seattle Seahawks
|
0 | 2 | 14 | 64 | 2 | — | 2001, 2010 |
 Porciúncula Falcons
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| St. Anne Lions
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
Astoria
| National Teams | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | LGE | PF | PA | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astorian American Football Conference
| |||||||||
| Portland Pioneers(1) | 14 | 1 | 0 | .933 | 8–0 | 14–1 | 399 | 294 | W10 |
| Seattle Seahawks(2) | 11 | 4 | 0 | .733 | 8–0 | 11–4 | 373 | 334 | L1 |
The Astorian American Football Conference commenced the 2021–22 season with the Kickoff game on 26 September, 2021. Split between the North and South divisions, the season would conclude in week 15 with the South-led Portland Pioneers (13–1) facing the North-led Seattle Seahawks (11–3) in the league's Pro Bowl LXXVII at New Hamburg, Lansing on 9 January 2022. Portland would emerge victorious against the Seattle Seahawks 33–14, becoming one of the few AAFC South teams in history to accomplish a near perfect 14–1 end-season, as well as winning their 12th Pro Bowl title since the league's formation.
Portland Pioneers
| AAFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member Teams | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | |
| Portland Pioneers | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 7–1 | 366 | 280 | W9 | |
| Tacoma Tigers | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–3 | 329 | 266 | W2 | |
| Missoula Beavers | 5 | 8 | 1 | .357 | 2–5–1 | 274 | 311 | L1 | |
| Spokane Steelheads | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–5 | 229 | 406 | W1 | |
| Boise Bombers | 4 | 9 | 1 | .286 | 3–4–1 | 199 | 367 | L5 | |
Portland finished the season with an AAFC best 13–1 record and advanced to the fourth league finals in franchise history. They would defeat the Tacoma Tigers 29–24 in overtime in the divisional round of the playoffs, advancing to Pro Bowl LXXVII. The team excelled on defense, ranking fourth in fewest points allowed (280) and second in fewest points allowed per drive. They also ranked first in scoring (366 points), although would only rank third in points per offensive drive despite a league-leading 73 points scored on the defense or during special teams plays.
The Pioneers offense was led by quarterback Arthur Reed, the team's first round draft pick in 2018 and nicknamed "King Arthur" while playing for the University of Minnesota Gophers. Over the previous four seasons, Reed had played in just 20 regular season games due to injuries, but he recovered to start in all 14 games by 2021. By the end of the season, he finished with 3,271 yards and 32 touchdowns, the most by a AAFC South quarterback since 1998. Reed had difficulty avoiding turnovers, however, and threw 26 interceptions and lost seven fumbles during the year. In the last three games of the season, he turned the ball over 12 times. Many fans and sports writers expected head coach Jalen Astor to bench him at some point, but Astor insisted that Reed would be the starter throughout the entire season. Receivers Lukas Barron (66 receptions, 909 yards, 7 touchdowns) and Jasen Manning (53 receptions, 811 yards, 11 touchdowns) provided the main deep threat on the team, along with tight end Marlon Roth, who caught 57 passes for 753 yards and 8 touchdowns. Portland's running game was led by running backs Logan Gardner and Nathan Andrews. Gardner rushed for 1,478 yards and caught 38 passes, while Andrews rushed for 732 yards and scored 5 touchdowns.
Portland's defense allowed the 4th least total yardage, allowing less than 100 yards per game on the field, and allowed the fewest yards per drive of any AAFC team. The line was anchored by Riley Grant, who had 10 sacks, and Landon Richmond, who recorded 8, along with rookie Elijah Clarke, who led the team with 16 sacks. Behind them, all three of the Pioneers starting linebackers, Ben Pearce, and Daniel Francis, were selected to the 2022 Division Bowl. In the secondary, cornerbacks Tom Wells and Edward Watts each recorded eight interceptions. The defense was also able to make up for the offense's poor performance early on in the season, as explained in the wins against the Aurora Argonauts and Tacoma Tigers in Weeks 3 and 5 respectively.
The loss of Clarke to injury after the 11th game of the season coincided with a decline in defensive performance. Before his loss, the Pioneers allowed only two opponents to score more than 20 points (23 points to the Missoula Beavers in week 2 and 27 to the Tacoma Tigers in week 9). After his injury, Portland opponents scored more than 20 points in all remaining games, including the two post-season games. Meanwhile, the Pioneers special teams were ranked the highest, sending three players to the 2022 Division Bowl: special teams ace Ethan Henderson, kicker Chance Booker (who led all AAFC kickers with 166 points), and rookie return man Nicholas Hart, who gained 700 punt return yards with a 17.8 yards per return average, the highest in the AAFC. He also set a league record with 8 touchdowns on special teams.
Seattle Seahawks
| AAFC North | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member Teams | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | |
| Seattle Seahawks | 11 | 3 | 0 | .929 | 7–1 | 359 | 301 | W5 | |
| Edmonton Grizzlies | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 5–3 | 337 | 259 | W1 | |
| Vancouver All-Stars | 6 | 8 | 0 | .427 | 4–4 | 264 | 331 | L1 | |
| Aurora Argonauts | 4 | 9 | 1 | .286 | 2–5–1 | 243 | 363 | L1 | |
| Calgary Coyotes | 1 | 12 | 1 | .071 | 0–7–1 | 191 | 406 | L7 | |
The Seahawks overcame many obstacles during the regular season. Running back Carlos Valenzuela, the team's second leading rusher with 691 yards and six touchdowns, was lost for the year after suffering a leg injury late in the regular season. And wide receiver Jace Campbell was benched by head coach Adonis Maynard for poor performances on several occasions. After a year of internal reform, Aron Beck, formerly with San Diego and St. Anne in the SAFL as well as San Antonio in the BPFA, became the Seahawks' general manager in 2020, with his migration to Seattle being widely-publicized. Its often believed that Beck's insight in management would prove effective in the Seahawks securing their first Pro Bowl appearance in more than a decade.
Nonetheless, the Seattle Seahawks were an unspectacular but well-balanced veteran team, led by 41-year-old star quarterback Ali Marshall. He had regained his starting spot on the team in 2020 upon recovering from an injury that led him to miss the majority of the 2019 season. Marshall played inconsistently during the 2021 regular season; he threw for 3,781 yards, but recorded more interceptions than touchdowns. He also had injury problems, missing two regular season games and giving Rudy Bailey more significant playing time. Bailey put up better statistics (889 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions), but head coach Maynard decided to start Marshall for the playoffs.
Offensively, the Seahawks employed innovative formations and strategies designed by coordinator Vic Thompson to disrupt the timing and positioning of the defense. Besides Jaime McHenry, the Seahawks main offensive weapon was running back Avery Andrews, who rushed for 843 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also recorded 51 receptions for 511 yards and another 4 touchdowns. Running back Yousef Brooks had 663 rushing yards, 342 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns. Running back Aubrey Owns rushed for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns, while adding another 318 yards returning kickoffs. In the passing game, wide receiver Isaac Cox caught 39 passes for 487 yards and 7 touchdowns. The offensive line was anchored by former Vancouver All-Stars Cristian Smith and Cohen Higgins. According to Jairo Cooke, placekicker Bradley Porter and punter Benjamin Morgan were the best kickers in football. Like the Pioneers, the Seahawks also had a solid defensive line, which was led by defensive tackles Alan Duran and Malakai Roman, and defensive ends Travis Webster and Myles Whitley. The Seahawks' star linebacker, Michael Russell, recorded 7 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries during the season.
Seattle finished the regular season winning the AAFC North with an 11–3 record.
Brazoria
| Brazorian Professional Football League
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official standing | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | LGE | PF | PA | STK |
| Houston Oilers(1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 7–1 | 12–2 | 386 | 245 | W5 |
| San Antonio Colts(2) | 11 | 2 | 1 | .787 | 6–1–1 | 11–2–1 | 272 | 197 | L1 |
Houston Oilers
San Antonio Colts
Sierra
Sierran American Football League | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official standing | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | LGE | PF | PA | STK |
| St. Anne Lions(1) | 11 | 3 | 0 | .787 | 7–1 | 11–3 | 273 | 237 | W6 |
| Porciúncula Falcons(2) | 11 | 3 | 0 | .787 | 8–0 | 11–3 | 323 | 309 | L1 |
St. Anne Lions
Porciúncula Falcons
Superior
| Superian Football League
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official standing | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | LGE | PF | PA | STK |
| Green Bay Packers(1) | 13 | 1 | 0 | .787 | 8–0 | 13–1 | 416 | 262 | W10 |
| St. Anthony Vikings(2) | 10 | 4 | 0 | .929 | 6–2 | 10–4 | 378 | 337 | L1 |
Green Bay Packers
St. Anthony Vikings
Game summaries
Quarterfinals
Sunday, 13 March 2022
Game One: Porciúncula Falcons 37, St. Anthony Vikings 20
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 March, 1:00pm | Porciúncula Falcons
|
37–20 | St. Anthony Vikings
|
Game Two: San Antonio Colts 24, Portland Pioneers 18
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 March, 7:00pm | San Antonio Colts
|
24–18 | Portland Pioneers
|
Monday, 14 March
Game Three: Seattle Seahawks 35, St. Anne Lions 31
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 March, 1:00pm | Seattle Seahawks
|
35–31 | St. Anne Lions
|
Game Four: Green Bay Packers 45, Houston Oilers 16
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 March, 7:00pm | Green Bay Packers
|
45–16 | Houston Oilers
|
Semifinals
Sunday, 20 March
Game One: Porciúncula Falcons 26, San Antonio Colts 7
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 March, 12:00pm | Porciúncula Falcons
|
26–7 | San Antonio Colts
|
Game Two: Green Bay Packers 33, Seattle Seahawks 21
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 March, 7:00pm | Green Bay Packers
|
33–21 | Seattle Seahawks
|
Finals
Saturday, 26 March
Playoff: San Antonio Colts 41, Seattle Seahawks 18
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 March, 6:00pm | San Antonio Colts
|
41–18 | Seattle Seahawks
|
Sunday, 27 March
Title Game: Green Bay Packers 39, Porciúncula Falcons 27
| Date/ Time (PST) |
Winning team | Score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March, 6:00pm | Green Bay Packers
|
39–27 | Porciúncula Falcons
|
Final standings
Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
| Porciúncula Falcons
| 37 | ||||||||||
| St. Anthony Vikings
| 20 | ||||||||||
| Porciúncula Falcons
| 26 | ||||||||||
| San Antonio Colts
| 7 | ||||||||||
| San Antonio Colts
| 24 | ||||||||||
| Portland Pioneers
| 18 | ||||||||||
| Green Bay Packers
| 39 | ||||||||||
| Porciúncula Falcons
| 27 | ||||||||||
| Seattle Seahawks
| 35 | ||||||||||
| St. Anne Lions
| 31 | ||||||||||
| Green Bay Packers
| 33 | Third place | |||||||||
| Seattle Seahawks
| 21 | ||||||||||
| Green Bay Packers
| 45 | San Antonio Colts
| 41 | ||||||||
| Houston Oilers
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks
| 18 | ||||||||
Broadcasting
Television
Commercials
International telecasts
Entertainment and other ceremonies
Pregame
Halftime show
Post-game riots
See also
American Football | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Astorian American Football Conference | |||||||||||
Brazorian Professional Football League | |||||||||||
Sierran American Football League |
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Superian Football League | |||||||||||
| American Football Federation | Federation history (Executive history · Championship history) · Timeline · AFF records (individual · team) · Controversies | ||||||||||
| World Championship (1996–Present) | |||||||||||
| Business | Owners · Properties · Team Advisory Council · Competition Committee · Players Association · Lockouts · Valuations · American Football on television (RBS · SBC · RTB) | ||||||||||
- C-class articles
- Altverse II
- 2022 in American football
- AFF World Championship tournaments
- March 2022 sports events in the Kingdom of Sierra
- 2022 in Sierran television
- 2022 in sports in Honolulu
- Sports competitions in Honolulu
- American football in Honolulu
- Green Bay Packers postseason
- Porciúncula Falcons postseason