In 2013, the Braunschweig Lions would lead the way in the North Group of the German Football League with an impressive 13-1 record over the second place Dresden Monarchs (11-3), while in the South Group it was the Schwabisch Unicorns (11-2-1) besting the second place Marburg Mercenaries (10-3-1) to finish with a one-game lead. The top four teams in each group would qualify for the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, it was the Braunschweig Lions over the Rhein-Neckar Bandits 28-21, the Kiel Hurricanes over the Marburg Mercenaries 47-9, the Berlin Adler over the
Schwabisch Unicorns 42-13, and the Dresden Monarchs over the Munich Cowboys 59-14. In the Semi-Finals it was the Lions over the Hurricanes in a close one 34-29, and the Monarchs over the Adler 32-21, setting up the match-up for German Bowl XXXV. It took place on October 12, 2013 in Berlin's Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sports Park. The Lions would go on to win a nail-bitter 35-34. Both teams moved the ball without much opposition during the first half, and the Lions would go into halftime with a 21-19 lead. The defenses would tighten up in the third
quarter, as only the Monarchs would score a touchdown, entering the fourth quarter with a 26-21 lead. The Lions would rally in the fourth quarter to take a 35-34 lead into the final play of the game when Dresden running back Trevar Deed would fumble the ball into the endzone,
giving the Lions a 35-34 victory, and the 2013 GFL Championship.