Upcoming season or competition: 2026 Arena Football One season | |
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| Sport | Arena football |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 5, 2024; 14 months ago (2024-09-05) |
| Founder | Arena Football One, LLC Steven Titus (chairman) |
| First season | 2025 |
| CEO | Jerry Kurz |
| President | Christie McEwen |
| Commissioner | Jeff Fisher |
| Divisions | AF1 East, AF1 Central, AF1 West |
| No. of teams | 9 (as of November 13, 2025) |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Most recent champion | Albany Firebirds (2025) |
| Most titles | Albany Firebirds (1) |
| Broadcasters | Vice TV, Evergreen Now |
| Related competitions | AFL (2024),IFL,NAL,TAL |
| Official website | theaf1.com |
Arena Football One (AF1) is a professionalarena football league based inNashville, Tennessee, that began play in 2025. The league was founded by the eight teams who had survived the2024 Arena Football League season. The eight founding teams, only six of which would survive to the league's first game, attempted to addexpansion teams, none of which would survive to the league's first game, and brought in teams from other leagues.
All eight of the inaugural teams in Arena Football One had played the 2024 season in theArena Football League, which had been launched that year as a revival of two previous leagues bearing theArena Football League name: the original that operated from 1987 to 2008, and the second—also known as Arena Football 1 before acquiring rights to the AFL name prior to its first season—from 2010 to 2019. The 2024 AFL's lone season began with 16 teams, six of which had joined through a pre-launch merger withChampions Indoor Football. Within three weeks, five of the 16 teams had folded. After multiple complaints of promises that were left unfulfilled to teams, to players, and to G6 Sports and Entertainment (the holding company that had been licensing the trademarks and intellectual property to the league), a hasty reorganization ousted founding commissioner Lee Hutton. With direct backing from G6, the remaining teams committed to finishing the 10-week season; three additional teams would fold over the course of the season, leaving eight by the end of the regular season.Jeff Fisher, who had originally joined the league as an advisor to theNashville Kats, assumed the role of temporary commissioner for the remainder of the season.
FollowingArenaBowl XXXIII, the surviving members of the AFL, including champions theBillings Outlaws, began hyping up "Arena Football is back" in various team social sites posing an image on September 4, 2024, saying, "A new era begins today." The next day it was announced that they would be playing in a newly-formed league calledArena Football One, sharing the name with aworking title used by the 2010s AFL before its relaunch. The trademark was filed with theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office on September 1, 2024, by Outlaws owner Steven Titusdba Arena Football One, LLC, ofGillette, Wyoming.[1] (G6 Sports Group still owns the AFL logo and its intellectual properties, butnot the team IP's.)
The new league is a full separation from G6, as all eight teams left the AFL and joined AF1. In a statement to Arena Insider, G6 executive Chris Chetty noted that after the league had narrowly completed the 2024 season, it had been left with numerous unpaid debts that he, though he would maintain responsibility, had been advised not to immediately pay off, but that the team owners had stipulated the debts be paid as a condition for returning.[2]
On September 6, 2024, AF1 formally announced its launch with a press release and new social media feeds, confirming that the new league would carry overJeff Fisher as commissioner (now on a permanent basis) andJerry Kurz, the founding commissioner of the 2010s AFL and a veteran of the original league, aschief executive officer along with the existing front office staff. In the statement, AF1 indicated that additional "expansion teams in emerging markets" would be among the teams to play the 2025 season.[3] Of those teams, theArizona Bandits, a team that had previously been announced to be joining the AFL in 2025, released its own teaser at the same time as the eight inaugural teams.[4] In an interview with theBillings Gazette, Titus indicated that one of the expansion teams would be based in Mexico, and others would be in cities that had previously hosted arena football teams.[5]
On September 9, 2024, AF1 announced theStockton Crusaders as their first expansion team joining the eight former AFL teams for the 2025 season.[6] On September 10, AF1 announced another expansion team whose name would later be announced as theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Mavericks.[7] and owned by Matt Rowland, a college friend of league president Jared Widman's.[8][9] The Mavericks would ultimately never make it to play; in February 2025, the team ceased operations due to lack of sponsorship. an action that coincided with Widman's departure from AF1 the previous month.[10] On September 12, theMonterrey Kings were announced as the first AF1 team in Mexico, led by formerMonterrey Steel owner and NFL broadcaster Fernando Von Rossum Jr..[11] Firebirds owner Mike Kwarta indicated in an interview that the twelfth team, which is scheduled to be formally announced the last week of September, would be Arizona.[12] The league had not ruled out further expansion before the season starts, with the schedule to be finalized by the end of October.[12]
In an interview with theAlbany Times-Union, league sources indicated that an expansiondraft would be held to allot players to the four new AF1 teams, with the existing teams allowed to protect 15 players.[12] The league will offer a base salary of $400 per game—less than the $1,000 that the AFL had initially promised in 2024 but higher than other indoor leagues, with teams allowed to pay higher salaries at their own discretion— and will not require players toplay "ironman" on both offense and defense as they had under previous iterations of the league.[12] The league will follow traditionalarena football rules and restrictions otherwise.[12] Players are also provided complimentary room and board at team expense.[13] The season structure will feature two divisions (East and West) of six teams each, assuming no further expansion, all playing a 12-game regular season (up from 10 in 2024) and an eight-team playoff culminating in a yet-unnamed championship to be held at the home arena of the highest-seeded team.[12]
On October 22, theOregon Lightning, partially owned by the head coach of the 2024 AFL'sOregon Blackbears Chuck Jones, were announced as AF1's newest expansion team. The expansion marks the continuation of arena football in Oregon under a new structure—legally, a continuation of the Oregon High Desert Storm of theAmerican West Football Conference—following the Blackbears' entanglements with Hutton and its unsuccessful efforts to remain in the AFL in 2024.[14] On November 13, theCorpus Christi Tritons were announced to be joining AF1; the Tritons had been part ofAmerican Indoor Football for the 2024 season but had been excluded when most of the AIF's teams joined theNational Arena League.[15]
On November 15, theArizona Bandits, previously announced as a 2025 AFL expansion team, were officially announced as members of AF1.[16] That same day, the AF1 announced it would be aligned into three divisions with a twelve-game schedule across a 14-week regular season, with the specific schedule and alignment to be announced on November 19.[17] On November 18, the AF1 divisional alignment was announced,[18] with theMonterrey Kings andStockton Crusaders electing to postpone their inaugural seasons until 2026.[19] Arizona, after failing to secure a lease agreement withMullett Arena and cancelling a preseason scrimmage with the non-league Las Vegas Kings, withdrew March 8, 2025.[20]
On December 16, 2024, the league announced their entire front office staff for 2025.[21] On December 23, 2024, the league announced an official partnership with the National Scouting Combine (not to be confused with theNFL Scouting Combine).[22][23] On December 27, 2024, the Regulators' owner Chris Zachary announced on the team's social media sites that the team was going dormant for the 2025 season, but would return in 2026.
On January 21, 2025, it was announced that the AF1 landed on a partnership withVerizon Business.[24] The league signed an endorsement deal with professional wrestlerHulk Hogan to make Hogan'sReal American Beer the official beer brand of the league.[25] As part of the endorsement, Hogan promoted the league; Nashville quarterback Tyler Kulka earned the nickname "Kulkamania" in homage to Hogan.[26]
On March 1, 2025, Arena Football One announced a partnership with AltFantasySports to deliver season-long and daily fantasy sports contests.[27] On March 3, 2025, Arena Football One announced a Betting Partnership with BettorEdge for the 2025 season offering real-money contests and betting to increase engagement for Arena Football One Fans.[28][29] On March 8, 2025, the AF1 announced on their social media platforms that the Arizona Bandits would once again go dormant in 2025 with hopes of making what would be their third attempt to launch at some point in the future. The same day, the AF1 regular season began with Southwest Kansas's victory over Nashville.[30][31]
The 2025 AF1 season completed June 15, 2025 with Salina's buzzer-beating win over Southwest Kansas,[32] with all eight remaining teams from the start of the season completing their schedules and reaching the end of the season without folding. Albany and Nashville each won their respective playoff games to advance to the league championship, Arena Crown 2025, which Albany won to complete aperfect season.[33] Players were released shortly after the season to joinIndoor Football League andThe Arena League franchises whose seasons were still ongoing.[26][34]
On June 27, 2025, commissioner Jeff Fisher stated in an interview that AF1 planned on adding two expansion teams in Ohio and Michigan that will begin play in the 2026 season, but that which cities those teams would represent were still being finalized.[35] On August 13, 2025, theBeaumont Renegades were welcomed as the newest members of the league two months after winning theNational Arena League Championship and shortly departing that league afterward. On August 18, 2025, the league announced the addition of theKentucky Barrels as an expansion team and that former Outlaws head coachCedric Walker as their inaugural head coach.
Salina and Southwest Kansas both announced their departure from AF1 on September 19, with both joining the National Arena League.[36][37] Logistics surrounding the two rural franchises led to the change in leagues, which was amicable on the part of both the teams and AF1.[38] On September 24, the league welcomed theDuluth Harbor Monsters, the champions ofThe Arena League; the team will rebrand as the Minnesota Monsters.[39] Corpus Christi was tacitly expelled from the league in September, while the Outlaws, after threatening to leave Billings and dismissing its head coach in August, remained in limbo since then, with no word on the team's home in 2026 and no signing of a new head coach or players.[38] The Outlaws formally suspended operations November 11.[40] The previously mentioned Michigan team was unveiled as theMichigan Arsenal, based inSaginaw, on October 15.[41][42]
On November 12, 2025, a day after the Outlaws withdrew from the 2026 season, the league formally announced the admission of theOceanside Bombers, based inOceanside, California.[43] Also on November 12, it was revealed that the AF1 is currently facing trademark opposition fromNike,Formula 1, andAbercrombie & Fitch.[44]
| Team | Location | Metro Area | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Firebirds[45] | Albany, New York | MVP Arena | 13,785 | 2023 | Damon Ware | |
| Beaumont Renegades | Beaumont, Texas | Ford Arena | 8,200 | 2025 | Corey Mayfield | |
| Kentucky Barrels | Highland Heights, Kentucky | Cincinnati | Truist Arena | 7,000 | 2025 | Cedric Walker |
| Michigan Arsenal | Saginaw, Michigan | Tri-Cities | Dow Event Center | 5,500 | 2025 | Shawn Liotta |
| Minnesota Monsters | Duluth, Minnesota | DECC Arena | 5,333 | 2025 | Daron Clark | |
| Nashville Kats | Clarksville, Tennessee | Nashville | F&M Bank Arena | 5,000 | 2024 | Darren Arbet |
| Oceanside Bombers | Oceanside, California | San Diego | Frontwave Arena | 5,500 | 2025 | Cree Morris |
| Oregon Lightning | Redmond, Oregon | High Desert | First Interstate Bank Center | 4,000 | 2021 | Chuck Jones |
| Washington Wolfpack | Everett, Washington | Seattle | Angel of the Winds Arena | 8,149 | 2023 | J.R. Wells |
On December 12, 2024,Vice TV, a cable broadcast network known for such programs asDark Side of the Ring, announced that they were starting a new Vice Sports block on weekends and AF1 was included in the list sports programming.[51][52] They will broadcast a Sunday primetime game, branded asSunday Nights in the Arena.[53] Veteran broadcasterAri Wolfe and Arena Football Hall of FamerSed Bonner are the play-by-play announcers and Sofia Guittierz serves and sideline reporter.
The league announced on February 4, 2025, that all games not carried on traditional linear television would be carried online for free via EvergreenNOW, a new live platform being launched by Evergreen, which otherwise operates as apodcast distributor.[54] AF1 discontinued its partnership with Evergreen following the 2025 season, hoping to develop a more "indigenous" league-controlled platform for 2026.[38]
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