International Arena League
Current season, competition or edition: 2026 International Arena League Season | |
| Sport | Arena football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2025 |
| Inaugural season | 2026 |
| COO | Tom Mitchell |
| Director | Pedro Montoya (ticket operations) |
| Commissioner | Bob Rossi (deputy commisoner) |
| Divisions | 2 (North American and European) |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Official website | https://www.ialfootball.com |
The International Arena League (IAL) is an upcoming arena football league. The IAL is the first league since the Arena Football One to expand to somewhere other than the US in 2025[1] and International Arena Football League in 2019, and the first arena league to have teams in both North America and Europe.
History
On September 4 2025, it was announced the IAL was formed and the first commissioner was announced as Dan Lust.[2] Later, it was revealed eight teams would play, four in the North American Division, and four in the European Division. In October, the Cincinnati Slingers and the Las Vegas Rockers were announced as the very first teams to join the North American Division of the IAL.[3][4]. Then in October, the league announced that the Glasgow Tartans would be the first European team to join the IAL.[5] The rest of the teams were announced on November 25.
Inaugural season
On January 22, 2026, the IAL released the schedule and revealed that the league would run 15 weeks, starting on April and ending on July 25.[6] On March 21, a league-wide tryout and draft was held at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas to finalize roster players.[7]
| Conference | Teams | Location | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Arizona Juggernauts[8] | Tempe, Arizona | Mullett Arena[9] | 5,000 | 2025 | 2026 | Jay Allen |
| Cincinnati Slingers[10] | Cincinnati, Ohio | Heritage Bank Center | 17,000 | 2025 | 2026 | Shon King | |
| Las Vegas Rockers[11] | Las Vegas, Nevada | Orleans Arena | 9,500 | 2025 | 2026 | Mook Zimmerman | |
| Pennsylvania Benjamins[12] | Reading, Pennsylvania | Santander Arena | 7,160 | 2025 | 2026 | Lee Johnson | |
| Utah Great 8's[13] | West Valley City, Utah | Maverik Center | 12,600 | 2025 | 2026 | Siaha Burley | |
| European | Düsseldorf Warriors | Düsseldorf, Germany | PSD Bank Dome | 15,151 | 2025 | 2026 | Brandon Moore |
| England Eruptors | Nottingham, England | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham | 10,000 | 2025 | 2026 | Jeff Hunt | |
| Glasgow Tartans | Renfrew, Scotland | Braehead Arena | 5,200 | 2025 | 2026 | Philip Garcia | |
| Stuttgart Stallions | Stuttgart, Germany | Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle | 15,500 | 2025 | 2026 | Keith Hilson | |
| Zurich Ibexx | Zurich, Switzerland | Hallenstadion | 11,200 | 2025 | 2026 | Talib Wise |
Broadcasting
The International Arena League is going to broadcast its games on YouTube and Facebook.[14][better source needed]
Staff
- Commissioner: Dan Lust
- Deputy commissioner: Bob Rossi
- Director of Ticketing Operations: Pedro Montoya[15]
Reception
Critics in Glasgow raised concerns that the league was building its European fan base from scratch, since arena football is not as popular in Europe. They questioned the short turnaround between tryouts and the start of the season, and the high ticket cost compared to other sports.[16]
References
This article "International Arena League" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:International Arena League. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "News: Monterrey Kings Join Arena Football One - Arena Football One | The Official Home of Arena Football". www.theaf1.com. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- ↑ Football | 01/20/2026, AFI | American. "International Arena League set to hit the ground running". Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- ↑ Cincinnati Slingers preparing for 1st season. 2026-01-21. Retrieved 2026-04-15 – via www.fox19.com.
- ↑ Staff, FOX5 (2026-01-16). "International Arena League introduces Las Vegas Rockers for inaugural season". https://www.fox5vegas.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Instagram".
- ↑ Insider, Arena (April 8, 2026). "The International Arena League (IAL) have released their 2026 schedule". Facebook. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- ↑ "New arena football league to feature East Valley team". Phoenix Business Journal. 2026-01-12. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Arizona Juggernauts". Mullett Arena ASU. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- ↑ Cincinnati Slingers preparing for 1st season. 2026-01-21. Retrieved 2026-04-16 – via www.fox19.com.
- ↑ Salmond, Bryan (2026-01-16). "Vegas' next pro team, welcome the Las Vegas Rockers of the International Arena League(IAL)". KSNV. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Rader, Tom (2026-01-15). "'Bring that championship to Reading': New arena football team coming to Berks County". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ Roepke, Michele (2026-04-11). "Utah gets new pro indoor football team at Maverik Center as Grizzlies close out final season". TownLift, Park City News. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "The International Arena Football League". YouTube. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "Our League". ialfootball.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Geddes, Johnathan (2026-04-15). "Can indoor American football work in Glasgow despite high ticket prices?". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
