2026 Expansion Update Part 1

There is one thing you can always guarantee about the fifty-yard game, you’re going to lose some teams, you’re going to add some teams and some teams are going to jump around to different leagues. With the NAL season done, the AF1 season in the books, and the IFL season winding down as we enter the playoffs there has been no shortage of official announcements and rumors swirling around the indoor world. Here is what we know about league expansion so far! Be sure to keep tabs on these teams and if they wind up on the turf in 2026

2026 Expansion IFL

Albuquerque Indoor Football

No Official Name Yet

Where were you 3 months ago hahah.

Announcement of team name coming very soon! https://t.co/RxPy9s3Ikk
— Abqfootball (@ABQFootball) August 2, 2025

Owners: Michael Fietz and Bob Pitre

Home Arena: Unknown

League Confirmed: Yes (*Duke City Relaunch)

Not a ton is known about the revamped version of the Duke City franchise that announced it wouldn’t play in 2025 and was sold shortly thereafter. Quickly becoming the first piece of news for their 2026 expansion. As far as branding and name we are assuming we will get more information after the IFL National Championship game. Shady Sports is working on setting up an interview with the ownership to get some more clarification on the team going forward.

What we do know, is Michael Fietz is part owner, but will operate as the General Manager of the team per the IFL league announcement on the ownership change. Fietz has studied banking, management, and accountancy in college setting him up as a perfect candidate to operate as GM. Fietz is also the Owner of Westway Homes. Bob Pitre is best known for his Buick and GMC Dealership. Both men are based in Albuquerque, and it is believed the team could return to the Rio Rancho Events Center, however, another possibility could be a return to Tingley Coliseum which is an older venue, but more centrally located in Albuquerque, and offers higher capacity.

-Duke City is just the first step of the IFL’s 2026 Expansion. Of note is the Rumors swirling around about a potential IFL franchise in South Carolina, but you’ll have to check back in for the next expansion update for information on that one! Shady Sports has also been told that the IFL already has two franchises who have committed to joining the league for the 2027 season, which happens to correspond with the end of a 3 year lease for all the initial TAL teams. Could we see Duluth, or Ozarks in the IFL long term?

2026 Expansion NAL

Amarillo Warbirds

Owners: Leif Kurtis, Cathy Schick, and Derek Urias

Home Arena: Amarillo Civic Center

Capacity: 4,912

Other Tenants: Amarillo Wranglers, FC Amarillo Bombers

League Confirmed: Yes

The first domino to drop in the NAL’s 2026 Expansion was the Amarillo Warbirds. Amarillo comes in with a solid ownership group that has years of previous experience. Leif Kertis previously owned the West Texas Warbirds before selling the rights to the group that ultimately changed the name and moved the franchise to the AFL. Derek Urias has served in roles with the Amarillo Venom/Dusters. He is a native of Amarillo and knows the market well.

Leif Kertis, the man who owned the team from inception until he sold the team in 2023, is back in the Ownership Group. Kertis and Urias both have experience in indoor football with franchises in multiple markets in Texas. They understand what it takes to run a franchise, and how important it is to have everything in order. Their franchise also has very diverse and extensive ties to their community.

Cathy Schick is a graduate of CSU, who has found success in many areas of business, from real estate, to Revive Health and Wellness. She is also the President of the Amarillo Business Woman Board, and recently purchased a boutique clothing store where she will launch a line of athletic wear.

Derek Urias is a graduate of Amarillo College with a degree in Business Management, and Marketing. He is also the owner of a company called Business Boost Media, and serves as the Marketing Manager for Excel Construction Group. He is also a member of the Texas Panhandle Builders Association.

Leif Kertis is a graduate of West Texas A&M, and while he may have owned a team in Odessa, Texas previously, he recently ran for city council in Amarillo in 2025. He is also the owner of Floor Coverings International LTD. He also has experience working in Corporate Partnerships for the early 2000’s version of the Amarillo Dusters, and FC Amarillo. He assisted the US Arena Professional Soccer League, and served as the General Manager of the Amarillo Tumbleweeds.

This early in the NAL off-season, an effort has been made to fill out a coaching staff, gain new sponsorship, and sign local and experienced talent. Most expansion teams have ups and downs, but look for this team to at the very least be competitive in the NAL in ‘26.

Shady Sports invited on Leif Kertis and Derek Urias to discuss the return of the Warbirds shortly after their announcement. Check out the interview below:

Pueblo Punishers

Owners: Lisa Rohrich

Home Arena: South West Motors Arena

Capacity: 8,225 Max Seats

Other Tenants: None

League Confirmed: NAL

The second confirmed step for the NAL’s 2026 expansion, the Pueblo Punishers announced their intentions to join the NAL August 1st. Regional playing partners are what keep teams afloat in the 8-man game, and if this addition makes it to kick off, it would be a major boost to the western side of the NAL. It wouldn’t help the most eastern coast teams but would give a travel cut to teams already in Colorado and the Midwest.

As of recently there have been many posts on social media about corporate partnerships, and at the press conference they announced they have sold their Field Naming Rights to Prutch’s Garage Door & More. They also announced a team sponsor in Powerhouse Excavation and Construction.

They had previously announced their home arena is Southwest Motors Event Center, which is located at the state fairgrounds. This location houses many different facilities including a rodeo area, and hosts events such as car shows, concerts, and more. The best part of this venue may be the courtyard out front of the arena where owner Lisa Rorich has said they will have pre-game tailgates.

Our own Sam Shady was in attendance for the League Announcement on 8/1/25.

Dallas Bulls

Owners: Dr. C.S. Hudson

Home Arena: Unknown

League Confirmed: Potentially AF1 or NAL

Could the Bulls be the third step in the NAL’s 2026 expansion? This ownership group was in the ill-fated AAL in 2021 as the North Texas Bulls. The ownership group attempted a return in 2024 with the National Arena League, having been announced in September of 2023. However about a month before the 2024 season kicked off their membership was revoked. Since then many things have changed for the Bulls of Texas.

A rebrand and attendance at conferences related to building and being accepted into a certain Arena league seem to be working wonders at getting a team on the turf. They have recently hired a front office staff and picked up a wealth of deals and sponsorships. If they continue on this path they will end up on turf, but against whom is the question.

Relocation:

AIF

North Michigan Muskies

Owners: Dominic Montero, Drake Roach, Tom Lewis

Home Arena: Howe Ice Arena at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center

Capacity: 1040

Other Tenants: Traverse City Central Hockey Team, West High School Hockey Team

Potential League: AIF (Confirmed)

This team isn’t exactly an expansion team, but rather a rebrand of the Coralville Chaos. Adding Tom Lewis to the team for the 2026 season seems to be a strong move. Not only is he joining the franchise as a part owner, but he is also going to serve as the General Manager. This is a win-win, as he will have a vested interest in making this team work. This squad coming out solid and playing through a season as a strong well well-funded franchise will be pivotal to the success of the AIF as a whole.

Moving this team to North Michigan gives the West Michigan Ironmen a neighboring rival, and should make for interesting games in 2026. With any luck both teams will be able to develop their fan base, and maybe even bring fans with them to away games bringing some extra weight to the interstate rivalry. This is just the latest step in the AIF’s 2026 expansion and realignment.

Austin Falcons

Owner: Tyrone Washington

Home Arena: Unknown

The Dallas Falcons have recently announced they were rebranding into the Austin Falcons marking their transformation from a developmental team into a professional one. A long journey the Falcons have been trying to travel for years. While their announcement did not name the league they intended to play in for the 2026 season, it did give an undeniable clue as to where they likely would end up.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Yv5GFnXNw

If you look closely at the center of the collar line their is a distinct AIF logo. This would just be the latest addition to the league for their 2026 expansion as they had previously announced the additions of the Wyoming Calvary, and the Pennsylvania Union, although the Union have been fairly quiet as of late. They also have rebranded the Cedar Rapids River Kings to the Cedar Rapids Titans.

2026 Expansion AF1

AF1 is a mixed bag, when it comes to 2026 expansion, we have one notable 2025 delay in Stockton and an announcement of the “Michigan and Ohio”. The consensus rumor for Ohio is Cincinnati, but this primarily stems from the new ownership group that took over the Corpus Christi Tritons midseason and salvaged what nearly became an ugly situation. The rumor is the ownership group is from Cincinnati and they will relocate and likely rebrand the Tritons. The league has not yet confirmed this rumor, or made any official announcement regarding either city.

Michigan is up in the air but thoughts and opinions are leaning towards Kalamazoo, but at this time nothing is confirmed. It seems as if the AF1 has learned from previous mistakes and isn’t going to jump the gun on expansion this coming season. No matter the case we should get more info in the coming months. One thing that could lend some credence to the team in Cincinnati is the news that recent Billings Outlaws Head Coach Cedric Walker has opted to accept the same position with this rumored Cincinnati team. This information was first reported by Shady Sports Network. Billings put out a statement about mutually parting ways with HC Cedric Walker later that day.

Coach Walker and the Outlaws have mutually parted ways for 2026. pic.twitter.com/Y3o9TrSzSo
— Outlaws Arena Football (@outlawsaf1) August 2, 2025

2026 Expansion TAL

In a recent interview with Off the Wall, The Arena League Commissioner Tim Brown said they had big goals for their 2026 expansion. As of now there are no reported locations as to where these teams would be going, or if there are ownership groups in place as of yet. In the past The Arena League has operated in a manner that has seen them launch teams and get them up and running before later selling portions of the team off to prospective owners.

Moves like the sale of 1% of the Saint Joes Goats to Garage Beer, and later Steve Craig as the majority owner. Jr Bond initially launched the league with the help of Tommy Benizio and his sports consulting corporation. The business model to this point has seemingly been successful, at least enough that they have continued to expand year after year.

2026 Expansion AAL2

Not a ton is known on the Ownership or organization side of these teams but the AAL2 has announced their 2026 Expansion will include the following two teams. These teams were announced via the Championship Post Game Show. There was even an interview with the NJ Eagles.

Virginia Legion

New Jersey Eagles

Even with a solid round of expansion and a relatively solid roster of teams in each leauge this is set up to be an offseason that will cause shake ups comparable to what we see in FBS college football, just much quicker. Be on the lookout for some major news concerning Expansion and league realignment as we get into August and beyond, most will be blown away at what is rumored to be in the works over the next few months!

Some AIF teams that are announced before the season aren’t in here, simply because they are already known about, we will be releasing a full list and expo of expansion teams as it all comes together before the beginning of the season in 2026, as well as timely updates throughout the offseason.

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