Indoor/Arena Football League Guide 2026

On various social media sites, you will see a variety of takes on the number of leagues that the space has, and the usual:

“There are too many leagues, everyone should merge!”

We took a deep dive into the various leagues, proposed leagues, and broke down most of the LEGITIMATE leagues that we found. Let this serve as a guide for the fans to understand all these leagues, why they exist, and which ones actually deserve your time and attention.

In the end, it’s all arena ball (or indoor), but you can’t group them all into one. Right out of the gate there are a few things you have to understand, the biggest being that the Development and Professional versions of the game function very differently.

While several leagues call themselves “Pro” there is really only truly five leagues that are pro for every single team, one that is mostly pro, and the rest are a mixed bag, but let’s define what a legit, pro Indoor/Arena Team looks like

Arena:

A Legit team will have an actual arena, or something comparable to an arena (like what the Jersey Bearcats have). Something as small as a fairground arena or as large as the KIA center in Orlando but they must have an arena.

Decent Quality Streams:

This is no slight at the AAL2 or WIF (or the Idaho Horsemen), but if you’re legit and plan on being around. Your games have to be streamed, it’s what has set the AF1 and IFL apart this past season, even if you have to pay to watch the IFL. If your games are easily accessible and have decent quality fans will find you!

Social Media:

Any team that plays in one of the 4 mentioned above will have a team, or an individual Social Media Manager that makes sure the team is promoted and seen on at least a couple of the major sites such as X, or at the very least Facebook

Player Pay:

Even if it’s as low as $100 per game or as high as $1000 per game, the team is paying players, paying them on time, and ensuring they are taken care of in the housing and food departments. Though many other factors make up a well-run franchise these in our opinion are where you can easily look and know if it’s legit, or if the ownership/league won’t last more than a season.

Now, with a brief idea of what a pro arena or indoor team looks like. Let’s introduce you to the leagues that play pro indoor & arena ball, what version of the game they play, and what they offer to fans.

Rank and Place In Landscape

*PIL refers to Place In Landscape, Describing where each league fits into the landscape of Arena and Indoor Football.

1)Indoor Football League

Est.:2009

Team Count: 14

Streaming: IFL Network, Fan Duel Sports Network & CBS Sports

PIL: Premier National Indoor League

The IFL, in its current form, is the closest thing we currently have, in level of play, to the original Arena Football League. The way the league has set itself apart since COVID has given it the look and feel of a top-of-the-line organization. They claim to be the Major League of Indoor Football, and honestly, as of right now no league can claim otherwise.

The fields are uniform, the streaming is hands down the best out of the six on this list, and transactions are respected. The biggest thing is the expansion team process, vetting owners, creating partnerships with Minor League hockey, and giving year-long runways, which have ensured you don’t have mid-season folding or semi-pro filler teams.

Many fans complain about the pay wall, IFL Network, and yes, it isn’t perfect, but it works. In our opinion, the IFLN was setup to be a precursor to a regular-season network deal. While it wasn’t a popular move, it is a move that set the IFL apart. it has already been announced some games will be streamed via FanDuel Sports Network. It is believed this is not the last of the announcements regarding where and how games will be broadcast.

Nearly every team, with the exception of the Columbus Wild Dogs, that has been announced for this league the past couple of seasons has made it to kick off, through the season, and to the end. If the IFL is currently the standard, and if Todd Tryon and company can muster a little more positive PR and transparency the league and its teams can really take another step forward.

2)Arena Football One

Est. 2025

Team Count: 9 (As of 11-18-2025)

Streaming: TBD

PIL: National/Only Arena Rules League

The Name Arena Football One pays homage to the name that the original AFL took when it was reformed in 2009, before retaining the name Arena Football League. This version of the Indoor game is the only one that still plays the Arena rule set; featuring the rebound nets, single man motion, and a majority of teams playing with their quarterback under center. This has led some ‘Arena Football’ purists to follow this league, disregarding others due to utilizing ‘indoor football’ rules.

That being said, the AF1 is making great strides to be what the AFL once was. The 2025-2026 off-season has seen fewer of the growing pains that the previous off-season saw. This time around with better owner vetting and teams announced only after they had arena leases in place. They have added two teams from other leagues, 3 (maybe 4) expansion teams, and have only lost four since the end of the season.

One huge plus the AF1 has over the IFL is accessibility, it’s extremely cheap or completely free to access almost every game. Though they did lose a streaming partner league officials seem optimistic about the partners they are working with in 2026. There is an expectation at least some of the games will be broadcast nationally via a network, though it remains to be seen which network.

This season will see a mixture of tried-and-true and brand-new expansion teams. This mix could lead to fun matches and brutal blowouts. If you’re looking for old-school style, true to the rules arena football…this league is about as close as it gets in play style and rules, we will definitely be watching!

3)National Arena League

Est.: 2017

Team Count: 9

Streaming: NALs YouTube Channel

PIL: Regional, Mostly Midwest, Solid Indoor League

The NAL is the little brother of both of the previously mentioned leagues, even gaining teams from the AF1. The teams that moved from the NAL made geographical sense to be more of a regional player.

Midwestern and Texas franchises mostly comprise the league, and although it is a slight step down from the other two it’s not by much. Three of the top seven longest-running franchises that exist in the sport reside here.

If you’re looking for an easy watch on YouTube Live and local broadcast with up-and-coming (and former NFL and IFL stars) this is the place for it. The broadcast may be a little rougher overall, but the Rivalries and rich history of its teams more than make up for it. The football is very entertaining, the refs are a little less polished but if you want an easy-to-follow and fun entry point as a fan, this is it!

4)The Arena League

Est.:2024

Team Count: 6 (Possibly More)

Streaming: YouTube & Fanclb

PIL: Regional 7on7, Non Kicking w/ Healthy local Following

This league is a fun watch, but if you’re looking for “Arena Football” this isn’t it. Though if you enjoy A7FL or the idea of tackle 7on7, look no further! It’s definitely a different take on traditional Arena ball.

The rosters are much smaller, the fields slightly thinner, and the biggest kicker? There isn’t any kicking! No goalpost on site and a throw off similar to that of the old NFL Street video game. The only offensive line is the center, and the QB can run, but only in a certain lane.

The small market league enters its third year and has seen a few growing pains like most do. The worst of these is that they lost the only team to claim a championship to the AF1. They were quick to backfill as they announced a new team in Memphis not long after.

It is expected two more teams will join the league for 2025. Overall, if you want to see an exciting, easy-to-access, but fairly different version, this is for you!

5)American Arena League

Est.:2025 (Current Iteration)

Team Count:4

Streaming: Each Team’s YouTube

PIL: South East Regional, Low Cost of Entry Option for Up and Coming Teams

Many hardcore arena fans don’t exactly know how to perceive this league. It hasn’t taken a snap in its newest form and has a mixed bag of teams.

It is mostly the same group of people who saw the end of the original AAL, the creation of the AAL2, and now the AAL 2.0 reboot. The teams involved are nothing to scoff at: three AAL2 Champions & a veteran franchise that has played since 2007.

If you enjoy watching something grow into something bigger and better you have a chance to do that here. The AAL has a good growth plan, a low cost of entry, and will one day be the NAL of the Southeast. The talent won’t be on the same level as the first three mentioned but it will be good competitive football.

It may feel similar to the next league on this list, but it’s not in the slightest, be sure to check out our recent articles link below on the AAL.

6)American Indoor Football

Est.: 2024 (Current Iteration)

Team Count: 7 (Possibly More)

Steaming: YouTube

PIL: Low Teir, Fairly Spread Out Dom Montero Project

This league is all over the place… And if you’re counting, it is the third version of the “AIF”. It makes sparse announcements and doesn’t have a ton to speak of on official news but does in fact play “pro” arena ball

2025 was not much of a thriller as a 3-team league and a ton of “travel” teams resulted in a lot of senseless murder ball. Since said season there has been a ton of movement.

The addition of a Southern Division, which currently has only two teams. The division is made up of a team in Tyler and Odessa. The Odessa team is owned by Dom Montero, who at some point has been an owner of almost every team in the league, except for West Michigan.

This league also features travel-only teams, something we all thought died out a long time ago. If you want to watch a sinking ship that might have enough money to plug all the holes and make it to 2027, be our guest.

The best thing that is offered by this league is an end-of-January game to scratch that itch for indoor ball before the IFL or NAL kick off.

https://www.facebook.com/AIFL2022

(NR) International Arena League

We don’t know a ton about this one. The league is often live on social media and seems pretty confident that it will play an international schedule in 2026.

We aren’t very confident though, this league feels just as scammy as the 2024 AFL and NGL. We won’t say it won’t play, but the chance that it actually plays is slim. If by some miracle it does, it won’t be in the same capacity that it claims. We don’t suggest putting a ton of mental energy into following this one.

Developmental:

AAL2

As mentioned above this is the feeder league to the pro-level league, the AAL. There is no requirement to pay players and 90% of games are played in Soccer-plexs. That being said, this is a great place to watch guys who are giving it all they have to make it to the next level. The AAL2 is the highest level of Organized Developmental Indoor football and if you catch a game, you’ll see why.

If you have any questions or want to know more check out our recent article on the AAL2 linked below.

There are plenty of Developmental Indoor leagues such as the WIF & UIFA but this list was meant mostly to highlight the Pro Teams. We highlighted the AAL2 partly because of their affiliations to the AAL. Partly due to the incredible job it has done holding the league together.

At the end of the day the debate over which league is better breaks down to an opinion based argument, but will likely be something that is always associated with indoor or arena football. If your a new fan watch as much arena and indoor ball as you can handle, decide for your self!

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Indoor/Arena Football League Guide 2026