A rough year for the IFA

Kids, I hate to be a Negative Nigel, but I’m not sure the International Football Alliance is gonna make it.

Just a few months ago, the fledgling summer circuit was gearing up for its inaugural season with a lineup that featured the Alabama (Huntsville) Beavers, Baltimore Lightning, Chihuahua Rebellion, Dallas Pioneros, Ohio Valley (Wheeling, West Virginia) Ironmen, San Antonio Caballeros and Tampa Tornadoes. Each team was to play an eight game regular season schedule, followed by semi-finals and a championship game on August 16.

But, like Robert Burns might’ve written had he been a fan of upstart sports ventures, the best laid plans of mice and men – and alt-football – often go awry. And the IFA has taken awry to dizzying heights in 2025.

Let’s review …

• The Lightning and IFA had a less than amicable parting back in January, with Baltimore officials accusing the league of lying about broadcasting deals (among other things). The IFA responded by saying the Lightning had been voted out because of the “… organization’s consistent failure to meet professional internal operational standards, failure to adhere to league requirements, and failure to uphold the standards expected.”
• In April, the Pioneros announced they’d wait until 2026 to start playing, while the Beavers were either expelled from the IFA or left on their own, depending on who you choose to believe. The circuit accused the club of wrongdoing such as fraud and unpaid debts, but officials with the team denied the charges and claim they had resigned from the IFA before ever receiving a letter of expulsion. Huntsville was granted a new franchise – the Astros – in May.
• June was quite the disastrous month. The Caballeros canceled their 2025 season due to “unforeseen circumstances”; the Tornadoes dropped out, releasing a statement that reads, “While we respect the league’s efforts, our vision requires a more focused and community-driven path forward”; Chihuahua withdrew after playing one game – a 16-0 loss to the Dallas Prime  – claiming “multiple administrative, financial, and ethical irregularities” within the IFA, then rebranded as Rebelion CUU (and resumes play July 19 against the Texas Herd); and the Ironmen, who had beaten three opponents by a combined score of 166-0, canceled the remainder of their schedule because, well, they couldn’t find suitable competition.

“Nobody expected us to be this strong,” Ironmen coach and GM Manny Matsakis said in a statement appearing on the team’s Facebook page. “We were left scratching our heads when teams started dropping off the schedule. Rather than scramble to throw together subpar replacements or dilute what we’ve built, we’re choosing to rest. That way, we can come back in 2026 even stronger and fully aligned with our goals.”

Ohio Valley opened with a 45-0 win over the Cincinnati Dukes (Blue Collar Football League), followed with a 39-0 win over the Erie Express (Premier Amateur Football League), and closed with an 82-0 drubbing of the Tennessee Hornets.

The only other IFA team to play multiple games so far is Huntsville, who downed Tennessee, 45-0, in the opener, and on June 29 blanked Up1 Athletics, 50-0.

(Seems like a game between the unbeaten and unscored upon Ironmen and Astros – originally scheduled for July 20 – would be a nice way to wrap things up, but no one asked me).

Anyhoo, the IFA has announced that its “Showcase Games Series” will continue through August, culminating with a 2026 expansion team – the Arkansas Storm – tangling with a squad of all-stars from Mexico City.

What is the Showcase Games Series, you ask? It’s how the league is describing some of the games featuring teams outside the organization. I remember looking at schedules and seeing opponents like the Prime, Herd and Hornets, and wondering who they were and why they were playing IFA foes.

Well, turns out they are “Showcase Teams” – independents who line up against IFA members to provide exposure for their players and coaches, and audition for possible full IFA membership.

The Prime will play at Huntsville on July 13.

And the IFA also wants you to know that it has confirmed six core locations for 2026 (four in the United States and two in Mexico), and officials are considering adding two more expansion franchises.

Look, a league with franchises in the United States and Mexico sounds great in theory (although why a Mexican player would risk coming to the USA these days is beyond me). However, the reality of the 2025 International Football Alliance has been harsh.

It was going to be a tough sell anyway since the United Football League has already established itself as the “major minor,” and lack of TV exposure and publicity has kept the IFA hidden from most fans.  Attendance, best I can tell, has been awful.

Regardless, I wish the league well with its Showcase Series, and truly hope it can reboot and get its act together by next summer.

That said, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if – this time next year – the IFA is RIP.