History
The IFA was announced on January 25, 2023, in a press conference held by commissioner Juan Manuel Bladé. [2] Bladé revealed that the league was to consist of 6 teams—3 in Mexico and 3 in the United States. It was later revealed that 4 of them were derived from the now-defunct Fútbol Americano de México league (Guadalajara Tequileros, Chihuahua Rebellion, Cancun Sharks and Pioneros de Querétaro who moved to Dallas and were named "Dallas Pioneros"). Dallas was the only American city announced, although the commissioner mentioned a potential additional team in El Paso. [3] In August 2023, ESPN reported that San Diego will be the sixth location, and that Art Briles and Noel Mazzone were the first coaches to be assigned to a team (Dallas Pioneers and Tequileros de Jalisco, respectively) while the league also hired Nick Rolovich and Hal Mumme. [5] In October 2023, El Paso, Texas, was removed from the official website. On November 29, 2023, the league announced Las Vegas as its second US location after the Las Vegas Kings joined from the American Indoor Football Alliance. [6] [7] On December 19, 2023 the league announced its sixth team – the Gulf Coast Tarpons, [8] [9] but a month later the team was removed from the league website, while adding Mexico City as "targeted Location". As of January 2024, league "Commissioner" Juan Manuel Bladé was removed from the official website and longer appeared to be associated with the IFA.
The league announced tryouts for its first season in San Diego, California (July 29, 2023); Melissa, Texas (August 20, 2023); Riviera Beach, Florida (September 9, 2023); [10] Cincinnati, Ohio (October 7, 2023); [11] Fort Lauderdale, Florida (October 21, 2023); [12] Atlanta, Georgia (November 11, 2023); [13] and internationally, in Cologne, Germany, on December 10, 2023 (moved from Birmingham, England). [14] The IFA Mexico Combine was held on December 3, 2023, in Mexico City, at Patriots Field (was open to all Mexican nationals). [15]
In January, 2024 the league announced their plans to push the inaugural season to 2025, after securing only five teams for 2024. [16] The IFA also announced four more teams for 2025 in Tampa Bay, Florida (Tampa Bay Tornadoes), Huntsville, Alabama (Alabama Beavers), Portland, Oregon (under the name PDX) and Louisiana (Gulf Coast Tarpons), [17] while the later two would be removed from the website on later date. In June, 2024 San Antonio was announced as the league eighth team. [18] Las Vegas withdrew from the league in October, 2024 and began pursuing an Arena Football One franchise. [19] On October 25, 2024, after months of speculations, the IFA announced the six teams to be playing the 2025 season: Alabama, Baltimore, Dallas, San Antonio, Tampa and Chihuahua. Five days later, a seventh team named the Ohio Valley Ironmen was added, without mentioning where the team will play. [20]
Both the Baltimore Lightning and the IFA issued separate statements in early January 2025 mutually announcing the Lightning were out of the IFA, but differed on who initiated; the IFA stated that the teams had voted the Lightning out of the league, while the Lightning stated it had left voluntarily. One month later, Baltimore Lightning owner Will Hanna sued the IFA and owner Jason Adams seeking, among other things, an injunction against the league and accusing Adams of defrauding other franchises, including those that had departed or folded prior to the season, with Adams responding that it was the Lightning who were defrauding the leagues in which it was a member and that the suit had no merit. [21] [22] On February 25, United States District Judge Russell denied Mr. Hanna's Motion for Preliminary Injunction against the IFA. [23]
On February 28 2025, the IFA announced the Arkansas Storm, owned by Coy Flynn and coached by Ron Calcagni, as its newest expansion franchise. [24] The team, was set to begin play in the 2026 season. [25] In March, the Pioneros, owned by the IFA owner Jason Adams, moved from Dallas to Georgetown, Texas after they couldn't secure a stadium in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and subsequently changed it name to the Texas Pioneros. [26]
2025 season
Despite ambitious plans, the 2025 International Football Alliance (IFA) season faced immediate operational failures. On April 14, 2025, the Alabama Beavers and the IFA mutually announced the Beavers' exit from the league amid disputes over unpaid bills, alleged felony fraud, and contractual disagreements; the Beavers claimed they had left earlier to join another league. [27] By April 15, only Ohio Valley, Tampa, and Chihuahua remained committed to the season, while other teams suspended operations or delayed decisions. [28]
Three weeks before the season, Anthony Richardson acquired the Beavers’ franchise, rebranding it as the Huntsville Astros. [29] Shortly before kickoff, the San Antonio Caballeros ceased operations. [30]
Early season turmoil included the Chihuahua Rebelión severing ties with key investors over alleged misconduct by coaching staff, and the Tampa Bay Tornadoes leaving the league to play independently after an investor withdrew funding. [31] [32] Ohio Valley Ironmen canceled the remainder of their season after multiple opponents pulled out. By mid-July, Chihuahua Rebelión was effectively bankrupt, leaving players stranded, and the Huntsville Astros also departed to play independently. [33]
The IFA attempted a late-season revival by relocating Chihuahua to Ciudad Juárez and expediting the Arkansas Storm into league play; the September 13 exhibition ended in a 47–7 victory for the Dallas Prime, highlighting the makeshift nature of the Storm roster. [34] By October 2025, the Ohio Valley Ironmen left the IFA to join the reformed Continental Football League. [35]
2025–present
Despite none of the founding or announced expansion teams entering the 2026 season, the IFA pushed forward. On September 19th, 2025, it was announced that the Dallas Prime would be promoted from a showcase team to a full member of the league. [36] . On October 2nd, the league announced that they were adding the Texas Herd [37] and the Ft. Worth Drive [38] . No update was given about the Arkansas Storm.
Later, the league announced in their website that they are lunching two new initiatives: a Collegiate All-Star Game "showcasing standout recent college graduates seeking exposure and professional opportunities" (the Mayan Bowl), coached by Noel Mazzone; [39] and an International Travel Team representing the IFA and the United States in global competitions against national and professional teams from other countries. Through these initiatives, "the IFA aims to create a pathway from college to professional football while fostering a unified international football community". [40]
Coaches
In August 2023, ESPN reported that the IFA hired former Baylor coach Art Briles as the head coach of Dallas Pioneers and the league confirmed that report later that day. [57] The same report also mentioned that Noel Mazzone will coach Tequileros de Jalisco, while Nick Rolovich will coach one of the American teams and Hal Mumme will coach one of the Mexican teams. [5] Rolovich later signed with the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons, [58] but was let go amid the XFL-USFL merger, and was interviewed for the IFA Portland position. [59] On January 19, 2024 Adam Rita was interview for the Cancun Sharks head coaching position. [60] In January, 2024 Noel Mazzone was announced as the Head Coach for IFA Portland. [61] (Mazzone would depart for the Memphis Showboats when the Portland team failed to materialize. [62] ) In June, 2024 Hal Mumme was announced as the head coach for IFA San Antonio. [63] In August 2024, Eric Marty announced he had accepted the head coaching position of a theretofore-unannounced IFA member, the Baltimore Lightning of Baltimore, Maryland, which had played the 2023 season in the Gridiron Developmental Football League. Marty accepted a position at the College of the Sequoias shortly before the Lightning split from the IFA. [64] In late October, 2024 Manny Matsakis was announced as the General Manager and Head Coach of the newly joined Ohio Valley Ironmen. [65]
Notwithstanding the foregoing announcements, Art Briles, Noel Mazzone, Nick Rolovich, Hal Mumme, Adam Rita, and Eric Marty are not serving as head coaches within the IFA.
The IFA had represented it secured non-exclusive broadcast agreements with multiple outlets prior to its 2025 launch.
In September 2024, they announced that league games will be available in the US through Roku and Tubi (the Tubi deal never materialized). [66] On October 11, 2024 the league announced streaming partnership with Shawne Merriman's Lights Out Sports. [67] In March 2025, the league announced additional agreements with Unbeaten Sports, a free ad-supported streaming television channel, and Inverleigh, an Australian production company, with the league stating that it would also be streaming games on its YouTube channel.
Notwithstanding the foregoing representations, there have been no broadcasts of any IFA games to date on either Roku or Tubi. Furthermore, there is no evidence of any formal partnership or affiliation between the IFA and Shawne Merriman’s Lights Out Sports, Unbeaten Sports, and/or Inverleigh, as no IFA content has ever been broadcast on said media outlets.
The Ohio Valley Ironmen had its games telecast on WTRF, [68] while the Las Vegas Kings had an agreement to broadcast their games on KVVU-TV. [69]
Controversy
The IFA pledged teams such as the Chihuahua Rebellion, San Antonio Caballeros, Dallas Pioneros and Tampa Bay Tornadoes, but due to financial mismanagement, leadership conflicts and ethical and safety allegations it collapsed almost as soon as it began operations in 2025. Details about the Rebellion operation raised serious accusations including players being stranded abroad without pay, being asked to use personal relationships for lodging, inadequate safety conditions (such as lacking well-fitting helmets and proper medical coverage), and legal action by players against the league and team ownership. [70]
On September 14 2025 the IFA hosted an exhibition showcase at The Star (Frisco, Texas) in Frisco, Texas, featuring a matchup between the Dallas Prime and the Arkansas Storm. The event, intended to inaugurate the IFA’s 2025 campaign across the U.S. and Mexico, exposed deep operational issues within the league: teams folded or exited throughout the summer, players reportedly weren’t paid, and on-site organization was lacking. The game ended in a 47–7 victory for Dallas, but much of the focus was on the Arkansas Storm’s disorganized setup—players missing standard uniforms, helmets arriving late, and jersey numbers applied with tape. The game operation cause several to question the league professionalism and viability of the 2026 season. [71]
2025 IFA season 
