By RJ Reid
IFA Announces New Team for 2026
The International Football Alliance (IFA) announced on February 12th that the Arkansas Storm will join the league starting in the 2026 season. Further, the IFA announced that it will proceed with the six remaining teams for this season. A revised schedule has yet to be released, but with the league still planning on having a 10-game schedule, it can be assumed that each team will play each other twice, one at home and one on the road.
So, what does this mean for fans of the IFA? Fans should be reassured that the league will continue as originally planned and kick off this May. The fact that Arkansas has joined the league, even after Baltimore left and issued its scathing statement claiming the league was a scam and a fraud, is a positive sign. Baltimore, in its statement, claimed that “other teams will follow suit” and leave the IFA, but to date, no other team has left; in fact, the league has expanded.
In an interview on the Player 54 Podcast, IFA Director Jason Adams said that the plan was to have a new team join the league and replace Baltimore on the schedule. This plan has now changed, as Arkansas will not play in 2025 but will instead begin operations next season.
Since this is a new league getting off the ground, it is probably a good thing that it is starting small with only six teams. Additionally, Arkansas starting in 2026 allows the team an entire year to build and be ready to begin operations.
The IFA looks to be ready, and fans should be more confident that the league will be around for the foreseeable future.
Dallas Pioneros Announce Stadium and Name Change
The Dallas Pioneros announced on February 11th that Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, Texas will be their home stadium for the 2025 season. Interestingly, Georgetown is closer to Austin than Dallas, which leads one to ask why the team is called the Dallas Pioneros. Subsequently, the Pioneros has changed its name to the Texas Pioneros. With the Pioneros playing their home games in Georgetown, this makes it easier for fans of both the Pioneros and the Caballeros to travel for road games. It also creates a closer geographical rivalry between the two teams.
Images by: https://x.com/TheIFAFootball