2026 Arena Football League (10/18 teams)
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 5:12 pm
Play: 1 vs. 1
Settings: Escalating, chained, foggy -- 20-round limit.
Premium players only for this one.
This tourney will mimic the glory days of the Arena Football League.
Each round of play will represent one play during the game.
Yardage/Play result is based on which player conquered more territories in that round and how many troops they deployed at the start of the round. Basically, the bigger your advantage in a given round, the bigger the play.
Yardage chart ...
https://flic.kr/p/2rZPchX
*Bonuses in play for winning quickly and for amassing spoils in your win.
Arena Football has a running clock with 15-minute quarters. Only stoppages are for change of possession and timeouts. Each team gets 3 timeouts per half. Also, Arena Football has a 1-minute warning. So stoppages added for incomplete passes in the final minute of the half and the game.
For the purpose of this tourney, you can earn a new set of downs by reaching the midfield line.
Game play:
The Arena League is a passing league, so most rounds will be pass attempts.
Rounds ending in 4/14 and 10/20 will be designated run downs (unless overruled by the game situation)
3rd-and-1 + even round = run play
4th-and-1 + even round = run play (go for it if offense won the map)
Arena Football is played on a 50-yard field (with 8-yard end zones), so no punting. If you hit 4th down, you try for a field goal. The field goal target is narrow and high in the AFL, so kicking percentages are lower than you would find in the NFL.
Plays will take between 34-40 seconds.
In the final minute ... an incomplete pass/kick attempt will be 4-7 seconds.
When a timeout is used ... that play will take 7-10 seconds.
Kicking chart
https://flic.kr/p/2rZVKbH
random.org used to determine kick success. The closer you get the more likely you are to make the field goal.
Because this tourney relies on formulas to determine yardage & scoring, it relies on a group of pre-set maps that will rotate through as the season moves along. It's 25-geographically based maps in that 42-44 territory size that seems to be the most fair of 1-vs.-1 play.
MapList by David Ball, on Flickr
Settings: Escalating, chained, foggy -- 20-round limit
Pace of Play...
I think each game will take about 10 maps ... I'll send out 5 maps early in the week, 5 more mid-week and any others as needed to expire the game clock.
Season ...
This is designed as an 18-team league with three 6-team divisions.
We will play a 13-game regular season.
Playoffs ...
Each Division winner clinches a playoff spot (and a top three seed).
Each Division winner earns a first-round bye.
The next eight best teams earn wildcards spots.
The top two wildcard qualifiers also gets a first-round bye.
Tiebreakers: 1) Head-to-head; 2) Record vs. Division winners; 3) Point differential.
Team sign-ups.
ArenaLeagueTeams by David Ball, on Flickr
Settings: Escalating, chained, foggy -- 20-round limit.
Premium players only for this one.
This tourney will mimic the glory days of the Arena Football League.
Each round of play will represent one play during the game.
Yardage/Play result is based on which player conquered more territories in that round and how many troops they deployed at the start of the round. Basically, the bigger your advantage in a given round, the bigger the play.
Yardage chart ...
https://flic.kr/p/2rZPchX
*Bonuses in play for winning quickly and for amassing spoils in your win.
Arena Football has a running clock with 15-minute quarters. Only stoppages are for change of possession and timeouts. Each team gets 3 timeouts per half. Also, Arena Football has a 1-minute warning. So stoppages added for incomplete passes in the final minute of the half and the game.
For the purpose of this tourney, you can earn a new set of downs by reaching the midfield line.
Game play:
The Arena League is a passing league, so most rounds will be pass attempts.
Rounds ending in 4/14 and 10/20 will be designated run downs (unless overruled by the game situation)
3rd-and-1 + even round = run play
4th-and-1 + even round = run play (go for it if offense won the map)
Arena Football is played on a 50-yard field (with 8-yard end zones), so no punting. If you hit 4th down, you try for a field goal. The field goal target is narrow and high in the AFL, so kicking percentages are lower than you would find in the NFL.
Plays will take between 34-40 seconds.
In the final minute ... an incomplete pass/kick attempt will be 4-7 seconds.
When a timeout is used ... that play will take 7-10 seconds.
Kicking chart
https://flic.kr/p/2rZVKbH
random.org used to determine kick success. The closer you get the more likely you are to make the field goal.
Because this tourney relies on formulas to determine yardage & scoring, it relies on a group of pre-set maps that will rotate through as the season moves along. It's 25-geographically based maps in that 42-44 territory size that seems to be the most fair of 1-vs.-1 play.
MapList by David Ball, on FlickrSettings: Escalating, chained, foggy -- 20-round limit
Pace of Play...
I think each game will take about 10 maps ... I'll send out 5 maps early in the week, 5 more mid-week and any others as needed to expire the game clock.
Season ...
This is designed as an 18-team league with three 6-team divisions.
We will play a 13-game regular season.
Playoffs ...
Each Division winner clinches a playoff spot (and a top three seed).
Each Division winner earns a first-round bye.
The next eight best teams earn wildcards spots.
The top two wildcard qualifiers also gets a first-round bye.
Tiebreakers: 1) Head-to-head; 2) Record vs. Division winners; 3) Point differential.
Team sign-ups.
ArenaLeagueTeams by David Ball, on Flickr