Arena Football League announces 16-team return in 2024

The Arena Football League is set to return in 2024. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Arena Football League is officially back.

The AFL announced on Wednesday that it will officially return in 2024.

The league, which was last closed in 2019, will feature 16 teams and play a 10-game season. The details of these teams are not yet known.

“We are delighted to come out of hibernation and make this announcement official,” AFL chairman Anthony Rossi said in a statement. “When we acquired the AFL, our goal was to bring back a historic brand that deserved to be relaunched and showcased again, globally. but this time we want to incorporate the components of a modern business – streaming, betting, technology, virtual reality and fan engagement immersion mixed with a good old fashioned football ironman… We believe we have assembled an operational team of world class comprised of C-Suite executives, expert sports coaches, football staff, performance facilities, legal partners, professional team owners and former athletes.

The AFL played its first season in 1987. After the 2009 season was canceled due to financial problems, it was revived in 2010 – although it continued to decline until the end of its final season in 2019 with only six teams. The Albany Empire won the ArenaBowl that season.

The league is the latest spring football league to surface or resurface in recent years. The United States Football League returned last spring. The XFL is also set to return this month, after Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joined the ownership group following his last attempt in 2020.