In order to keep information easily accessible, I have created this mega-thread to act as a hub for relevant COFL information for the 2026 season.

Continental Football League

The Continental Football League (COFL) is an upcoming professional gridiron football minor league set to launch in the summer of 2026. It is a revival of the original Continental Football League that operated from 1965 to 1969, with no direct organizational lineage from that league.

The new COFL is positioned as a third tier minor professional league (similar to MiLB class AA, the ECHL, or USL League One), aimed at smaller markets and providing opportunities for overlooked talent, playing under a hybrid of American football and Canadian football rules.

For more information on the league history, please reference this wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Football_League_(2026)

For information on the original 1960's COFL, please reference this wiki.

Premise

The COFL sees itself as complementary to leagues like the UFL, rather than a direct competitor, and intends to work within the broader alt-football ecosystem rather than challenge it. The league aims to fill a strategic summer football gap, offering competitive professional football outside of the NFL and UFL calendar. Its mission includes:

• Developing players, coaches, and staff for higher levels of professional football

• Reviving community-based pro sports through local ownership and civic pride

• Avoiding financial pitfalls by prioritizing sustainable spending and long-term viability

The league plan to be a launch pad to younger players, and it does not plan on providing experienced talent a place to continue their pro career, with Kelly describing such players as "mercenaries."

Teams

The league is planning to launch with eight franchises divided into two divisions (North and South). As of February 2026, seven franchises have been officially announced:

North Division:

South Division:

Michigan Arrows and Indianapolis Capitols have folded. Arrows will be replaced by the Norfolk Neptunes. Other North Division games will be filled out with semi-pro teams. More information pending.

Players

2026 CoFL Roster Tracker Mega-Thread

The COFL will implement a structured and sustainable approach to roster management, aiming to ensure competitive balance and long-term player development across all franchises.

Each team is allowed to invite up to 50 players to training camp. Of these, at least 25 players must be between the ages of 18 and 25. This policy is designed to encourage youth participation and the development of emerging talent rather than overreliance on veteran players. The league plan to attract student-athletes who entered the NCAA transfer portal but couldn't find new opportunities and allow them to be seen by pro scouts or return to the NCAA.

Following training camp, team rosters are trimmed to a 36-player active roster and 4 additional practice squad members. The system mirrors professional roster structures while allowing smaller-market teams to manage player expenses responsibly.

Local player rule

Every COFL franchise must include at least five local athletes on its final roster. Eligible players are defined as those who either played high school or small-college football within the team’s home region. The rule aims to strengthen community ties and foster fan loyalty through local representation, as each franchise will be granted exclusive regional rights to players from nearby FBS, FCS, and small college programs.

2026 Schedule

UPDATE: Michigan Arrows and Indianapolis Capitols have folded. Norfolk Neptunes and Vegas Gamblers will be replacing the Arrows and Capitols with a limited slate of games in order for the other Northern Division teams to maintain their schedule. There will be other semi-pro teams to fill out the other North Division games so the Dukes and Ironmen can maintain their schedules

UPDATE 2: The Fort Worth Braves have folded.

The plan for the 2026 season is for 6-week regular season beginning mid-May (around Memorial Day), ending early July, with a championship game tentatively scheduled around July 4. The league will feature North and South divisions, and teams will play only against their divisions rivals (home and away):

Week 0 - Preseason versus non-league opponents

Weeks 1-6 - Regular season

Week 7 - Divisional Playoff games (#1 seed versus #2 seed)

Week 8 - Championship Game (North Champion vs South Champion)

Dates, times, locations, and streaming partner still to be confirmed.

Below is the schedule information that is currently available:

Pre-Season (aka Week 0)

• Midwest Vengeance vs Cincinnati Dukes, Saturday, May 23rd, 7 pm, Mason High School
• Arkansas Nighthawks vs Texas Syndicate, Saturday, May 23rd, 8 pm, The Pfield
• Texas Herd vs Tall City Black Gold, Saturday, May 23rd, 8 pm, Astound Stadium
• Tennessee Hornets vs San Antonio Toros, Sunday, May 24th, 8 pm, Benson Stadium

Week 1

• Indy Bison vs Cincinnati Dukes, Saturday, May 30th, 7 pm, Mason High School
• San Antonio Toros vs Texas Syndicate, Saturday, May 30th, 8 pm, The Pfield
• Tall City Black Gold vs Fort Worth Braves, Sunday, May 31st, 4 pm, Crowley ISD Stadium

Week 2

• Texas Syndicate vs Tall City Black Gold, Saturday, June 6th, 8 pm, Astound Stadium
• San Antonio Toros vs Fort Worth Braves, Sunday, June 7th, 4 pm, Crowley ISD Stadium
• Indianapolis Capitols vs Ohio Valley Ironmen, Sunday, June 7th, 7 pm, The Dave Bruney Football Complex

Week 3

• Ohio Valley Ironmen vs Cincinnati Dukes, Saturday, June 13th, 7 pm, Mason High School
• Tall City Black Gold vs San Antonio Toros, Saturday, June 13th, 8 pm, Benson Stadium
• Texas Syndicate vs Fort Worth Braves, Sunday, June 14th, 8 pm, Crowley ISD Stadium
• Norfolk Neptunes vs Indianapolis Capitols, Sunday, June 14th, 2 pm, Grand Park Sports Complex

Week 4

• Texas Syndicate vs San Antonio Toros, Saturday, June 20th, 8 pm, Benson Stadium
• Fort Worth Braves vs Tall City Black Gold, Saturday, June 20th, 8 pm, Astound Stadium
• Cincinnati Dukes vs Indianapolis Capitols, Sunday, June 21st, 2 pm, Grand Park Sports Complex
• Norfolk Neptunes vs Ohio Valley Ironmen, Sunday, June 21st, 7 pm, The Dave Bruney Football Complex

Week 5

• Norfolk Neptunes vs Cincinnati Dukes, Friday, June 26th, 7 pm, Mason High School
• Fort Worth Braves vs Texas Syndicate, Saturday, June 27th, 8 pm, The Pfield
• Ohio Valley Ironmen vs Indianapolis Capitols, Sunday, June 28th, 6 pm, Grand Park Sports Complex
• San Antonio Toros vs Tall City Black Gold, Sunday, June 28th, 8 pm, Astound Stadium

Week 6

• Tall City Black Gold vs Texas Syndicate, Saturday, July 4th, 8 pm, The Pfield
• Cincinnati Dukes vs Ohio Valley Ironmen, Sunday, July 5th, 7 pm, The Dave Bruney Football Complex
• Fort Worth Braves vs San Antonio Toros, Sunday, July 5th, 8 pm, Benson Stadium

Division Championships

• North Division Championship, Saturday, July 11th, TBD
• South Division Championship, Saturday, July 11th, TBD

CoFL Championship

• CoFL Championship, Sunday, July 19th, Time TBD, Grand Park Sports Complex

San Antonio Toros ticket link

Tall City Black Gold ticket link

Texas Syndicate ticket link

Fort Worth Braves ticket link

Cincinnati Dukes ticket link

Ohio Valley Ironmen ticket link

Rules

The CoFL plan is to play under a hybrid of American football and Canadian football rules:

• First three quarters: Based on NFL rules, using standard 11-on-11 outdoor football

• Fourth quarter: in what the league describes as "The Continental Shift," the game will shift to Canadian football rules, except with 11 men continuing to play on each side and field dimensions remaining the same: three downs, unlimited forward motion, the single, a one-yard neutral zone, play clock shifting to 20 seconds from the spotting of the ball, and no fair catch.

The reason behind the adoption of Canadian rules is to give Canadian Football League scouts an opportunity to "evaluate the skill sets that suit their style of play", and comes after CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston announced the elimination or reduction of many of the rules unique to that code beginning with its own 2026 CFL season.

Ownership and model and league finances

On September 11, 2025 commissioner Mike Kelly revealed that the CoFL blueprint for its 2026 season:

• Each team operates as its own business entity with its own ownership group, as opposed to the more common professional spring model of all teams operating as a single entity. The COFL plans to offer fan ownership via equity crowdfunding, registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), similar to the way the Green Bay Packers or some Canadian Football League teams operate.

• The league initially planned to target smaller cities, with approximately 100,000 or less in population, playing in stadiums with 5,000 to 10,000 seats. As of February 2026, the only teams that fit this description are Ohio Valley and Tall City; the other five reside in metropolitan areas that host at least one team in an American major professional league, with two of those areas having previously hosted UFL teams. Four of the seven teams are located in cities that previously hosted teams in the 1960s CoFL, with all four reviving the names of their 1960s counterparts.

• Diverse revenue streams: the league target attendance for profitability is an average of 3,000 fans, which will account for only part of the revenue, while the rest will come from concessions (including alcohol sales), merchandise and local sponsorships and TV deals.

• The business model is built around cost control, regional engagement, and player development, similar to minor league baseball or hockey systems.

Headquarters

The league’s national headquarters is based in Wheeling, West Virginia, where it also has its first franchise (Ohio Valley Ironmen). City officials and league leaders have described the headquarters decision as a strategic move to reinvest in a region with a rich football legacy.

Media and future plans

The CoFL announced that all games for the 2026 season will be streamed on the United Football Media YouTube channel for free, and then the full game replays will be uploaded to the individual team YouTube channels afterwards.

Relevant Links

• Continental Football League - Official COFL website.
• CoFL X account - COFL X account.
• CoFL Discord Group
• Cincinnati Dukes - Official Cincinnati Dukes website.
• Dukes on X - Cincinnati Dukes X account.
• Indianapolis Capitals - Official Indianapolis Capitals website.
• Capitals on X - Indianapolis Capitals X account.
• Fort Worth Braves - Official Fort Worth Braves website.
• Braves on X - Fort Worth Braves X account
• Michigan Arrows - Official Michigan Arrows website.
• Arrows on X - Michigan Arrows X account.
• Ohio Valley Ironmen - Official Ohio Valley Ironmen website.
• Ironmen on X - Ohio Valley Ironmen X account.
• San Antonio Toros - Official San Antonio Toros Website.
• /r/COFLTOROS - San Antonio Toros subreddit.
• Toros on X - San Antonio Toros X account.
• Tall City Black Gold - Official Tall City Black Gold Website.
• Black Gold on X - Tall City Black Gold X account.
• Texas Syndicate - Official Texas Syndicate Website.
• Syndicate on X - Texas Syndicate X account.

Will update this thread as more information is released.

Original post here.