City of Tucson agrees to three-year arrangement to host IFL championship game

The Indoor Football League announced Thursday that it will host its championship game at the Tucson Convention Center for the next three years, starting this upcoming 2025 season.

“We definitely made the right decision, over the next three years, to bring our championship game to Tucson,” IFL commissioner Todd Tyron said in the press conference. “The Tucson Sugar Skulls, they’ve been competitive and if you have not been to one of the events that Tucson puts on, it’s a party.”

Not only does bringing the IFL championship game add to Tucson’s resume as a legitimate sports haven, it also is aimed at building an enhanced sense of community in the town and the Sugar Skulls’ fanbase.

“Tucson is a spots town, great things are possible in this town and great things are happening,” Sugar Skulls co-owner Ali Farhang said. “This is for our community. This is for our engagement. This is the passion of how much we love Tucson. We’ve got a beautiful facility here at the Tucson Convention Center. We’ve got great people running the convention center. I’m telling you right now, this is just the beginning.”

The agreement to hold the IFL championship at the TCC was in partnership with Rio Nuevo and Visit Tucson.

The game, which will feature champions from the east and west divisions, will be televised live on CBS Sports Network, the first time an IFL championship game will be broadcast..

The IFL was founded in 2008, following a merger with the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football.

The Sugar Skulls joined the IFL in 2019 after the team was announced in August 2018. The name was soon picked that following September.

Tucson made the playoffs in its first season with a 7-7 record and lost in the first round to the eventual champion, Sioux Falls Storm by a 50-47 score.

The Sugar Skulls then made three straight playoff appearances from 2021-2023.

The IFL championship will be played on Aug. 23, 2025. The Sugar Skulls’ season starts March 30, when they will play the defending IFL champion Arizona Rattlers in Phoenix.