International Football Alliance

The International Football Alliance (IFA) is a professional, outdoor, 11-man American football summer minor league that will operate internationally in both Mexico and the United States. The league is headquartered in Cancún, Mexico.

The IFA's inaugural season was expected to start in June 2024 with 6 teams, but the start date was later pushed to 2025 with 10 teams.

Premise
The IFA's aim is to "deliver the highest level of American football," and "build a unified and solid American football ecosystem in Mexico," while the league mission statement reads: "The International Football Alliance mission is bridging the gap in international professional football by delivering the highest level of American Football within the locations of Mexico and the United States, implementing NFL based standard rules of play, and creating an international alliance. Together with our team ownership, teams, players, and fans, we will work to build a unified and solid football ecosystem to grow American football in Mexico".

History
The IFA was announced on January 25, 2023, in a press conference held by commissioner Juan Manuel Bladé. Bladé revealed that the league will consist of six teams—three in Mexico and three in the United States (it was later revealed that four of them are derived from the now-defunct Fútbol Americano de México league). Dallas was the only American city announced, although the commissioner mentioned a potential additional team in El Paso. In August 2023, ESPN reported that San Diego will be the sixth location, and that Art Briles and Noel Mazzone were the first coaches to be assigned to a team (Dallas Pioneers and Tequileros de Jalisco, respectively) while the league also hired Nick Rolovich and Hal Mumme.

The league announced tryouts for its first season in San Diego, California (July 29, 2023); Melissa, Texas (August 20, 2023); Riviera Beach, Florida (September 9, 2023); Cincinnati, Ohio (October 7, 2023); Fort Lauderdale, Florida (October 21, 2023); Atlanta, Georgia (November 11, 2023); and internationally, in Cologne, Germany, on December 10, 2023 (moved from Birmingham, England). The IFA Mexico Combine was held on December 3, 2023, in Mexico City, at Patriots Field (was open to all Mexican nationals).

In January, 2024 the league announced their plans to push the inaugural season to 2025, after securing only five teams for 2024. The IFA also announced four more teams for 2025 in Tampa Bay, Florida (Tampa Bay Tornadoes), Huntsville, Alabama (Alabama Beavers), Portland, Oregon (under the name PDX) and Louisiana (Gulf Coast Tarpons), while the later two would be removed from the website on later date. The league also announced they reached broadcast agreement with Right Now TV for over-the-air and streaming broadcasts.

Teams
The IFA has announced 6 founding member cities, 4 of which are derived from the now-defunct Fútbol Americano de México league (with the Pioneros relocating to Dallas), one "El Paso team" and additional unspecified US-based team. Commissioner Juan Manuel Bladé Cavazos stated the IFA would like to have a team in Mexico City upon procurement of a suitable ownership group. Cavazos further stated the plan is to have 10 teams by 2025, split between the 2 countries, while California and Florida are states with prospective member cities. In August 2023, an ESPN report indicated that that the IFA would have three US based teams, one in Dallas, one in San Diego, and an additional Texas based team. In October 2023, El Paso, Texas, was removed from the official website. On November 29, 2023, the league announced Las Vegas as its second US location after the Las Vegas Kings joined from the American Indoor Football Alliance. On December 19, 2023 the league announced its sixth team - the Gulf Coast Tarpons, but a month later the team was removed from the league website, while adding Mexico City as "targeted Location". In January, 2024 the league announced three more teams for 2025 in Tampa Bay, Florida (Tampa Bay Tornadoes), Huntsville, Alabama (Alabama Beavers), Portland, Oregon (under the name PDX). In April 2024 IFA Portland were removed from the website. In June, 2024 San Antonio was announced as the league eighth team.

Players
Each team will carry a 53-man roster (40 active on game day) and seven players on the practice squad, with a maximum of 20 American players (similar to the Canadian Football League), with a goal of attracting international players. The players will be selected after participating in IFA-organized combine tryouts. Each team must carry two quarterbacks on the active roster and one on the practice squad. Players with dual citizenship (United States + 1 country) may be submitted against either the 20 American player cap or the 33 International player cap (per team). Once the player has been submitted, his status may not change until the conclusion of that respective season. For the 2025 season, each team will carry 53 man roster with a minimum of 5 international players.

For the 2024 season, the league plan was to hold a "Global Draft" on January 13, 2024, in Mexico City, and a "Supplemental Draft" on May 8, 2024. Training camp was suppose to start on May 15, 2024, with 75 players on each roster, which will be trimmed down to 55 a week later.

Compensation
Salaries were first reported as "similar" to the ELF, XFL, and USFL. The league later announced that "player pay will be determined per team, with league standards are $400–$1500 per game", but the league would later stated that all players will get paid $400 per game, while only active QB's making $1500 per game. During training camp the players will make $100 per-week, plus room and board.

Coaches
In August 2023, ESPN reported that the IFA hired former Baylor coach Art Briles as the head coach of Dallas Pioneers and the league confirmed that report later that day. The same report also mentioned that Noel Mazzone will coach Tequileros de Jalisco, while Nick Rolovich will coach one of the American teams and Hal Mumme will coach one of the Mexican teams. Rolovich later signed with the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons, but was let go amid the XFL-USFL merger, and was interviewed for the IFA Portland position. On January 19, 2024 Adam Rita was interview for the Cancun Sharks head coaching position. In January, 2024 Noel Mazzone was announced as the Head Coach for IFA Portland. In June, 2024 Hal Mumme was announced as the head coach for IFA San Antonio.

Season structure
As of June, 2024 the league plan is that each team will play a ten-game schedule with no bye weeks, with the season starting on June 7, 2025.

Media
In June 2023 the league announced they reached a broadcasting agreement with Mexican based Hi! Sports and Total Play Telecomunicaciones. In September they announced that league games will be available in the US through Roku an Tubi. In January 2024 the IFA announced they reached broadcast agreement with Right Now TV for over-the-air and streaming broadcasts.

Las Vegas Kings games will be broadcast on KVVU-TV.

Personnel
Reference
 * Commissioner – Juan Manuel Bladé (president of Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano)


 * International Operations Director – Jason Adams
 * Director of Player Administration – Mark Lozano
 * Operations Assistant - Frank Gonzalez
 * IFA Official Camps and Academies – Hal Mumme and Michael Lewis (also NFL Liaison)
 * General Counsel, Mexico - Igor Aragón