Howie Hanson is editor & publisher of 50 Yard Football, which covers arena/indoor football leagues.
The Minnesota Monsters enter 2026 not as a curiosity, but as one of the most intriguing franchises in arena football’s newest era.
Just two seasons ago, this team was born in Duluth as the Harbor Monsters, playing shortened forms of indoor football and capturing consecutive league championships in 2024 and 2025.
After those back-to-back titles, the franchise took a bold step: rebranding as the Minnesota Monsters and stepping up into Arena Football One, the sport’s fastest-growing national circuit.
That transition marks more than a name change. It represents a jump in expectations, competition and opportunity. Winning championships in a four-team regional league is one thing; succeeding in AF1, against a deeper roster of established franchises, is another.
Minnesota’s 2026 schedule is a 12-game slate that kicks off on the road against the Albany Firebirds in early April and stretches through mid-July, with both road tests and a home opener in Duluth that promises to reignite local passion. The schedule mixes familiar rivals with new national rivals, challenging the Monsters to show they can win consistently in a full-featured 8-on-8 arena game.
Gone are the abbreviated formats of the team’s first two seasons. In AF1, the Monsters will compete in the toughest iteration of arena football currently played: a faster, more physical, strategy-rich 8-on-8 environment that rewards balanced offense, stout line play and adaptability.
This is a team that already knows how to win. Two straight championships do more than fill a trophy case — they build confidence, credibility and a culture that expects to compete. But they also rewrite the narrative: no longer are the Monsters newcomers testing the waters. Now they’re a franchise stepping up into a broader spotlight, with fans in Duluth and beyond watching to see how they measure up against the rest of the country.
The home environment will be a big part of that test. AMSOIL Arena, a larger and more modern setting than the old DECC facility, gives Minnesota a true home-field platform — not just for football, but for entertainment and atmosphere. Late May through mid-July home dates will be key, both for establishing a winning routine and for turning casual curiosity into loyal attendance.
Roster construction will be equally vital. The team’s nucleus — including the quarterback who framed those early championships — returns, but the demands of AF1 require depth, especially up front and in the kicking game. The Monsters have added linemen, specialists, and reinforcements in those units, an acknowledgment that the league’s full-contact style requires bodies and depth to sustain success over a longer season.
Beyond Xs and Os, the storyline for 2026 is identity. Can Minnesota become more than a regional champion? Can it grow into a national contender with a home crowd that doesn’t just show up for novelty, but comes back because the product is consistently competitive?
This season will start to answer that question.
The Monsters’ march from expansion favorites to back-to-back champions gave Duluth and northern Minnesota something rare: a credible, championship-level pro football experience. What they do from April through July in AF1 will determine if that experience becomes tradition — and if the Monsters can make a lasting mark on this sport’s landscape.
The schedule is set. The expectations are higher. And this team knows what winning looks like.
Now the rest of the league will find out if the Monsters do too.
