Arena Football One increased its combined social media following by more than 61% during the 2026 regular season, reaching approximately 33,050 followers across five major platforms, according to digital performance figures released Monday by the league.
The report, covering April 19 through July 19, showed AF1 adding approximately 12,550 followers during the three-month regular season. The league began the season with an estimated combined audience of about 20,500 followers across Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and TikTok.
“The strategy to deliver high-energy, fan-centric and data-backed content has yielded massive dividends, significantly expanding our brand visibility and community footprint,” AF1 Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jared DeGroff said.
Instagram finished the regular season as AF1’s largest individual platform, growing nearly 25% to approximately 11,980 followers. The league reported 8.7 million Instagram views, an increase of more than 40%, and 46,320 interactions generated by Reels. Engagement with those short-form videos increased by more than 215% during the season.
Facebook grew by more than 22% to 8,593 followers while producing 2.33 million content views, more than double its previous total. AF1 reported that engagement with Facebook Reels increased sharply, although DeGroff cautioned against placing too much emphasis on eye-catching percentage increases generated from comparatively small starting points.
That broader growth was evident throughout the league’s digital operation. AF1 content generated 11.51 million impressions on X, formerly known as Twitter, an increase of more than 55%. The league’s following on the platform grew more modestly, rising just over 6% to 2,711.
YouTube delivered AF1’s largest gain in subscribers. The league added 3,643 subscribers during the regular season, bringing its audience to 8,240. AF1 videos generated approximately 436,080 views, an increase of more than 415% over the previous measurement period.
TikTok remained AF1’s smallest platform by total audience but recorded some of its fastest growth in activity. The league finished the regular season with 1,525 followers, an increase of nearly 15%, while its videos generated approximately 41,090 views and 1,901 interactions.
The numbers were compiled from each platform’s reporting tools and represent combined followers rather than necessarily 33,050 individual fans. One person can follow AF1 on several platforms, and impressions or views do not measure the number of unique viewers. Still, the figures provide evidence that the league expanded its digital reach during a regular season in which social media video became an increasingly important part of its marketing operation.
The clearest trend was the performance of short-form video. Highlights built around touchdowns, collisions, celebrations and behind-the-scenes access consistently produced AF1’s strongest growth and engagement.
“The data clearly indicates that short-form video — Reels and TikToks — is the primary engine for our virality and organic reach,” DeGroff said. “As we transition our focus toward the postseason and offseason planning, we need to continue doubling down on video content that captures the raw speed, hits and community passion of AF1.”
The next challenge for AF1 will be converting its larger digital audience into sustained interest during the playoffs and offseason. While follower counts, views and impressions do not necessarily translate directly into ticket sales, sponsorship revenue or long-term financial strength, the regular-season report gives the league a substantially larger online foundation from which to promote its postseason and begin marketing the 2027 season.
