Tucson likely to become host of Indoor Football League championship game

The Tucson Convention Center appears set to host the next three championship games for the Indoor Football League.

The Rio Nuevo Board voted unanimously in a meeting last week to host the games, at a cost of $333,000 a year.

The league's last three championship games have been played in Las Vegas, which was also in the running along with Nashville.

"This is a hell of an opportunity for us, This is an economic juggernaut." said Rio Nuevo Board Member Edmund Marquez during the meeting. " Ironically, I'm in Vegas right now; I'm at Ceasar's Palace. We take this event from Vegas. Tucson beats Vegas for this event, and we have three years of the Indoor Super Bowl at our TCC."

Kevin Guy, who is both coach of the IFL's Arizona Rattlers and co-owner of the Tucson Sugar Skulls, said at the meeting that the estimated economic impact of each game is around $1.4 million in hotel nights, ticket sales and increased spending in downtown Tucson.

"This is about more than return on investment," said Rio Nuevo Board Chair Flether McCusker. "This is a chance to put Tucson on the map internationally, to be in the same breath as Nashville and Vegas. For them to even consider us I think is a huge compliment to the work that we've done."

Guy indicated that Rio Nuevo's vote is likely to lead to IFL approval, given that the board voted for the full amount the league asked for, and he does not expect a bidding war between the three cities.

The Indoor Football League has 16 teams around the country, though two are sitting out the 2025 season. Three of its western conference teams are located in Arizona: the Tucson Sugar Skulls, Arizona Rattlers and Northern Arizona Wranglers.

The next IFL championship game takes place August 23, 2025. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports.

The Arizona Rattlers are the league's defending champions, and Arizona teams have played in three of the last 4 championship games.