What's At Stake | Divisional Championship Round


Photo by Daniel Cohen

August 3, 2026
By Adam Ruffner

As the league prepares for the divisional championship round of the 2026 playoffs, here are some quick-hitter notes of what's at stake this coming weekend.

Central Division: Indianapolis AlleyCats at Minnesota Wind Chill

  • Minnesota is seeking their fourth consecutive divisional title

    • The Wind Chill defeated Indianapolis 21-18 in the 2023 divisional championship game to earn their first trip to Championship Weekend. 

  • Indianapolis is trying to win their first divisional title since 2019

East Division: New York Empire at Boston Glory

  • Boston is not only defending their East Division title, but also trying to repeat as UFA champions. A win would give the Glory their second division title.

  • A win would give New York their fourth East Division title since 2019, and their first since 2023. 

  • These two teams last met in the postseason in 2024. Boston vanquished the then-reigning champion Empire 19-18 in the first round of the East Division playoffs, with Jeff Babbitt securing a miraculous buzzer-beater against his former team at the end of regulation.

  • Both Alex Atkins and Daan De Marrée are still in search of their first Championship Weekend appearances. 

  • Jeff Babbitt has failed to make it to Championship Weekend only once (2024) since 2017. 

South Division: Carolina Flyers at Austin Sol

  • Austin is set to host their first divisional championship game in franchise history, with hopes of winning their second South Division crown since 2023.

    • In their last postseason meeting, the Sol defeated the Flyers 19-18 in the opening round of the 2023 South Division playoffs. 

  • After missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, Carolina is back in the divisional title game for the sixth time since 2017. The Flyers have won each of their last two appearances in the South Division championship (2022 and 2023). 

  • First-year Flyer and 2025 Callahan Award winner Zeke Thoreson has yet to play at Championship Weekend.

West Division: Salt Lake Shred at Oakland Spiders

  • Salt Lake is making their fifth straight appearance in the West Division final—every year since their inception in 2022—having won it twice (2023 and 2025). 

    • The Shred executed a fourth quarter comeback last year against Oakland to win 18-17 in the final moments of regulation. 

    • With their opening round win in Seattle, Salt Lake became the first team in UFA history to have a losing regular season record and win a playoff game.

  • Oakland is in the playoffs for the third straight season, but is looking for their first division title since 2015.

    • The Spiders could tie New York for the most UFA titles in league history (3) if Oakland manages to win it all in 2026. 

  • Only three members of the Spiders have prior Championship Weekend experience in Tony Goss, Jason Vallee, and Matthew Crawford.