Minnesota Monsters First Playoff Opponent, Postseason Schedule Announced

It's an exciting time to be a Minnesota Monsters fan! Duluth's AF1 arena football team made a splash in their first season in the league, not only earning a playoff spot, but also locking in a home playoff game.

The Monsters finished the season with an 8-4 record after an exciting 42-40 win over the Beaumont Renegades in the season finale. Minnesota ended the regular season with the third-best record in the league and the chance to host their first AF1 playoff game at AMSOIL Arena.

Now that the regular season has concluded, the league announced playoff matchups and a sneak peek at the rest of the playoffs on the way to the Arena Crown championship game.

Who do the Monsters play in the playoffs?

The Minnesota Monsters will open the 2026 AF1 Playoffs with a game at AMSOIL Arena, hosting the Washington Wolfpack. The game is scheduled for 6 pm on Sunday, July 26. Doors open at 5 pm.

Radio coverage of the game will start with the coaches and players' show 'Monsters on the Mic' on the Northland FAN at 4:50 pm, and pregame coverage will start at 5:50 pm before the 6 pm kickoff.

You can hear the game at 106.5 FM, 560 AM, and on the Northland FAN website or mobile app.

What do this year's AF1 Playoffs look like?

The way the AF1 playoff seeding works is that the top two seeds get a bye for week one of the playoffs. The remaining four teams in the playoff field will play in the quarterfinal round this weekend.

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The 1-seed Nashville Kats and 2-seed Albany Firebirds both get byes, with the 3-seed Minnesota Monsters facing the 6-seed Washington Wolfpack this Sunday.

AF1 Quarterfinals

Game 1 - Kentucky Barrels @  Michigan Arsenal - Saturday, July 25 @ 3 pm (Central)

Game 2 - Washington Wolfpack @ Minnesota Monsters - Sunday, July 26 @ 6 pm (Central)

AF1 Semifinals

Times have not yet been announced for these games, but they will be the weekend of August 1 & 2.

Game 1 - Winner of Arsenal/Barrels @ Nashville Kats

Game 2 - Winner of Monsters/Wolfpack @ Albany Firebirds

If the Monsters win in the opening round against the Wolfpack, that would create a rematch for Minnesota against the team that beat them in week 1 of the season.

AF1 Arena Crown Championship

This game will be hosted by the highest-seeded of the remaining two teams. The game will be held the weekend of August 8 & 9, with additional details to be announced once the two teams appearing in the championship are known.