ArenaBowl XXVI
ArenaBowl XXVI was the 26th edition of the championship in the Arena Football League. It was a big game where the National Conference champion Arizona Rattlers beat the American Conference champion Philadelphia Soul with a score of 48–39. The game happened on August 17, 2013, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, which is where the Orlando Predators play.
These two teams had met in the championship the year before in ArenaBowl XXV, and the Arizona Rattlers had won that game too. This was the first time two teams had faced each other in the ArenaBowl two years in a row.
The events around ArenaBowl XXVI were put together by Ryan Johnston and his company, InterPhase Entertainment, LLC. They handled many special activities, including an awards party and a concert by the band KISS the night before the big game. The ArenaBowl was shown live on CBS for everyone to watch.
Venue
ArenaBowl XXVI took place at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. All 14 teams in the league voted to hold the game there. This was the second time in a row that the ArenaBowl was played at a neutral site and the seventh time in the league’s history. For the city of Orlando, it was the first ArenaBowl since 2000, when the Orlando Predators won against the Nashville Katz at the old Amway Arena.
Television
ArenaBowl XXVI was shown on CBS. This was part of a two-year deal where the league and the network agreed to broadcast weekly regular season games and two postseason games on the CBS Sports Network.
Background
Philadelphia Soul
See also: 2013 Philadelphia Soul season
The Soul team reached the big championship game for the second year in a row. They had lost to the Rattlers in the last year's final. This year, they started the season okay but then played really well to win their division with a good record. They beat some strong teams to get to the final again.
Arizona Rattlers
See also: 2013 Arizona Rattlers season
The Rattlers were the defending champions, having beaten Philadelphia in the last year's final. This year, they had a great season and finished very strong. They won their playoff games and returned to the championship for the eighth time, marking their third year in a row in the big game.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 23 | at Arizona | L 52–66 |
| 2 | Bye | ||
| 3 | April 6 | at Orlando | W 61–33 |
| 4 | April 13 | at Iowa | W 54–43 |
| 5 | April 20 | Cleveland | L 57–64 (OT) |
| 6 | April 27 | Jacksonville | L 53–55 |
| 7 | May 4 | at Chicago | W 72–41 |
| 8 | May 11 | Pittsburgh | L 48–53 |
| 9 | May 18 | Orlando | W 61–51 |
| 10 | May 25 | at Tampa Bay | W 73–55 |
| 11 | June 1 | Arizona | L 57–64 |
| 12 | June 8 | New Orleans | W 65–56 |
| 13 | June 15 | at Pittsburgh | W 59–21 |
| 14 | June 22 | Iowa | W 54–30 |
| 15 | June 29 | at Cleveland | W 66–57 |
| 16 | July 6 | Chicago | W 56–28 |
| 17 | July 12 | Utah | W 69–39 |
| 18 | July 20 | at San Jose | W 65–43 |
| 19 | July 27 | at San Antonio | L 28–42 |
| – | August 3 | Orlando | W 59–55 |
| – | August 10 | at Jacksonville | W 75–59 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 23 | Philadelphia | W 66–52 |
| 2 | March 29 | at Utah | W 77–49 |
| 3 | April 6 | San Jose | W 73–47 |
| 4 | April 12 | at Spokane | L 49–66 |
| 5 | April 20 | San Antonio | W 83–40 |
| 6 | April 28 | Orlando | W 82–42 |
| 7 | May 4 | at Jacksonville | W 58–48 |
| 8 | May 11 | Utah | W 65–49 |
| 9 | May 19 | at Chicago | W 56–49 |
| 10 | May 25 | Iowa | W 70–26 |
| 11 | June 1 | at Philadelphia | W 64–57 |
| 12 | June 8 | at San Antonio | W 70–21 |
| 13 | June 15 | Spokane | W 59–42 |
| 14 | June 22 | at San Jose | W 42–72 |
| 15 | Bye | ||
| 16 | July 6 | at Orlando | W 84–56 |
| 17 | July 13 | New Orleans | W 79–42 |
| 18 | July 20 | Chicago | L 42–63 |
| 19 | July 27 | at Iowa | W 84–45 |
| – | August 4 | San Jose | W 59–49 |
| – | August 10 | Spokane | W 65–57 |
Box score
The 26th championship game in the Arena Football League happened on August 17, 2013. The Arizona Rattlers won against the Philadelphia Soul with a score of 48–39. The game was held at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, which is where the Orlando Predators play their home games.
Keep exploring
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