March 16, 2026
By Ryan Baker
While I believe that the 2026 playoff landscape will be similar to 2025, some teams could bring a shock factor. This could enable them to make a late push and insert themselves into the playoffs.
Here is a look at teams that could extend their season that didn’t in 2025.
Central Division
2025 Playoff Teams: Chicago Union, Minnesota Wind Chill, Madison Radicals
Possible 2026 New Contender: Indianapolis AlleyCats
One team stands out after the offseason as the most aggressively reorganized roster: the AlleyCats, as they signed a majority of their roster and hired Nathan Bussberg as head coach. They did not make the playoffs last year but could in 2026. The important question heading into the first game, though, is how quickly the new additions gain chemistry and can improve this team’s chances at winning.
The AlleyCats have one of the best teams on paper in the entire league as they now have seven All-UFA honors (All-UFA, All-Defense, and All-Rookie) spread across the squad , but none of that matters if they drop their first few games. Indy signed four players in Cameron Brock, Xavier Payne, James Pollard, and Jonathan Mast, who combined have 37 years of UFA experience. That is complimented by the exploding young talents of Seth Gudeman and Will Wettengel. The defense of Bussberg’s team is going to be the strong point and could be amongst the top in the league in 2026.
They also get some help on their path to the playoffs as the Union roster looks completely different than its undefeated regular season squad from 2025. No Payne, Daan De Marrée, Nate Astrom, Kyle Rutledge, Brandon Van Deusen, Nate Goff, William Wettengel, Jeff Gao, Sofiène Bontemps, Victor Luo, or Tim Schoch. That’s a combined 290 scores and 84 blocks that the Union will have to replace in one form or another.
The team with the most additions and the team with the most departures in the league could switch places in 2026. That does not mean Indy is going to go 12-0, but if they can put things together quickly, it would not shock me if they were fighting with Minnesota for the top seed in the Central at the end of the season.
East Division
2025 Playoff Teams: Boston Glory, New York Empire, DC Breeze
Possible 2026 New Contender: Philadelphia Phoenix
This is the division where I see the least amount of potential changes, but crazier things have happened in the UFA. Boston kept the biggest players of its championship core, besides their reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Tannor Johnson-Go. New York had one of the flashiest offseason signings with De Marrée and Atkins on top of veteran depth, and the Breeze lost Rowan McDonnell and Thomas Edmonds to their rival in Boston, but added veteran Sean Mott, and that could be a seamless transition in star power for DC.
On the flip side, the bottom three teams combined for a record of 13-23 in 2025, and none of them added any significant players during the offseason. In fact, the team that had the best record of the three, the Phoenix at 6-6, lost three of their top five scorers and their top block getter. Mott, Sam Grossberg, and Nate Little all have departed for 2026.
The Phoenix could be a team that shocks the league and nudges themselves into the playoffs if one of the other top three teams hit a skid. With those major departures from the Phoenix, it opens the gates for their incredibly young team to get major playing time. Philadelphia has eight rookies rostered heading into 2026, and that could provide some difficulty for other teams considering the lack of film on them. Keep in mind, this is a Philadelphia team that beat the Breeze by nine in their final game of 2025.
South Division
2025 Playoff Teams: Atlanta Hustle, Austin Sol, San Diego Growlers
Possible 2026 New Contender: Carolina Flyers
If we were to look at the top-four teams in each division, the South has, by far, the most competitive division in the league. You could put the other four teams in a hat, pick three of them to make the playoffs, and I would believe any combination to be true.
The Flyers could easily be a playoff team in 2026. Their addition of Tobias Brooks happened so early in the offseason that it is in the shadows after all of the news throughout the last few weeks. Keep in mind, this is a team that is just one season removed from playing in the championship team. Carolina also brought in solid depth players with Zeke Thoreson from Colorado and Jake Reinhardt from Austin. Both of those players put up 20 scores on their respective teams. If Carolina can grab that first game of the season against San Diego or the lone matchup against Austin, and take at least two of four games against Atlanta, expect them to be in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Atlanta reinforced their team with Will Selfridge, Pat Earles, and Sean Connole. Austin looks a lot like its 2023 Championship Weekend run squad and added Ryan Drost, the all-time UFA blocks leader. The Growlers kept their team from 2025, while adding back their franchise leader in blocks, Steven Milardovich, and UFA veteran Brandon Van Deusen. Not to mention, they brought in Jonathan Lyle, who is poised for a monster sophomore season after throwing 42 assists and scoring 25 goals with the Los Angeles Aviators last year.
West Division
2025 Playoff Teams: Salt Lake Shred, Oakland Spiders, Colorado Apex
Possible 2026 New Contender: Seattle Cascades
A big driver of a potential switch-up in the West comes from the schedule for the Cascades. Salt Lake and Oakland appear to be locks for the postseason in 2026, but the Apex look vulnerable after last year’s first round exit. After losing a lot of its star power in Noah Coolman, Alex Atkins, and Tobias Brooks, and not replacing them with the same caliber of players, Colorado is the team most likely to get booted from the playoffs in 2026.
Seattle has a solid core with its top five scorers returning to the team in 2026, and they have a favorable schedule. They play the Steel four times, a team that went 3-9 last year, and have a game with the Houston Havoc. Those are five potential wins right out of the gate. If they can take down Colorado in at least one of their two games against each other this season, Seattle could be a sneaky third seed representing the West in late July and into August. Them retaining their core and Colorado’s loss in fire power would create that space in the West to change for the 2026 playoffs.
Final Thoughts
The two teams with the biggest chance to make playoff appearances this season that didn’t in 2025 are Carolina and Indianapolis. If the Flyers can win one or two key matchups, they would put themselves in a phenomenal position to do so. Meanwhile, I believe Indy is the strongest chance out of everyone to achieve playoff status. The revamped franchise with major talent, combined with the dismantling of the Union, creates the perfect storm for those two teams to swap spots.
I don’t believe there is going to be a ton of changes to the playoff teams from 2025 to 2026, but on the other hand, the seeding has a much better chance of changing. Furthermore, I think we are going to see all different one seeds throughout the league. Even with those thoughts, the UFA is a game of runs and depending on which teams hit a losing patch or gain a ton of momentum, the teams mentioned above have the best chance of punching their ticket to the playoffs.
