Minnesota Monsters lose first AF1 game to Albany Firebirds

Defending champions Albany Firebirds defeat Minnesota Monsters 50-23 in season opener

Apr. 12, 2026 at 5:00am

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A fragmented, cubist-style painting depicting an intense arena football game, with the players and field broken down into overlapping geometric shapes in the team's colors.

The Minnesota Monsters' debut in the new Arena Football One league ended in a tough loss to the defending champion Albany Firebirds.Albany Today

The Minnesota Monsters fell to the defending champion Albany Firebirds 50-23 in their first game of the Arena Football One (AF1) season. The Monsters were within 4 points at halftime, but were outscored 29-6 in the second half as the Firebirds pulled away for the victory.

Why it matters

This loss marks a tough start to the Monsters' inaugural AF1 season, as they look to establish themselves as a contender in the new league. The Firebirds, as the defending champions, showed their strength and will be a team to beat in the AF1 this year.

The details

The Monsters kept the game close in the first half, trailing only 21-17 at the break. But the Firebirds dominated the second half, outscoring Minnesota 29-6 to pull away for the 50-23 win. This was the first game for the Monsters in the new AF1 league, which launched this season.

The game was played on Saturday, April 12, 2026.

The players