BACK TO SCHOOL - IFL 2026 MIDTERM GRADES
- Pasquale Basile
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
With the Easter holidays already upon us, the IFL is taking a general Bye Week before resuming full steam ahead until the end of May with the Regular Season.
In this special edition of the Power Ranking, in addition to the usual commentary on the league games—only one this weekend—there's also a rating for the teams based on their performances this season.
1. Guelfi Firenze (A)
There's no getting around it. Guelfi Firenze's season start, undefeated in 14 consecutive games between IFL 2025 and IFL 2026, confirms them as the league's best team.
Despite the hard-fought victory against Giaguari Torino, where they struggled in the first half before running away, their performance at home against Rhinos Milano once again demonstrated that Coach Bocci's team still has a lot to offer.
After all, a winning team doesn't change; on the contrary, it renews itself. There have been few new additions to the Viola roster, fresh off last year's victory in Toledo and a shared third-place finish that will soon be revoked due to other circumstances.
The next game, scheduled for Week 6 against the Parma Panthers, a now-classic Italian football matchup, will be the first real head-to-head matchup of the season.
2. Parma Panthers (A-)
The Panthers' 2026 campaign began with three wins in as many games.
They're top of the league, yes, but with three performances that ended well, but with difficulty.
Against the Rhinos Milano, the victory came after four overtime periods and with 56 points conceded. Against the Lazio Marines, their first and so far only home game, was a game of two halves, with the offense dominating in the first half and the defense taking center stage in the second.
Meanwhile, the game against the Ancona Dolphins was decided by a remarkable effort from the Special Teams, which was able to block the decisive field goal.
It's well known that Brian Michitti's team's goal is to reach the final in Ferrara, not just watch it from the stands, to continue their dynasty.
As previously mentioned, the away match against the Guelfi will be a crucial turning point for their fortunes, as the first step will be to finish the regular season in the top two.
3. Giaguari Torino (A-)
This start to the season has been a major surprise for Giaguari Torino, who enter the Easter break in second place in the standings.
Despite a disappointing first game against Guelfi, where they fell far short of their first-half performance, two clean sheets against Bologna and Ancona, and a home win against Ferrara, their first real head-to-head matchup of the season, have propelled the Piedmontese team into the league's top.
The decision to start with an Italian quarterback, Riccardo Duranti, a rare find in a league that favors import players on that end of the field, is paying off, and Ethan Greenfield's 10 touchdowns in four games are a huge boost for the yellow-and-black offense, as is the defense, which is among the best in this tournament so far.
After the break, the Black and Yellow Brigade will take the field again against the Rhinos, a team that, if on form, can prove dangerous despite their terrible record.
4. Frogs Legnano (B)
It was supposed to be a new year for the Frogs after the significant absences in the offseason, but the Lombardy team started the season on the right foot.
Second in the league with just two games played and sharing the record with Guelfi, Legnano performed strongly against Warriors Bologna and Lazio Marines, but they will have a challenging schedule upon returning from the break. In fact, the team coached by Cody Kent will face four consecutive games (Aquile Ferrara, Rhinos Milano, Dolphins Ancona, and Giaguari Torino) before another Bye Week and two super matches against Guelfi and Panthers that will largely decide the season.
Until then, well done. The Frogs can still do damage and aim for a postseason that, more than ever this year, could be balanced.
5. Aquile Ferrara (C)
The loss in Turin, partly due to poor management in the final minutes of the game, has slightly lowered the Estense team's odds.
After a strong start to the season, thanks to victories against Lazio Marines and Warriors Bologna, the Emilian team, a major disappointment last season, has shown that it can give those likely to qualify for the Wild Card Round a run for their money, thanks in part to a defense that shone, especially in the derby against Bologna.
The match against Giaguari Torino, the only one scheduled for Week 5, exposed some of the Estense team's weaknesses, and they now face an equally challenging match against the Legnano Frogs. After finishing 4-6 last year, only to be eliminated from the playoffs on the final day, can they return to the top?
6. Lazio Marines (C-)
The potential is there, as we saw in the three losses, but they lack energy when it matters.
The Lazio Marines seen in the first three games are intelligent, but they don't apply themselves.
The team coached by Cooper Heisey, in his first full year in the IFL as head coach, made the Panthers, the Aquile, and the Frogs suffer, but still failed to be effective when it matters.
Another important away game for the Biancocelesti will be in Ancona, immediately after Easter, and there the season's fortunes could change.
7. Dolphins Ancona (D)
The negative surprise of the 2026 IFL comes from last year's finalists, the Dolphins Ancona, still unable to win this season.
The team from the Marche region, a major surprise last season thanks to their advance to the Toledo final, their second in the history of the Italian championship and the fifth in their more than forty-year history, is still stuck in the doldrums after losing against Turin and Parma. While they failed to score a single point in the first, they came close to triumphing in the second.
The next two games against Lazio Marines and the Bologna Warriors, in addition to the subsequent matches against Legnano and Florence, will be crucial to see whether Rik Parker's team has had early problems or whether it promises to be a season with few joys.
8. Rhinos Milano (D)
When they're on form, look at the home game against Parma, they can be a serious threat, but when they're not, look at the away game against the Guelfi, they're an unrecognizable team.
It's perhaps too early to make a definitive judgment on Luca Lorandi's team, but the two games played so far have been a first glimpse of their form.
If against the Panthers they gave the impression of truly returning after a few mediocre years, the match against Florence was a return to reality, as well as a cold, icy shower.
The next match for Perrantes, Cotton & Co. will not be easy. In Turin, they will have to demonstrate their strengths against the second-placed Giaguari.
9. Warriors Bologna (F)
The Warriors are in a constant rebuilding phase. The Emilian team disappointed in the first half of the season, and the first three games under Christian Nobile didn't get off to a good start.
After two disappointing losses against Aquile Ferrara and Giaguari Torino, where the white-and-blues scored only two points and conceded sixty-one, they scored their first touchdowns of the season, but they didn't impact the final score against the Frogs Legnano.
It's true, there are plenty of young players mixed in with highly experienced players, but this shouldn't be a lasting reminder for a team with a great tradition in our league.
The Warriors are now in the midst of a month-long break, which will conclude on April 18th with a home game against the Dolphins Ancona, their first chance to escape last place.