ArenaBowl XXXII was the 32nd and final ArenaBowl and the championship game of the 2019 Arena Football League season. The game took place on August 11, 2019, with kickoff at 8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.[1] It featured the winners of the two semifinals, the No. 1 seed Albany Empire and the No. 3 seed Philadelphia Soul.
AFL Commissioner Randall Boe also confirmed that the league's expansion plans for next season would be unveiled during the game;[1] however, these plans were pushed back to several weeks after the game[2] after Boe said that negotiations for the two new teams would not be finished in time.[3] The league ultimately filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on November 27 of that year, making the game the final one in the league's history.[4]
Venue
As the higher seed, the No. 1 Albany Empire hosted ArenaBowl XXXII at the Times Union Center.[5]
The Empire, led by head coach Rob Keefe, finished the regular season 10–2 and earned the No. 1 seed for the second straight season. They defeated No. 4 Baltimore home and away in the semifinal to advance to their first ArenaBowl.
The Soul, led by head coach Clint Dolezel, finished the regular season 7–5 and earned the No. 3 seed for the second straight season. They defeated No. 2 Washington home and away in the semifinal to advance to their sixth ArenaBowl; they are 3–2 in previous appearances.
Series record
The all-time series between the Empire and the Soul dates back to the Empire's inaugural game on April 14, 2018. Entering the game, Albany led the series 4–3.