Playing with nine teams in two conferences spread across the United States, the league's regular season kicked off on February 15, 2013, when the Sioux Falls Storm beat the Green Bay Blizzard 64–41.
The season ended on June 15, 2013, with the visiting Sioux Falls Storm defeating the Texas Revolution 52-38.
For 2013, the IFL maintained its two-conference no-divisions format with each team scheduled to play 14 games during the 16-week regular season.
The league contracted from 16 teams to just nine with the Bloomington Edge, Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, Omaha Beef, Reading Express, Everett Raptors, New Mexico Stars, and Wichita Wild either folding, hibernating, or moving to a different league.
[5] Robert Loving served as interim commissioner of the IFL in 2012 after Tommy Benizio left mid-season to pursue other opportunities.