The game was played on August 23, 2014 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the home of the Gladiators.

[1] With the best record of any team in the AFL in 2014, Cleveland was assured of hosting ArenaBowl XXVII by winning the conference championship.

[2][3] In December 2013, it was announced that ESPN had acquired the rights to broadcast arena football games, including ArenaBowl XXVI.

z - Clinched division and conference's best record The Gladiators reached the ArenaBowl for the first time in franchise history.

Before moving to Cleveland for the 2008 season, they had previously played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

The closest the team had ever come to reaching the ArenaBowl since moving to Cleveland was in 2008 when they lost the conference championship.