PAINTBALL360 / COVER STORY

One of the defining images of 2026 came early. In March, the NXL took over Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to kick off the Tampa Bay Open. For players who have spent years trying to show just how fast, tactical, and professional the sport has become, the setting mattered.

“I remember walking through that stadium more than 10 years ago and thinking, ‘One day we’re going to play paintball here,’” Cole said. “At the time it probably sounded crazy. So to come back all these years later and actually see our field inside the home of an NFL team was pretty special. It showed me how far the game has come, but also how much bigger it can still get.”

According to Cole, NXL’s ESPN viewership more than doubled from the previous year, a meaningful step for a sport trying to reach beyond its established community.

Building on that momentum, the league is preparing another television push. Three-man paintball is being developed for post-produced television programming, while traditional X-Ball is expected to remain part of the ESPN picture. The hope is that different formats, presented consistently, will give viewers more ways into the sport.

For Cole, one of the most intriguing developments is happening overseas. The gap between European and American competition is narrowing, helped in part by the league’s decision to keep American teams out of European events and allow local organizations to build their own talent and rivalries.

“The European teams have improved,” Cole said.

At the Nations Cup in Dreux, France, held alongside the NXL European Championship, Poland beat Team USA 4–1 for the men’s title. Ranger Warsaw swept all three NXL Europe events this season and arrive in Florida as one of two Polish teams in the field.

An American team has traditionally been the favorite in this conversation. Now Cole believes Europe has a genuine shot at changing the ending.

Tom Cole has spent years working to bring professional paintball to bigger stages. But when asked where he sees the sport in another three to five years, his ambitions extend beyond bigger stadiums and record-breaking tournaments. He's thinking about how to make paintball a bigger part of the sports conversation.

The NXL is planning a 24-hour paintball channel, and Cole envisions a more traditional professional sports schedule, with regularly televised competition available across major streaming platforms and linear television. But television is only part of the equation. YouTube, social media, and partnerships with creators present opportunities to reach audiences who might never have watched a professional match or stepped onto a paintball field.

For Cole, the goal is twofold: give the sport's passionate fanbase more of what they already love while bringing an entirely new generation into the game.

"There's an incredible community of people who live and breathe paintball, and I want to give them more opportunities to watch and follow the sport, teams, and players they love," Cole says. "But I also want to reach the people who haven't discovered it yet. Whether that's through television, streaming, YouTube, or working with creators who can introduce paintball to their audiences, we need to meet people where they are. If a kid sees something that makes them want to pick up the sport for the first time, that's how we grow the game."

It's an ambitious plan, but one Cole believes is within reach. With new television formats, more international competition, and additional ways for fans to watch, the NXL is heading into 2027 with plenty to build on. And for Cole, that's exactly where he wants the sport to be.

PAINTBALL360 · THE PEOPLE. THE CULTURE. THE STORIES.