This October, the United Football League made a huge announcement. In the spring of 2026, three new teams will be added, and two teams will be rebranded/revived. Coaching staffs and rosters will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned. Let’s dive into the big changes that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s league has to offer.
Columbus Aviators
Cincinnati, Cleveland, move over. Columbus will be joining the Ohio football party with the Aviators. The team colors consist of cyan, navy blue, and red. The Aviators will play home games at Historic Crew Stadium, home of the Columbus Crew MLS team. This will mark Columbus’s return to spring football for the first time since the Arena Football League’s Columbus Destroyers disbanded in 2019. According to their website, the Aviator motto is to “Celebrate the bold innovation, creativity and ambition core to the trailblazers of the region, who propelled the evolution of air and space aviation.”
Louisville Kings
The state of Kentucky is not very well-known for professional football; the market is more well-known for the Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats college football teams. However, next spring, this will all change, as the Louisville Kings have made their way into the UFL. Louisville’s color scheme is lime green, dark green, and white. The Kings will call Lynn Family Stadium home, which currently hosts the USL’s Louisville City SC. This is Louisville’s first professional football team since the Louisville Fire ceased Arena Football League operations in 2008. As stated on their website, the Kings’ “Name builds off the literal royal connections to its namesake, France’s King Louis XVI, and the prestigious Kentucky Derby, the start of the Triple Crown and a sport known as the ‘Sport of Kings’.”
Orlando Storm
After two years away, the city of Orlando returns to spring football with the establishment of the Orlando Storm. The Storm will embrace the colors of orange, navy blue, purple, and white. Unlike the 2023 XFL’s Orlando Guardians, the Storm will play home games at Inter&Co Stadium, home of the MLS and NWSL’s Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride. The Storm’s website states that the team “Embraces the powerful and unpredictable forces that unleash havoc all too often across Central Florida.”
Houston Gamblers
For the first time since the 2023 USFL season, the Houston Gamblers will be playing spring football. However, they will not be playing home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, TN. Instead, they will call Shell Energy Stadium in Houston home, which also hosts the MLS’s Houston Dynamo FC and the NWSL’s Houston Dash. The Gamblers will retain a similar black, red, and yellow color scheme. Houston claims on their website that, “The strength, resilience, passion, and pride of this city are why we are doubling down in 2026.”
Dallas Renegades
One of the more minor changes to the 2026 UFL season is that the Arlington Renegades have reverted to their original Dallas Renegades alias from the 2020 season. The 2023 UFL champions used to play home games at Choctaw Stadium (Formerly Globe Life Park) in Arlington, but will move to Toyota Stadium in Dallas beginning next season. Toyota Stadium features the MLS’s FC Dallas. The ‘Gades are looking to win their second spring football title.
Sacrificed Teams
Unfortunately, with the addition of new teams, the league had no choice but to sacrifice teams. Here are the teams that ceased operations this offseason…
- Houston Roughnecks – A team from the 2020 XFL, the Roughnecks have rebranded into the Gamblers for 2026. This team played home games at the University of Houston’s Space City Financial Stadium and finished with a 5-5 record in 2025, missing the playoffs. Head coach Curtis Johnson will remain with the organization through the rebrand.
- San Antonio Brahmas – The Brahmas were announced for the 2023 XFL season, replacing the Los Angeles Wildcats from 2020. Their home base was the Alamodome in San Antonio, and they had an abysmal 1-9 season, with their lone win being against the league champion DC Defenders in Week 4. The Brahmas were led by former Broncos, Bills, and Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips before offensive coordinator Payton Pardee took over as interim in 2025 after Phillips went on medical leave. San Antonio finished as league runner-up to the Birmingham Stallions in the 2024 UFL season.
- Memphis Showboats – The Showboats joined the USFL in 2023 as a replacement for the Tampa Bay Bandits, under former Chiefs coach Todd Haley. Memphis, which was also a franchise in the original USFL from the 1980s, formerly played home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium before ceasing operations after a 2-8 2025 season. Former Cardinals and Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt was named head coach after Haley’s departure following the 2024 season, but resigned just three weeks into 2025.
- Michigan Panthers – Michigan was a team from both the 1980s USFL and its 2022 revival. Their home stadium was Ford Field in Detroit, and they were led by former 49ers coach Mike Nolan. Former Titans and Rams coach Jeff Fisher was at the helm for the 2022 USFL season, too. In 2025, after a 6-4 regular season and a defeat of the dominant Stallions in the conference championship, they lost to the Defenders in the championship game, 58-34. Despite these heroics, it was not enough to stay alive for 2026 and beyond.
Who will be the best new or altered team for the 2026 spring football season? The new UFL season kicks off Sunday, March 1st, 2026.
