In July, the UFL announced that multiple franchises would be relocating to new markets for the 2026 season. At the time, concrete details were sparse, but yesterday, the league announced gospel changes regarding the makeup of teams, home cities, and conference alignment.
New UFL Markets
The rationale behind the market shift was a focus on smaller stadiums. Most UFL television broadcasts were marred by poor attendance, with only a few thousand fans scattered across large college football and NFL stadiums.
The UFL sought out cities with MLS-sized stadiums and implemented the following changes yesterday.
- The Michigan Panthers, San Antonio Brahmas, and Memphis Showboats will no longer be a part of the United Football League.
- New UFL teams for 2026 include the Orlando Storm, Louisville Kings, and Columbus Aviators.
The Aviators will play at Historic Crew Stadium, which the now-defunct Columbus Crew of the MLS formerly used. The Kings will play at Lynn Family Stadium, which is also the home of Louisville City FC in the USL. In Orlando, the Storm will call Inter&Co Stadium home, a venue they will now share with the Orlando City SC of the MLS.
It’s everything you love about the game – turned up.
And we’re just getting started…
We are the United Football League! pic.twitter.com/X7fuhlYSsx
— United Football League (@TheUFL) October 7, 2025
Other UFL Team Changes
The Arlington Renegades will now revert to their original name: The Dallas Renegades. The location change comes with a move to Toyota Stadium, home of the MLS’s FC Dallas. The venue holds 20,500 attendees.
The Houston Roughnecks have changed their name to the Houston Gamblers. The Gamblers were a part of both USFL runs, but the UFL chose to keep the XFL’s Roughneck franchise when the merger occurred in 2023.
Starting in 2026, Houston will host their home games at Shell Energy Stadium, where the Houston Dynamo FC of the MLS plays.
The XFL And USFL Conferences
Also removed for 2026 is any further reference to the XFL or USFL. During the league’s first two seasons, the UFL was divided into two four-team conferences, named after the XFL and USFL.
Starting next season, conference play has been removed. The four UFL Playoff spots will be given to the top four finishers once the ten-game regular season is over.
The top qualifier will host the fourth-place team, and the second-highest finisher will host seed three in the championship semifinals.
UFL Betting Implications
Negating the conference format is a solid move because an eight-team field is not deep enough to warrant further separation. The UFL, XFL, and USFL have dealt with pathetic postseason qualifiers in the past that have usurped clearly superior teams in other divisions.
With that in mind, the most significant change to betting on the UFL will be on championship futures. Gamblers will no longer be able to wager on longshot contenders that have a puncher’s chance at the playoffs due to the lousy conference they play in.
The UFL’s Official Announcement
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