The UFL said on July 30 it will leave Birmingham and Houston and add two new markets for 2027. It has not named the markets or the teams.
The league's trademark filings give one place to look while fans wait. Five USFL-era nicknames moved at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in September. The cities most often mentioned as 2027 candidates did not.
Here is what the docket shows as of September 21.
Invaders Comes Off the Shelf
USFL Enterprises, LLC filed for INVADERS in 2021. The Oakland Invaders played in the original USFL from 1983 to 1985. The USPTO suspended the application, and a December 17, 2025 check reported it "still suspended."
That changed this month. An examiner pulled the file on June 26, approved it for publication on September 1, and completed pre-publication review on September 8. INVADERS publishes for opposition on September 29.
The file does not say why the suspension lifted. It does show the league kept the application alive for nearly five years instead of letting it lapse.
Express Clears Its Office Action in Four Weeks
The league filed four nickname applications on May 13, 2026: BULLS, EXPRESS, LOS ANGELES EXPRESS and OUTLAWS. All four are USFL names from the 1980s.
EXPRESS drew an office action on August 5. The league answered on September 2. The examiner approved it the next day. EXPRESS also publishes on September 29, the same day as INVADERS.
LOS ANGELES EXPRESS went the other way. It was assigned to an examiner on September 14 and received an office action the same day. The league has three months to respond. OUTLAWS has an office action from August 5 with no response on file yet.
Bulls Gets Narrowed to Football Only
BULLS published for opposition on September 1. That opened a 30-day window for anyone who thinks the mark would hurt them to object. The window closes October 1.
On September 16, the league's attorney filed a post-publication amendment. It added one phrase to the end of the services list: "all of the foregoing specifically related to football." The filing says the change "narrows the scope of the identification and does not broaden the services."
Before the change, items like "betting services," "gambling services" and "organization of electronic game competitions" carried no limit. Now each one is tied to football.
No opposition and no request for more time to oppose appears on the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board docket as of September 21.
Showboats Is on Its Last Extension
SHOWBOATS is the nickname closest to its final deadline. The league received its notice of allowance on March 5, 2024. Since then it has filed extension after extension instead of a Statement of Use, the document that says the name is in use in commerce.
The fifth extension request went in on September 3. The USPTO allows five. If this one is granted, the league must file a Statement of Use by March 5, 2027 or the application dies. The Memphis Showboats left the UFL after the 2025 season, and a second SHOWBOATS application (Serial 90751097) was abandoned on July 27, 2026.
The Departed Markets Are Still on the Clock
BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS received a notice of allowance on May 19, 2026, ten weeks before the league said it was leaving Birmingham. A Statement of Use or extension is due November 19. Nothing has been filed.
Houston's GAMBLERS and Tampa Bay's BANDITS each have a fourth extension or Statement of Use due the same day.
What Is Not on the Docket
No filing exists for Salt Lake City, Utah, Raleigh, Carolina, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Greenville, Charleston, Boise or Idaho under either USFL Enterprises, LLC or XFL Properties LLC. None exists for Queens, New York, New England or Boston.
The public indexes that track owner filings lag the USPTO by days to weeks. An application filed in the past two weeks may not show up yet. As of what is visible today, the newest filings from either entity are the four nicknames from May 13 and XFL Properties' DC DEFENDERS from May 5.
No pending nickname application has a Statement of Use on file. Each one is still an intent-to-use filing.