UFL co-owner Mike Repole dropped a list of potential expansion cities during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, giving fans a peek at where spring football could land next. The list came up after Pat brought up the league's recent Oklahoma City announcement.
Repole's pitch: "Austin, Salt Lake, Omaha, Albuquerque, who knows maybe New York City."
The cities have not been confirmed as expansion targets. Repole was talking through markets he has eyes on as the UFL works toward a 10-team league by 2028 and 16 teams by 2035.
Where the Cities Fit in the UFL's Expansion Plan
The UFL announced on April 9 that Oklahoma City will join as the league's ninth franchise in 2028. The team will play at MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium in downtown OKC, with a capacity of just over 10,000.
UFL President and CEO Russ Brandon confirmed a 10th team will be added by 2028 but did not name the market. Repole's five cities on McAfee fit that timeline as candidates for the second 2028 spot, with Austin, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Albuquerque, and New York City all in play for future rounds of growth.
The league has stayed at eight teams for 2026 after Repole paused earlier plans to expand to 10 this year. He has said publicly that hitting 16 teams by 2035 is his benchmark.
Why Non-NFL Markets Make Sense
Repole told McAfee that picking cities without NFL teams works better for the UFL. The logic: spring football has more room to grow in markets that don't already share fans with an NFL franchise.
Four of the five cities he named line up with that strategy. Austin, Salt Lake City, Omaha, and Albuquerque do not have NFL teams. Oklahoma City, the league's confirmed 2028 addition, also fits the model.
The approach matches the UFL's success in St. Louis, which lost the Rams to Los Angeles in 2016. The Battlehawks have averaged 30,000 to 35,000 fans per game in The Dome at America's Center. Repole pointed to San Diego, which lost the Chargers in 2017, as another market that could fit if the league heads west.
New York City is the one outlier on Repole's list, which is why he hedged with "who knows maybe."
Repole on How the UFL Runs Day-to-Day
Repole used the McAfee appearance to push back on the idea that the UFL is run like past spring leagues. He told Pat the league operates as a startup rather than a corporation.
"You can't make this a corporate league," Repole said. "You can't make decisions over a 10-year period because it's gonna take time, it's gonna take energy, it's gonna take money, it's gonna take innovation, it's gonna take time listening to the fans."
He pointed to the WNBA and MLS as leagues that took 20 years to find their footing. His view: the UFL does not have that runway.
"I don't have 20 years for this," Repole said. "We're going to try to do something way different than every other league and make it affordable and fun."
Stadium Strategy: 15,000 to 25,000 Seats
Repole laid out the venue blueprint that has shaped the 2026 season. He wants soccer-style stadiums in the 15,000 to 25,000 range, not college football venues.
"The smaller the stadium, the easier it is to fill," Repole said. He cited Louisville's Lynn Family Stadium, which holds 15,000 and sold out on opening Friday night.
"When you're watching it on TV, you can't tell if there's 15,000 or 50,000," he said. "The noise in that small stadium... fans are cheering the entire time. So I really think these stadiums are made for the United Football League."
Repole said the DC Defenders at Audi Field (20,000) is closer to the model than St. Louis. The Battlehawks pull 30,000 to 35,000 at The Dome at America's Center, but Repole said most markets should target soccer-stadium capacity.
The Feeder System Pitch
Repole made the case for the UFL becoming a developmental pipeline for the NFL. He told Pat the league currently has 35 former UFL players on NFL rosters. He expects 140 to 160 UFL players to sign NFL deals after the 2026 season ends in June and July.
He floated a direct ask of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFLPA: send NFL practice squad players to the UFL for in-game reps.
"Why can't you give us those players?" Repole said. "Let them get reps during a game and move them to us. They'll get better playing in our league for 10 games than they will on a practice squad doing 6 reps a year."
Pat compared the idea to NFL Europe, which served as a developmental league for NFL teams from 1991 to 2007.
The Diego Pavia Angle
Pat pitched Repole on signing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who is set for a tryout with the Baltimore Ravens. Repole's response: he could sign Pavia and have him on the field within 24 hours.
"We can call him today, I can suit him up tomorrow, and we can play," Repole said.
The conversation tied back to the league's quarterback question. Pat noted he turned on a UFL game and did not recognize any of the quarterbacks. Repole said the position will be a focus heading into 2027.
"The emphasis on the quarterback next year is going to be crucial, 100%," Repole said.
Ratings Note
Pat brought up the league's average of 800,000 viewers. Repole and AJ Hawk both called it a solid number for spring football. Repole's plan is to grow the audience through NIL-era names and players with brand recognition, the same logic behind the Pavia pitch.
What's Next
The Oklahoma City team is locked in for 2028. The 10th market has not been announced. Repole's five cities on the McAfee Show — Austin, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Albuquerque, and New York City — are the latest public signal of where the UFL is looking.