UFL executive vice president of football operations Daryl Johnston recently sat down with USA Today's Jacob Camenker to talk UFL and specifically expansion. There is really nothing new in this interview other than that they are in the process of looking at new locations. But there are a couple small tidbits to note. Plus, UFL officials talking to the media about expansion is always a good thing.
Johnston said the UFL is in the exploratory phase of potential expansion in 2026.
"We're moving towards starting to look at potential markets that are out there for us that would be a good fit," he explained. "I think that's one of the things that is the most important. Are you in the right markets? I think that'll be our key driver."
We have heard from UFL News Hub sources that this process of starting to look at locations has been going on for some time. RFP's were requested months ago and league officials have been whittling down the top potential candidates.
One thing Johnston told USA Today is that the cities proximity to the Arlington Texas hub is not a factor.
"There's going to be a number of different things that we'll be looking at," Johnston explained. "Regionality is not going to be one of those things. It'll be more specific; things that we feel are the drivers to have a successful home market, and those will be the ones that we'll focus on the most."
This would fall in line with the top two markets we have been hearing in Seattle Washington and Columbus Ohio. Seattle would be the farthest location in the United Football League.
Johnston says there has been a lot of interest from cities in joining the the UFL which shows the leagues potential.
"We've been very pleasantly surprised by not just the number of markets but kind of the variance we have there," Johnston said. "There's a number of different markets that have expressed an interest when we are ready to do the expansion, and that's another way where we've gotten some confidence."
UFL News Hub has heard from sources that even if two more teams are added in 2026, it would not change the length of the season. The plan is to stick with a 10 game season in 2026. This however could be all up in the air with the pending labor dispute between UFL players and United Football League owners.
We are five days from kickoff on March 28th and still don't have a labor resolution. If there players get a pay raise in 2025, will that impact expansion plans in 2026. There is a lot at stake for spring football over the next week.