– Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings, and Orlando Storm To Kick Off This Spring –
– Arlington Renegades To Become Dallas Renegades –
– Houston Roughnecks To Be Renamed Houston Gamblers –
The United Football League (UFL) announced today a major step forward in its continued growth, unveiling three new franchises set to debut in the spring of 2026 when the league kicks off its third season. The new teams will be located in Columbus, Ohio, playing at Historic Crew Stadium, former home of the Columbus Crew of the MLS; Louisville, Kentucky, playing at Lynn Family Stadium, home of the Louisville City FC of the USL and Racing Louisville FC of the NWSL; and Orlando, Florida, playing at Inter&Co Stadium, home of the Orlando City SC of the MLS and Orlando Pride of the NWSL
The league also announced updated team names and new venues for two legacy teams; the Arlington Renegades will become the Dallas Renegades when they move to Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas of the MLS, and the Houston Roughnecks will be named the Houston Gamblers when they relocate to Shell Energy Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo FC of the MLS and Houston Dash of the NWSL.
“Today marks an important step forward for the United Football League,” said Mike Repole, co-owner of the United Football League, who leads league business operations through his private equity firm, Impact Capital. “Columbus, Louisville, and Orlando are true football cities with deep sports roots. We’re proud to bring professional football to these communities – in energetic, fan-driven stadiums built to create an authentic gameday experience and strengthen the foundation of this league for years to come.”
Repole joined the UFL ownership group in July 2025, aligning with FOX, RedBird Capital Partners, ESPN, Dany Garcia, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He is tasked with steering the league’s business strategy, brand development, and long-term growth.
“We’re heading into this season with new teams, new markets, new venues, and a renewed energy that reflects the momentum building around this league,” said Repole.
The three news teams will replace the Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers and San Antonio Brahmas, which competed in the league during its first two seasons.
New Names
The new teams – the Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings, and Orlando Storm – will join current United Football League teams the Birmingham Stallions, DC Defenders and St. Louis Battlehawks. They also join the Houston franchise, which will now be called the Houston Gamblers (from the Houston Roughnecks), reverting back to the team’s original name during its USFL era, as well as the Dallas franchise, which will now be called the Dallas Renegades (from the Arlington Renegades) to reflect the team’s North Texas fanbase.
New Venues
As part of Repole’s overall strategy of playing in smaller, more intimate soccer venues, the Houston Gamblers will play at Shell Energy Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash. The Dallas Renegades will move to Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas.
The UNITED Football League
Beginning with the 2026 season, the teams will no longer be divided into two conferences, but will compete as a united eight-team league with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs at the conclusion of the regular season.
Team Venue
Birmingham Stallions Protective Stadium
Columbus Aviators Historic Crew Stadium
Dallas Renegades Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX)
DC Defenders Audi Field
Houston Gamblers Shell Energy Stadium
Louisville Kings Lynn Family Stadium
Orlando Storm Inter&Co Stadium
St. Louis Battlehawks The Dome at America’s Center
Head coaches will be announced in the near future for the three teams, along with new uniform designs for all eight teams. The 43-game 2026 United Football League schedule, which will kick off on Friday, March 27, will be unveiled at a later date.
Season Ticket Members
New Markets
Season ticket deposits in the new markets are currently on sale. For more information or to secure season tickets, fans can visit www.theufl.com.
Markets With Venue Changes
Current season ticket members should expect additional communication from the league within 24 hours. Season ticket deposits are currently open for the Dallas Renegades and Houston Gamblers and can be accessed via www.theufl.com.
Markets With No Changes
For more information or to secure season tickets for the UFL teams in existing markets, fans can visit www.theufl.com.
About the United Football League
The United Football League (UFL) is THE professional spring football league. With the visionary backing of Mike Repole and Impact Capital, RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson and ESPN, the United Football League delivers the most accessible and innovative professional football experience in the world for players and fans.
3 Comments
by Ken Granito
Truly love the Gamblers being brought back. The Roughnecks were a bad rebrand the Gamblers have the best uniforms in all of football. Hopefully they will keep the uniforms and not change them too much. I don’t like the white being taken from the emblem they produced for the article and I hope it is more like the one the USFL had in 2022 & 23. Hopefully this will give some push to the league. I like the route the league is going. They could bring it all the way back with football being given the highest priority not gimmicks. Please make this a sports league and not an entertainment league. Little tweaks I could see that would be cool. I liked the Bulls for football for Columbus, however if Jacksonville is a possible future locale I like the Bulls there. Similar thoughts for Generals & Panthers.
by 4th&long
Lots of changes with Repole and he basically Nixed the XFL 2.0 approach.
Arlington now Dallas
Houston Roughnecks to Gamblers ! Woohoo!
Simplified Logo – no question UFL stands for football now!
Large stadiums for Small -Medium (across the league) mostly soccer
And coming soon – team practices in home cites for marketing (to what extent TBD)
New uniforms coming across all teams? WOW
USFL and XFL names no longer used…
One League – no divisions for 2026 – should be a fun change. Lets see how that goes.
Repole will own it… the UFL that is.
One thing to note here is that the Team moves in TV market size (and to lessor extent Metro Area population) are literally unchanged. The swapouts make sense from that perspective.
Exciting times! I like the changes but more so I REALLY like the energy from Repole. Russ/Dany had none.
by Frank Dux
Are the teams still playing out of the Hub in Arlington, where the league invested a substantial amount of cash last season in front offices, etc?
I am sure the MLS fans are thrilled with sharing the stadiums with football teams, expect temper tantrums in those cities.