After the relatively short tenures of The Spring League, the XFL, and the United States Football League, when the two latter organizations merged into the United Football League, it had every opportunity to be just as short-lived. While it’s still plenty early, the UFL is showing the potential for some real staying power after its third season, so much so that, last week, the league announced plans for strategic market realignment with long-term growth in mind.
The UFL has had eight teams for each season since the merger, bringing the clubs from Birmingham, Houston, Memphis, and Michigan (Detroit) from the USFL and the clubs from Arlington, DC, San Antonio, and St. Louis from the XFL. This past season, only the Birmingham, DC, and St. Louis teams remained unchanged. Houston rebranded from the Roughnecks to the Gamblers, and the Renegades of Arlington took up the greater city of Dallas in their team name. The Memphis, Michigan, and San Antonio squads did not return from the 2025 season as the league welcomed franchises to Columbus, Louisville, and Orlando.
The UFL announced a bit more realignment in its announcement last week, declaring that the league would depart from the founding franchises in Birmingham and Houston. The UFL did disclose plans to fill the two vacant franchise assignments for next year, and the plans didn’t seem to stop there. The league plans to expand to 10 teams by 2028. By 2030, they hope to be at 12 teams, though there’s optimism that could even come in 2029 if strong interest from prospective markets and league momentum deliver.
UFL co-owner Mike Repole explained in the league’s announcement that they shut down Birmingham because it was housed in the wrong sized venue. Though 16,000 fans had appeared passionate at the start of the season, their inability to fill out the team’s venue detracted from the game day atmosphere. In Houston, Repole admitted that a lack of consistency — with venue and team name changes — made sustainability difficult for the franchise. While the new cities for 2027 have yet to be decided, it seems Oklahoma City is in place to be one of the two expansion sites when the UFL goes to 10 teams in 2028.
As we continue to see success in the UFL lead to renewed opportunities in the NFL for more and more players, it seems Repole and Co. could truly be building a winning product. Repole stated his aim “to build a league that is not only sustainable today, but also successful and thriving for decades to come.”