How many teams are in the UFL? New teams, coaches, more to know for 2026

The UFL remains an eight-team league for 2026, but the league's composition changed significantly during the offseason.

Gone are three of the founding eight members of the spring football league, which formed after the USFL-XFL merger ahead of the 2024 season. The Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers and San Antonio Brahmas were relocated as part of a shift in the UFL's strategy for sustained growth.

Additionally, the Arlington Renegades have rebranded back to the Dallas Renegades. Meanwhile, the Houston Roughnecks became the Gamblers, a nod to the franchise's original USFL roots.

The league's overall structure will also be different, as it is no longer operating as a two-division league. All eight teams will compete in one division over the 10-week season for the first time in the three-year history of the combined spring football league.

Here's what to know about the UFL's teams for 2026, including their coaches, top players and where all eight will play.

How many UFL teams are there in 2026?

The UFL will once again field eight teams, but several new squads are joining the fold. Three teams have been relocated while two have been rebranded ahead of the 2026 season.

Below is a look at the teams that will compete in the UFL during its 2026 season:

• Birmingham Stallions
• Columbus Aviators
• Dallas Renegades
• DC Defenders
• Houston Gamblers
• Louisville Kings
• Orlando Storm
• St. Louis Battlehawks

Three teams that played during the 2025 UFL season – the Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, and San Antonio Brahmas – did not return for 2026.

New UFL teams for 2026

The Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings and Orlando Storm are the three teams set to compete in their inaugural UFL seasons in 2026.

New UFL investor and entrepreneur Mike Repole opined that the three cities are ideal fits for the league's new vision in an October interview with USA TODAY Sports.

"We wanted markets that were either college towns or had one or two or no professional sports teams that were big cities and big sports cities," Repole explained.

The three markets all boast stadiums with capacities of 15,000 to 25,000. Repole believes that will be key to filling those stadiums and creating a better game-day experience for fans.

"Even though the stadium is smaller, the platform will be bigger because it's going to be a sold-out stadium," Repole said.

Each expansion market will be coached by a former NFL player with ties to the region. Ted Ginn Jr. (Aviators) and Chris Redman (Kings) played collegiately at Ohio State and Louisville, respectively, while Anthony Becht – who previously coached the St. Louis Battlehawks – lives in central Florida.

UFL teams 2026: Coaches, key players, more to know

Here's what to know about each of the UFL's eight teams for 2026, including their coaches, key players and where they play.

Birmingham Stallions

• Stadium: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Ala.
• Coach: AJ McCarron
• Key players: QB Matt Corral, RB Tyrion Davis-Price, WR John Ross, WR Laviska Shenault Jr.

McCarron faces a monumental task of replacing Skip Holtz, who led the Stallions to a 33-7 regular-season record and three spring-league championships over four seasons before stepping down during the offseason.

McCarron, a first-time coach, will rely on Corral – who appeared in three games for the Stallions in 2025 – to lead an offense comprised of numerous former NFL players, including Davis-Price, Ross and Shenault.

Columbus Aviators

• Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Coach: Ted Ginn Jr.
• Key players: QB Jalan McClendon, QB Aidan Sayin, RB Toa Taua, WR Devin Ross

Like McCarron, Ginn will also be a first-time coach and will look to help Columbus become competitive in its first UFL season. The Aviators figure to lean on Taua – who generated a UFL-best six rushing touchdowns in seven games last season – to spark their offense while McClendon gets a first crack at being the starting quarterback.

Sayin – whose brother, Julian, is a star at Ohio State and just finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting – will be another player on whom to keep an eye. The elder Sayin played collegiately at Penn but went undrafted in 2025.

Dallas Renegades

• Stadium: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
• Coach: Rick Neuheisel
• Key players: QB Luis Perez, WR Denzel Mims, WR Greg Ward, OLB Taco Charlton, DT Siaki Ika

Neuheisel joins the UFL with extensive coaching experience, having spent four seasons each at Washington and UCLA and also coaching the AAF's Arizona Hotshots in 2019. That could give the 65-year-old a leg up on the less experienced coaches.

Also helping Neuheisel's cause is Perez's presence. The "Spring King" led the UFL with a 71.6% completion rate last season while racking up 2,298 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He should be expected to once again lead one of the UFL's most potent passing offenses.

DC Defenders

• Stadium: Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
• Coach: Shannon Harris
• Key players: QB Jordan Ta'amu, RB Deon Jackson, DL Boogie Basham, CB Deandre Baker, CB Gareon Conley

The Defenders – who won the UFL championship in 2025 – are bringing back one of the league's most talented rosters. Helmed by Ta'amu, an experienced spring-league quarterback, and a fierce defense, DC figures to be a title contender thanks to the continuity they retained with 2025 Coach of the Year Shannon Harris.

Ta'amu posted a league-best 17 passing touchdowns last season and was named the MVP of the UFL championship game.

Houston Gamblers

• Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas
• Coach: Kevin Sumlin
• Key players: QB Nolan Henderson, QB Taulia Tagovailoa, RB Kirk Merritt, WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, CB Damon Arnette

Sumlin coached the Gamblers in 2022 before heading back to the college ranks at Maryland. Now, the 61-year-old is back in spring football and will look to help the Gamblers improve upon their 5-5 mark from last season.

Henderson is expected to begin the season as Houston's starting quarterback, but Tagovailoa – the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa – could challenge for playing time after spending the 2023 season alongside Sumlin at Maryland.

Louisville Kings

• Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
• Coach: Chris Redman
• Key players: RB Benny Snell, RB Ian Wheeler, TE Zach Davidson, CB Cameron Dantzler, CB Bryce Hall

Redman is the first-ever coach of the Kings, and he will face an interesting choice at quarterback ahead of his first season. The former Louisville star has Jason Bean, N'Kosi Perry and Chandler Rogers at his disposal, and the early expectation is Bean – who previously was a dual-threat star at Kansas – will get the first crack at the job.

Perhaps more interesting will be what the Kings do at running back. Snell played four seasons for the Steelers from 2019-22 but hasn't taken an NFL snap since the 2022 campaign. Can the 28-year-old revive his career in the UFL? Soon, we'll find out.

Orlando Storm

• Stadium: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Florida
• Coach: Anthony Becht
• Key players: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, RB Jashaun Corbin, WR KJ Hamler, DL Isaiah Buggs

Becht posted a 22-8 record across three seasons in charge of the Battlehawks, but he never won a playoff game. He will be looking to have more sustained postseason success in Orlando, where he figures to have one of the UFL's best running games at his disposal.

Corbin was the UFL's leading rusher in 2025 for the Brahmas and will now suit up for the Storm after a stint with the Falcons. Thompson-Robinson is in his first UFL season, and the former Cleveland Browns draft pick has great mobility, which Becht noted was a key in naming Manny Wilkins his starter last season in St. Louis.

St. Louis Battlehawks

• Stadium: The Dome at America's Center, St. Louis, Missouri
• Coach: Ricky Proehl
• Key players: RB Jarveon Howard, WR Hakeem Butler, WR Jahcour Pearson, DT Carlos Davis

Speaking of Wilkins, he will not be returning to the Battlehawks after tearing his Achilles last season. Instead, the team will roll with Brandon Silvers and Harrison Frost as its quarterbacks under Proehl.

The Battlehawks have a couple of quality receiving weapons in Butler and Pearson, and it will be interesting to see what Howard – who averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 2025 – can do with the team's top running back from last season, Jacob Saylors, now playing for the Detroit Lions.