The United Football League is taking a decisive step toward becoming a more national spring football product. On September 23, 2026, the league announced it will add four new markets over the next two seasons, with Rhode Island and Colorado beginning play in 2027 and Utah and Oklahoma following in 2028. The moves will grow the UFL to 10 teams.
The new franchises will play in distinctive venues rather than traditional NFL-style stadiums. Colorado’s team will call Weidner Field in Colorado Springs home. Rhode Island will play at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket. Utah is slated for America First Field in Sandy, and Oklahoma will occupy the new MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium in downtown Oklahoma City once that facility opens in early 2028.
League co-owner Mike Repole framed the expansion as the payoff from a 2026 season that built real momentum. The UFL introduced a four-point field goal from 60-plus yards, emphasized transparent officiating, and produced the highest scoring and most explosive games in league history. Viewership frequently topped one million, ticket sales rose, and the United Bowl sold out as the Louisville Kings won the title in their first season. Off the field, 118 former UFL players reached NFL training camps, with 46 landing on active rosters or practice squads.
“There is a real energy around this league right now, and we’re thrilled to bring that energy to four new markets,” Repole said. He credited local partners for helping identify markets that can support stable franchises rather than simply filling a map.
Colorado Springs offers an unusual selling point: Weidner Field sits at 6,035 feet, making it the highest-elevation home venue in professional football when the team kicks off. The city already hosts the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and a dense cluster of national governing bodies. Switchbacks FC President Brad Estes and Mayor Yemi Mobolade both welcomed the league, citing the chance to put southern Colorado in front of a national television audience. Colorado’s home opener is scheduled for Sunday, April 11, 2027, at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. Team identity and season-ticket deposits will be unveiled at Weidner Field on October 25.
Rhode Island gives the UFL a foothold in New England at a new waterfront stadium that opened in 2025 and quickly earned SportsTravel Magazine’s Best New or Renovated Venue honor. Centreville Bank Stadium already hosts Rhode Island FC and college football, including URI and an upcoming Brown-Harvard game. General Manager Paul Byrne pointed to the state’s history with the Pawtucket Red Sox and its current appetite for professional sports. Rhode Island’s home opener is set for Friday, April 2, 2027, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX as part of FOX UFL Friday. Branding will be revealed at the stadium on October 18.
Utah and Oklahoma will complete the 10-team roster in 2028. Utah’s America First Field, already home to Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals, sits against the Wasatch Mountains and taps into a state with strong college football traditions at Utah, BYU, and Utah State plus a growing professional sports scene. Oklahoma City’s new downtown stadium is still under construction, but Mayor David Holt described the UFL as a natural fit for a city that “loves sports and loves football.”
Team names, colors, and logos for the 2028 markets will be announced later. In the meantime, the league has launched dedicated pages for each market so fans can follow ticket and identity updates.
The expansion is not just geographic. It tests whether the UFL can transplant the fan energy it generated in 2026 into mid-sized markets that already have soccer clubs, college football cultures, and civic investment in new venues. If the 2027 openers in Pawtucket and Colorado Springs draw the same kind of crowds and television numbers the league saw last spring, the 2028 additions in Utah and Oklahoma will look less like a leap and more like the next logical step.
