The United Football League officially announced on Tuesday that three of its eight teams are relocating, while the two franchises that remain in the state of Texas are changing their names and stadiums for the upcoming season.
The new teams include the Columbus Aviators, who will play at Historic Crew Stadium, former home of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer; the Louisville Kings, who will play at Lynn Family Stadium, home of Louisville City FC of the United Soccer League; and the Orlando Storm, who will play at Inter&Co Stadium, home of MLS club Orlando City SC.
The logo for the Aviators features an interlocking “CA,” with wings on the “C” and an aircraft propellor through the “A”. The red, navy blue and light blue color scheme is mostly a nod to the Ohio state flag but also matches well with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Kings’ logo, meanwhile, pays homage to the state’s rich history of horse racing, specifically the green grass on the infield at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Their name and logo also honors the city’s namesake, King Louis XVI.
Lastly, the Storm’s logo naturally combines a lightning bolt and hurricane symbol. It is primarily orange, an obvious nod to the citrus industry and the county Orlando is located in, but also includes navy blue – a hat tip to the Orlando Apollos of the defunct Alliance of American Football – and purple, which ties into the seats at their new venue.
“Today marks an important step forward for the UFL,” league co-owner Mike Repole said. “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 game day experience and strengthen the foundation of this league for years to come.”
The Aviators, Kings and Storm replace the Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers and San Antonio Brahmas. The Showboats and Panthers were originally part of the USFL while the Brahmas were members of the XFL before the leagues joined forces in 2024.
Elsewhere, Houston will now be known as the Gamblers instead of the Roughnecks, reverting back to the team’s original USFL name after adopting the Roughnecks’ name and logo when the league merged with the XFL. Prior to that, the Roughnecks were their own XFL franchise.
The Gamblers’ logo closely resembles their previous mark with a stylized “G” and star inside of a Texas outline, whereas their original design was a “G” that displayed the state outline in the negative space. They’ll play next season at Shell Energy Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo of MLS after using Space City Financial Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston last season.
The Renegades have also changed their location back to Dallas after playing the last three seasons under the Arlington moniker. They’re moving from Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, former home of MLB’s Texas Rangers, to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, home of MLS club FC Dallas, and will simply revive their 2020 logo.
The returning teams include the Birmingham Stallions, D.C. Defenders and St. Louis Battlehawks. The Stallions won three straight championships, capturing back-to-back USFL titles in 2022-23 before winning the inaugural UFL Championship Game in 2024, while the Defenders are the league’s defending champions after they defeated the Panthers in June.
Head coaches and uniforms for the three new teams will be revealed prior to the start of the 2026 UFL season, which is set to kick off on March 27. The league, which hopes to double in size by the mid-2030s, is set to join the original USFL (1983-85) as the longest-running spring football league.
Photos courtesy of @TheUFL on X/Twitter.
