The St. Louis Battlehawks, who won the XFL Conference regular season championship, will remain in St. Louis. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Jason Barnes
Special to the Editor
The United Football League will undergo some major changes for the 2026 season.
James Larsen of PFNewsroom reported on Wednesday that four of the UFL’s eight teams will be relocated to new cities next season. (The news apparently was first reported by Mark Perry of UFLNewsHub.com.)
The teams moving on are expected to be all four teams from the USFL Conference — the Birmingham Stallions, the Houston Roughnecks, the Michigan Panthers, and the Memphis Showboats.
Memphis is no surprise; attendance was very poor. Michigan, however, had a significant spike in 2025. And Birmingham won three straight championships (two in the USFL, one in the UFL) before losing in the playoffs in 2025.
The four likely new cities will be Boise, Idaho; Columbus, Ohio; Orlando, Fla.; and Louisville or Lexington, Ky.
One team that definitely won’t be moving is the St. Louis Battlehawks. The hometown team led the UFL in attendance, tv ratings, and revenue for the second straight year in 2025.
The Battlehawks also won the XFL regular season championship, after going 8-2, and advanced to the XFL Conference Championship Game for the second straight year.
Can’t believe having a team in Memphis didn’t work.
I wonder was that the team’s fault? Or did the fans down there just not care about having a football team?