The United Football League announced three new markets that will be joining the league for the next two seasons on Wednesday. The new markets will be Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Sandy, Utah. These new markets will join Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where were announced earlier this year.
With the new additions, the league will be up to ten teams by the 2028 season. For the 2027 season, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, will replace the Birmingham Stallions and Houston Gamblers. In 2028, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Sandy, Utah, will play their inaugural seasons.
The new Rhode Island team will play at Centreville Bank Stadium, home of Rhode Island FC of the USL Championship league. The stadium opened in 2025 and seats 10,500 fans. This new market will give the league another presence in the Northeast, joining the D.C. Defenders.
“We are incredibly excited to bring professional football to Centreville Bank Stadium and to Rhode Island in 2027,” said Paul Byrne, General Manager of Centreville Bank Stadium. “There is tremendous energy around sports in the Ocean State, and we’re proud to continue establishing Centreville Bank Stadium as a premier destination for major sporting and entertainment events. Bringing professional football to Pawtucket is another exciting milestone for our venue and for Rhode Island, and our team can’t wait to welcome fans from across the state and deliver an unforgettable game-day experience.”
This will be the first professional football team for Rhode Island since the Providence Steam Roller of the NFL from 1925 to 1931. The team won the 1928 NFL Championship. Rhode Island’s name and logo will be revealed on October 18, 2026.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be the UFL’s first team on the West Coast. The new team will play at Weidner Field, home of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC of the USL Championship league. The stadium opened in 2021 and seats 8,000 fans. The stadium sits more than 750 feet higher than Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, which means it will become the highest-elevation home to a pro football team.
“Bringing professional football to Colorado Springs is a vote of confidence in our city and in what we have built downtown,” said Mayor Yemi Mobolade. “A UFL team will put Colorado Springs in front of a national audience, bring fans to Weidner Field, and give southern Colorado a professional football team to call its own. We are proud to welcome the UFL to the foot of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, and we look forward to seeing our community make this team its own.”
Weidner Field has hosted several events since 2021, including the 2024 USL Championship Final, NCAA Division II Championships, and the annual City for Champions Cup. This will be the first spring football team in Colorado since the Denver Gold of the USFL from 1983 to 1985. The new name and logo for the Colorado Springs team will be revealed on October 25, 2026.
Sandy, Utah, will be the league’s second team on the West Coast in 2028. They will play at America First Field, home of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and Utah Royals FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. America First Field opened in 2008 and seats 20,213 fans. The stadium offers a great backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains.
“We are thrilled to welcome the UFL to Utah and partner with the league as it brings its games to America First Field,” said Michelle Smith, president of Miller Sports + Entertainment. “We believe deeply in the power of sport to unite communities, create lasting memories, and bring people together around a shared sense of pride. Together, we look forward to creating an incredible experience for fans throughout Utah.”
This will be the second spring team in Utah. The Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football league played in 2019 at Rice–Eccles Stadium. The Stallions went 3-5 before the league folded after Week 8. The new Utah team will join a growing professional sports landscape, which also includes the Utah Jazz, Utah Mammoth, and the upcoming 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The new Utah team will reveal its name and logo at a later date.
