UFL shifts into Rhode Island and Colorado, plans 10-team league
The UFL will replace Birmingham and Houston with teams in Pawtucket and Colorado Springs in 2027, using compact soccer stadiums before growing to 10 teams in 2028.
UFL Enters Next Phase of Growth: Rhode Island and Colorado Join UFL in 2027
Centreville Bank Stadium Brings United Football League to Rhode Island in 2027 as League Enters Next Phase of Growth
United Football League announces Colorado Springs expansion
United Football League expanding to Rhode Island in 2027
Pro football is coming to Utah. UFL announces Utah franchise will begin play in 2028.
Smaller venues drive another reset
The spring-football league will place teams in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and Colorado Springs for the 2027 season, replacing its Birmingham and Houston clubs while keeping the competition at eight teams. Utah and Oklahoma City are scheduled to arrive in 2028, taking the operation to 10 teams.espn +1
The move extends the league into New England and the Mountain time zone, but its defining feature is venue size. Rhode Island will use 10,500-seat Centreville Bank Stadium, while Colorado will play at 8,000-seat Weidner Field; both are primarily soccer grounds.espn Managing partner Mike Repole has argued that compact stadiums produce stronger crowds and better television pictures than partially filled large venues.usatoday
Pawtucket and Colorado Springs get April debuts
Rhode Island’s first home game is set for April 2 on Fox, and Colorado’s is scheduled for April 11 on ABC. Names, colors and logos are due to be unveiled at public events on October 18 in Pawtucket and October 25 in Colorado Springs.theufl The Colorado announcement gives the state a new spring team at Weidner Field, the downtown home of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.coloradoan
Centreville Bank Stadium opened in 2025 beside the Seekonk River and already hosts Rhode Island FC, college football, rugby and lacrosse.rhodeislandfc The Pawtucket market also carries the memory of the Pawtucket Red Sox, which played in the city for 50 years before affiliated baseball shifted to Worcester.rhodeislandfc +1
Expansion comes with unresolved roster questions
The incoming brands will have no connection to the Birmingham Stallions and Houston Gamblers, though coaches and players from the discontinued teams could be assigned to the new clubs. The venue contracts run for two or three years, with terms varying by market.sportsbusinessjournal The league has not said which existing roster would map to each city or whether personnel will instead be redistributed.usatoday
Utah will play at America First Field in Sandy, while Oklahoma City is slated for the new MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium, which is under construction for a 2028 opening.theufl Repole told ESPN he wants two additional markets in 2030 and a 16-team league by 2034, making this realignment a step in a much larger growth plan rather than a final footprint.espn
The strategy still depends on turning smaller buildings into durable local businesses. League figures say multiple 2026 games topped one million viewers and the championship sold out, while 46 former players reached active NFL rosters or practice squads.theufl Those gains offer a foundation, but Pawtucket and Colorado Springs will now test whether intimacy can translate into sustained demand.