United Football League Announces Five Major Team Changes in 2026

Three non-NFL markets will get a taste of professional football.

Reuben Foster of the Houston Roughnecks—soon to be renamed the Gamblers—celebrates after an interception. / Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images

The United Football League will look very different in 2026.

Tuesday morning, the league took to social media to announce five changes to its eight-team lineup. These changes include new teams in Columbus, Louisville and Orlando, as well as rebranded teams in Dallas and Houston.

The Columbus team will be called the Aviators and play at Historic Crew Stadium, the home of Major League Soccer's Crew. Columbus will join a long line of professional teams to seek success in the college football-crazy city, including an NFL team from 1920 to '26.

Louisville's squad will be the Kings, and Orlando's the Storm. Louisville was also an early NFL city, while Orlando has had several minor pro football teams—including the XFL's Guardians as recently as 2023.

The Arlington Renegades, meanwhile, are changing their name to the Dallas Renegades in line with their move to FC Dallas's Toyota Stadium. The Houston Roughnecks will become the Gamblers, nodding to the 1980s-era United States Football League team of the same name.

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