United Football League to call Columbus home in 2026

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The United Football League made a bit of a shocking announcement on Thursday via a story from USA TODAY. According to new league co-owner Mike Repole, in an interview with USA TODAY Sports, the move will occur at the start of the 2026 season, though the team that is relocating was not unveiled.

"We're excited about Columbus as a market," Repole said in the story. "We know how good Ohio State is and how big football is in Columbus. We're excited about the local businesses in Columbus and the fan base."

Football has tried to thrive alongside Ohio State before in Columbus with mixed results. The Arena Football League did OK when the Columbus Destroyers were in town, but never came back after the league folded both in 2008 and after the 2019 season. Those old enough might also remember the Ohio Glory that played games in Ohio Stadium as a part of the World League of American Football. That experiment lasted just one season, though in 1992 before the league's operations were suspended.

Repole is optimistic that the UFL can work in Columbus. The city has already shown it can support professional franchises with the Columbus Bluejackets of the NHL and Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew. In fact, the hope is to use historic Columbus Crew Stadium as an ideal venue that holds about 19,968, an ideal size for the expected size of a crowd in the UFL.

"That's a good venue," Repole said of Audi Field. "We draw 12,000 in a [20,000-seat] arena. There's a fan base. It looks great."

Color me pessimistic that the UFL will do well in Columbus. Ohio State is king, and it's going to awfully tough for football fans to support anything besides an NFL franchise in a city that probably won't settle for less -- especially with the Buckeyes ruling the roost.

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