ARLINGTON, TEXAS – January 5, 2026 – The United Football League (UFL) announced today its players selection and team allocation process for the upcoming 2026 spring football season, which will feature the UFL Draft being held at the UFL HQ in Arlington, Texas, on January 13-14, 2026.
“As we work toward fulfilling our bold vision for the United Football League that includes new markets, new teams, and new stadiums, presenting a dynamic product on the field remains the cornerstone of this league,” said UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon. “In order to stock our teams with talent – especially our three new teams – and to ensure competitive balance throughout the league, we have laid out an innovative selection process that will lead to an exciting brand of football this spring.”
Earlier this year, the UFL announced that it would once again feature eight teams – the Birmingham Stallions, Columbus Aviators, Dallas Renegades, DC Defenders, Houston Gamblers, Louisville Kings, Orlando Storm, and St. Louis Battlehawks. Among those teams, Columbus, Louisville and Orlando will be making their debuts in the league when the UFL kicks off its third season on Friday, March 27, 2026 with a 10-week regular season followed by a two-week postseason that includes Playoffs and the United Football League Championship Game.
The UFL player selection process will consist of three key elements:
QUARTERBACK DRAFT – January 9, 2026
The Quarterback Draft will be the first phase of the player selection process. Head Coaches will evaluate all available quarterbacks in collaboration with the UFL centralized scouting department. The Quarterback Draft will be held remotely on Friday, January 9, with all selections being announced on Monday, January 12.
REGIONAL COLLEGE ALLOCATION – January 10, 2026
Head Coaches may choose a maximum of three (3) players from their allocated colleges. The College Allocation selection will be held remotely on January 10, 2026. The regions will be defined by the UFL Player Personnel Department to ensure equity. All selections will be announced on Monday, January 12.
UFL teams will retain the right of first refusal to sign players from their allocated colleges throughout the season.
UFL DRAFT – January 13-14, 2025
The 2026 UFL Draft will take place at the UFL HQ in Arlington, Texas (1401 Nolan Ryan Expressway) across two days as head coaches will make position-by-position selections:
1. UFL Players Draft (Jan. 13)
- The Draft will include all players who finished the 2025 UFL season on Active Rosters and Injured Reserve.
- UFL teams may include a maximum of twelve (12) players from their 2025 rosters on a Reserve List. Any player included on his team’s Reserve List will not be exposed to the Draft.
- The first day of the UFL Draft will be broken into six positional groups:
- Offensive Linemen
- Running Backs/Tight Ends
- Wide Receivers
- Defensive Front Seven (Linebackers, Defensive Ends, Defensive Tackles)
- Defensive Backs
- Specialists
2. Free Agents Draft (Jan. 14)
- The following players who are not under contract in another league may be selected:
- 2025 NFL draft-eligible players
- 2025 NFL training camp players
- 2026 NFL draft-eligible players
- UFL Showcase attendees
- Players who signed an LOI and did not finish the 2025 season on a UFL roster
- Other free agents
- Similar to the first day of the UFL Draft, the second day will be broken into seven positional groups:
- Offensive Linemen
- Running Backs/Tight Ends
- Wide Receivers
- Defensive Front Seven (Linebackers, Defensive Ends, Defensive Tackles)
- Defensive Backs
- Specialists
- Open (A team may select any player regardless of position to backfill the roster in case they didn’t draft enough players at a certain position during the specific positional portion of the draft.)
3. Draft Order
- UFL Football Operations will conduct a virtual lottery to randomly determine the order for the 2026 UFL Draft.
- All rounds for each position will be conducted via “snake style.” After the first round, the eighth team will select first in the second round, the seventh team will choose second, and so forth. The order reverts back to the original order in the third round and alternates every round thereafter.
4. Maximum Number of Picks
- UFL teams may select a minimum of 60 players and a maximum of 62 players in the Draft, which includes three quarterbacks, a maximum of three college allocations, and a maximum of 12 Reserve List players.
- UFL teams may sign additional free agents following the Draft; the training camp roster limit is 64 players.