The United Football League returns for its third season this spring, and for UK-based American football fans the big question has been simple: will we actually be able to watch it? The good news – yes, we can.
What Is The UFL?
Founded on the 31st of December 2023, the UFL started as a merge of the XFL (2020-2023) and the USFL (2022-2023). Spring Football has always had a tumultuous time in the States. The Super Bowl tends to be the signal for other sports to dominate, and the appetite for Spring Football is lessened. Leagues like the NBA & NHL enter their final stretches. The MLB season starts & countless other sports are there to take the headlines. Having 2 different competing Spring Football leagues didn’t make any sense. So, the two merged.
It’s first 2 seasons had a bit of a bumpy start. Though given the climate they operate in, the numbers are generally encouraging. Among the changes they’ve made for 2026, 3 teams have moved to new markets. This should, hopefully, translate to higher attendances and more revenue. Co-Owner Dani Garcia has plenty of confidence in the moves to be beneficial going forward.
Has the UK Had UFL football before?
DAZN was The UFL’s international streaming partner in 2025. They distributed all of the games to over 200+ markets around the world. The deal itself, however, was made after the season had already started and only covered the 2025 season. Which makes sense given the UFL’s venture and, likely for the next few years, year-on-year financial insecurity. It has meant that fans outside of the US, who were hoping to catch some of the league’s 3rd season, have had to wait for confirmation.
Where Can I Watch the UFL in 2026?
Well, it appears that DAZN are the heroes of the day again. An ad for the UFL started playing on my TV whilst watching March Madness, and that all but confirmed it. I have reached out to some people to see if they have any more information and it looks like they’re getting one game a week. Which isn’t perfect, of course, but that game will be free-to-air. I don’t know yet whether that’ll be the same game slot every week or whether it’s dependent on the broadcaster. The UK has had great luck over the years with ESPN broadcasting deals and the Walt Disney Company are actually co-owners of the league too.
So, with the UFL returning for year 3, fans across the globe will get to feast their eyes on league for yet another year. We have our own UFL dedicated socials too. Find AAW_UFL on Instagram and Twitter. If you’re UK based and want to talk about the UFL with us? Get in touch!
UPDATE: it looks like the UFL never actually showed up this weekend for week 1 on DAZN. I have reached out to a contact for more info, but nothing has come back to me as of yet, Huge apologies to anyone who was hoping to catch a game on the platform this weekend.
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