Only 4,700 Fans Showed Up in Birmingham, and the UFL's Big Play Is ALREADY Facing a World Cup Battle!

Alright, so you know how the UFL has been trying to find its footing, right? We're all rooting for pro football, especially when our Hawks aren't on the field. Well, UFL co-owner Mike Repole just dropped a bomb this past Friday: there's an "80 percent chance" the league's eight markets for 2026 are gonna stick for 2027. Sounds stable, maybe even promising. But before you celebrate, let me tell you, the UFL's biggest game is about to go head-to-head with the freaking World Cup, and some cities are already barely showing up! This ain't easy for the league if they wanna truly build something.

Market Shake-Ups and Ghost Town Gates

Remember that market shuffle after the 2025 season? Wild ride! Detroit, Memphis, and San Antonio got the boot, making way for new teams in Columbus, Orlando, and Louisville. The other five markets, D.C., Birmingham, St. Louis, Houston, and Dallas, held on. But "holding on" doesn't mean "thriving" for everyone, especially not Birmingham. We're talking a brutal 16 percent attendance drop in 2026. And get this: in Week 7, barely 4,700 fans bothered to show up. Can you even imagine? Repole hinted Birmingham could be on the chopping block, and honestly, the source said "Not that Birmingham would notice." Ouch! You gotta wonder about that fan base. That level of apathy, when a league is trying to grow, that's just flat-out rough.

Chasing the Ceiling and a Scheduling Nightmare

Despite those struggles, Repole's still chasing that "ultimate ceiling" for the UFL, determined to see how big this league can get. The ambition is there. They're even bringing in Oklahoma City as an expansion team in 2028, and they've got their eyes on a whole list of other potential spots: New England, Austin, Raleigh, Queens, New York, New Mexico, Greenville or Charleston in South Carolina, Utah, and Boise. That's a lot of potential growth, right? But here's the real head-scratcher: the 2026 season wraps up with the United Bowl this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. And guess what else is on? Fox, one of the UFL's primary owners, televising a World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland at the exact same time! Seriously? This is the UFL's championship, its biggest moment, and it's getting direct competition from global soccer on its own network! That's the core problem they gotta solve: tailoring their schedule to avoid going head-to-head with every other major live sport. It’s a battle they're currently losing.

So yeah, the UFL is surviving, no doubt. Repole's out there trying to find its groove. But the real question is if it can actually thrive. With market stability as a goal, but empty seats in places like Birmingham and a direct conflict with the World Cup for their championship, the road to thriving looks like a real uphill climb. The United Bowl is happening this Saturday, we'll be watching, but everyone's gonna be watching those attendance and viewership numbers. Can the UFL carve out its space, or will it always be fighting for scraps against bigger events? We'll see how Saturday plays out, especially with the World Cup stealing thunder from their biggest day.

DFS Pick'em

⚡ DraftKings Pick 6: Deposit $5, Get $25 in Bonus Instantly + Up to 100% Winning Boost

Use code ONTAP to lock in this offer.

👉 Get your $25 DraftKings Pick 6 bonus

Sponsored. Must be 18+. Terms apply.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.