Week 1 of the 2026 UFL regular season is finally here after a rollercoaster ride of an offseason. There’s new leadership in place, along with new teams, new head coaches, and a slew of new players hoping to make their mark in spring football.
When you factor in all those elements, it should make for an exciting season to watch and bet on.
The opening week of action kicks off on Friday night with the Birmingham Stallions taking on the Louisville Kings (8 p.m. ET/FOX). Then, on Saturday, UFL fans will get to see the defending champion, D.C. Defenders, square off against the St. Louis Battlehawks (12 p.m. ET/ESPN), followed by a Lone Star State showdown between the Houston Gamblers and the Dallas Renegades (4 p.m. ET/FOX).
Lastly, Week 1 ends with the Columbus Aviators traveling to the Sunshine State to play the Orlando Storm on Sunday night (8 p.m. ET/ESPN).
Below, we’ll hand out our best bets for Week 1, using odds courtesy of FanDuel, DraftKings Sportsbook, and BetMGM.
UFL Week 1 Best Bets
Birmingham Stallions at Louisville Kings
Friday, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
The Stallions, led by new head coach and former Battlehawks QB A.J. McCarron, are the betting favorite to win the title (+340 on DraftKings). Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the Kings, led by new head coach and former NFL QB Chris Redman, are a long shot to take home the crown this season (+1300 FanDuel).
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding this Stallions’ team, specifically on offense. Matt Corral, who has spent the last two years in Birmingham, will be getting the start under center, per James Larsen of Pro Football Newsroom.
Corral has a star-studded WR core that features Deon Cain, Laviska Shenault Jr., Daewood Davis, John Ross, Justyn Ross, and Marlon Williams.
If Corral can take care of the ball and play with some consistency, Birmingham should put up points. And we didn’t even mention the RB room, which has Anthony McFarland Jr., Snoop Conner, and Tyrion Davis-Price.
However, the Kings have the secondary pieces (Kenny Robinson Jr., Mekhi Garner, Cameron Dantzler, and Eric Garror) to match up with the Stallions. That said, the big question in this game will be whether the Kings, led by dual-threat QB Jason Bean, can move the ball against this veteran-led Stallions’ defense.
This will be Bean’s first game in the UFL, so we should expect some growing pains. However, Louisville has a solid RB room itself (Jaden Shirden, Jalen Jackson, Benny Snell, and Ian Wheeler), plus a good set of WRs and TEs who have played spring ball. The Kings won’t have WR Jonathan Adams for Friday’s game, which is a huge loss for the passing game. He was placed on the injured reserve on Tuesday night.
With all of the offensive talent in this game, there should be a lot of points scored. Everyone expects the Stallions to roll over the Kings in Week 1. However, Bean’s dual-threat ability could be an ex-factor and keep Louisville in this one.
Pick: Kings +5.5 (-110, BetMGM, FanDuel, DK)
D.C. Defenders at St. Louis Battlehawks
Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN
One of the most anticipated matchups in Week 1 will be between the Defenders and Battlehawks. D.C. is running it back with a lot of the same faces that helped them win the title last season, including head coach Shannon Harris. Meanwhile, St. Louis has several new faces, including at head coach, with Ricky Proehl.
However, Proehl is familiar with spring ball as he was a WRs coach in St. Louis a few years ago. Proehl is reportedly going with Brandon Silvers as his starter, per James Larsen. Silvers has played in the AAF, XFL, TSL, and UFL. And not to mention, he’s reunited with his old OC in A.J. Smith.
Silvers has a good WR corps at his disposal, which includes Hakeem Butler, Gary Jennings Jr., and Jahcour Pearson. St. Louis doesn’t have Jacob Saylors anymore, who is in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. But Jarveon Howard and Kevon Latulas are worth keeping an eye on in this matchup and going forward. St. Louis’s defense also has several veterans at all three levels who will look to harass Ta’amu.
As for D.C., Jordan Ta’amu is back at it for another season with most of the same pieces at RB, WR, and TE. The pressure will be on the offensive line to keep Ta’amu clean against the Battlehawks’ defense. At the same time, DC’s defense is very talented in the trenches and in the secondary.
The oddsmakers have this contest as the highest total in Week 1, and it’s hard to blame them. Two veteran teams that know what to expect and know what each brings to the table. That said, I like St. Louis in this spot at home to cover the spread.
Pick: Battlehawks +3.5 (-105, Score)
Houston Gamblers at Dallas Renegades
Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
We thought this Texas-sized Week 1 matchup was going to be between Nolan Henderson (Houston Gamblers) and “The Spring King,” Luis Perez (Dallas Renegades). However, Renegades head coach Rick Neuheisel is rolling with Austin Reed, who will be making his UFL debut on Saturday.
Reed played his college football at Western Kentucky and was an UDFA with the Chicago Bears in 2024 and 2025. Coming out of school, he was known for being a gunslinger and throwing with high velocity. Those attributes will come in handy for Dallas’ offense, which has a nice set of playmakers at WR (Deontay Burnett, Tyler Vaughns, Drake Stoops, Denzel Mims, and Greg Ward) and at TE (Seth Green). However, don’t sleep on Henderson, who has spent the last two years playing spring football in Houston. He’s battle-tested and has good veteran WRs in Justin Hall and Jontre Kirklin.
Also, keep an eye out for the pass rushers in this game, as Malik Fisher (Houston) and Taco Charlton (Dallas) are capable of taking over. Fisher has seven total sacks across three spring football seasons, while Charlton has recorded 8.5 sacks over the last two years.
With all that being said, the Renegades are slightly better in the trenches, which will give them the edge in what should be a fun game on Saturday.
Pick: Renegades -5.5 (-110, FanDuel, BetMGM)
Columbus Aviators at Orlando Storm
Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Week 1 wraps up Sunday night in Orlando between the Aviators and the Storm. Columbus, led by new head coach and former NFL WR Ted Ginn Jr., has one of the more underrated QBs in spring football in Jalan McClendon. McClendon is well-versed in spring football, as this will be his fifth season. He has a strong arm and can make plays in the pocket if given time.
The Aviators’ running game could be a factor to watch out for on Sunday, as they have Toa Taua, ZaQuandre White, and John Lovett. As for the defensive side of the ball, Columbus has playmakers at all three levels, which could give whoever starts at QB for Orlando.
Speaking of the Storm, Anthony Becht is running the show after calling the shots in St. Louis for the last few years. Orlando has two intriguing QB options in Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jake Plummer. Thompson-Robinson is a dual-threat QB, while Plummer is a dropback passer. Columbus likely hopes it’s Plummer starting, and not DTR, because with the latter, they will have to play true 11-on-11 football.
That said, whoever gets the call for Orlando will have standout running back Jashaun Corbin to lean on (514 rushing yards and four TDs on 97 carries last season with San Antonio) and a WR room with a litany of options. Even though Columbus has the slight edge at QB, Orlando finds a way to win, thanks to their defense, led by defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham.
Pick: Storm ML (-110, DraftKings and FanDuel)
