UFL Drops Birmingham, Houston

The United Football League (UFL) made the decision this week to drop the Birmingham Stallions and Houston Gamblers from the league in 2027.

The Birmingham Stallions played their home games at Protective Stadium, while the Houston Gamblers played at Shell Energy Stadium. Both teams played three seasons in the latest version of the spring football league. Both teams struggled at the gate.

The UFL plans to add two replacement markets in time for the 2027 season. Then in 2028, the league will expand to 10 teams total with the addition of Oklahoma City and another currently unknown market.

The teams were both active for the past five seasons.  They both struggled at the gate.  Birmingham was 6th in average attendance with 8,248 per game while Houston was 8th with 5,683 average per game.

The Stallions were rebirthed in the new United States Football League (USFL) in 2022 and won the first two championship games.  Their only losing season was this past spring where they dropped to 4-6.  The Gamblers also opened the new USFL in 2022 but they were not as successful on the field.  They were 18-32 in five seasons and never made the playoffs.

Birmingham has a unlucky legacy of failed football teams in its history.  The city had the Birmingham Americans (World Football League 1974), Vulcans (WFL 1975), Stallions (Original USFL 1983-1985, Birmingham Fire (World League of American Football 1991-1992), Barracudas (Canadian Football League 1995), Steeldogs (Arena Football 2000-2007), Thunderbolts (XFL 2001), and Iron (Alliance of American Football 2019).

The UFL continues to envision expansion to more teams in more cities in the next 4-5 years for the spring football league.  It is unlikely that Birmingham or Houston will get another chance.