Overview
- The league moves from a touring model to city-based teams in 2026: Carolina Blaze (Durham, NC), Chicago Bandits (Rosemont/Chicago, IL), Oklahoma City Spark (Oklahoma City, OK), Portland Cascade (Hillsboro/Portland, OR), Texas Volts (Round Rock, TX) and Utah Talons (Salt Lake City, UT).
- Each club will play 25 regular-season games from June 9 to July 20, with the No. 1 seed advancing directly to a best-of-three championship after a 2-vs.-3 play-in at a neutral site.
- Under a multi-year deal through 2028, ESPN will air 50 exclusive AUSL games per year across its platforms, including the championship series, with at least one marquee game on ABC.
- The offseason expansion added the Spark and the Cascade to bring the league to six teams, and December’s expansion and allocation drafts populated rosters ahead of opening day.
- Local anchors include the Bandits’ return to Rosemont’s Parkway Bank Sports Complex and the Volts at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond with GM Cat Osterman and Longhorn standout Mia Scott, supported by an MLB partnership to strengthen league operations.