Professional Football Coming to Colorado Springs as UFL Announces New Team
Colorado Springs is officially adding professional football to its growing sports scene.
The United Football League announced Wednesday that Colorado will be one of four new markets joining the league over the next two seasons, with the new Colorado team set to begin play in Colorado Springs during the 2027 season.
The team will play its home games at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs, the current home of Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. The venue will soon take on a new role as the home of professional spring football in southern Colorado.
The Colorado team will play its inaugural home game on Sunday, April 11, 2027, at 1 p.m. MT, with the game scheduled to air nationally on ABC.
The team does not yet have an official name, colors or logo. Those details will be unveiled during a public celebration at Weidner Field on Oct. 25. Season ticket deposits are also expected to become available to fans at the event.
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade called the announcement a vote of confidence in the city and its downtown development.
“A UFL team will put Colorado Springs in front of a national audience, bring fans to Weidner Field, and give southern Colorado a professional football team to call its own,” Mobolade said in a statement released by the UFL.
A New Chapter for Weidner Field
Opened in 2021, Weidner Field has already become an important part of Colorado Springs' downtown sports and entertainment landscape.
The stadium is home to the Switchbacks and has hosted professional and collegiate sporting events, concerts, festivals and other community gatherings. It also hosted the 2024 USL Championship Final.
The arrival of the UFL will add another professional sports organization to the city while allowing Weidner Field to host football in addition to soccer.
The stadium's elevation will also give the new team a unique distinction.
At approximately 6,035 feet above sea level, Weidner Field sits more than 750 feet higher than Denver's Empower Field at Mile High. According to the UFL, that will make Colorado's new home the highest-elevation stadium for a professional football team when the team begins play.
That high-altitude environment could become one of the more distinctive features of the Colorado franchise as visiting teams travel to Colorado Springs for games.
Colorado Springs Joins Growing UFL
Colorado is one of two markets joining the UFL for the 2027 season. Rhode Island will also begin play next year, while Utah and Oklahoma are scheduled to join in 2028.
The four additions will eventually expand the UFL to 10 teams.
The UFL was created in 2024 through the merger of the XFL and United States Football League. The league has continued to develop its spring football model while serving as a pathway for players hoping to reach the NFL.
The league reported that 118 former UFL players attended NFL training camps in 2026, with 46 players ultimately appearing on NFL active rosters or practice squads.
For Colorado Springs, the announcement also adds another professional sports organization to a city already known for its connection to athletics.
The city is home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado College, UCCS and numerous sports organizations and national governing bodies.
The UFL's arrival gives local football fans another opportunity to watch professional football without traveling to Denver, while also bringing spring football to a city with an established sports community.
For now, fans will have to wait a little longer to learn exactly what Colorado's newest professional sports team will be called.
That answer is expected Oct. 25, when the UFL and local partners gather at Weidner Field to officially introduce the new Colorado franchise to the community.
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