This week, the United Football League revealed their full schedule ahead of the 2026 season. While the UFL underwent significant change this past offseason, one thing that remained the same was the DC Defenders are still the defending champions of the league after defeating the Michigan Panthers (now Columbus Aviators) last season, 58-34.
Led by head coach Shannon Harris, the Defenders will see a vast majority of their 2025 championship roster return this season after the team drafted/retained a plethora of players last week during the UFL Draft.
Let’s take a look at the upcoming schedule for the DC Defenders, as they aim to become back-to-back UFL champions.
Week 1: DC Defenders at St. Louis Battlehawks
The Defenders will kick off their season on the road in a tough environment against their biggest rival in spring football, the St. Louis Battlehawks. St. Louis will be led by a different head coach this season after Anthony Becht made a lateral move to Orlando, as Ricky Proehl is now the HC for the Battlehawks. Proehl was the Battlehawks WR coach in 2023, and will be making his first coaching appearance since then. St. Louis will also have a new man under center, as Michael Pratt, Ben Woolridge, and Brandon Silvers will compete for the opening day QB1 job.
Week 2: DC Defenders at Columbus Aviators
One thing Defenders fans may notice about this schedule is the league did not do the team many (if any) favors. That trend begins with the two road games to kick off the season, this one coming against the Ted Ginn Jr. led Columbus Aviators, who will be making their franchise debut after replacing the Michigan Panthers. Columbus was heavily praised for their recent draft selections, as names like Clayton Tune, Raheem Blackshear, and Cam Smith will be joining the Aviators this spring. Unclear if Tune will be the day one starting quarterback, as he will compete with two spring league veterans in Jalan McClendon and Jalen Morton.
This game will be the first of three night games for DC, as kickoff is set for 8pm ET from Historic Crew Stadium.
Week 3: Houston Gamblers at DC Defenders
DC’s home-opener at Audi Field finally comes in Week 3, as the Defenders face-off with the rebranded Houston Gamblers (formerly Houston Roughnecks). The Gamblers underwent major change this offseason, as the team moved on from CJ Johnson as head coach and hired Kevin Sumlin. Early indications show Houston to be one of the more intriguing teams in the league, primarily due to the firepower on offense with QB Hunter Dekkers set to make his spring debut. Dekkers will have plenty of targets to work with, as Justin Hall, Braylon Sanders, Jontre Kirklin, and LuJuan Winningham were all drafted by Houston. Sumlin and co. also drafted a pair of former Defenders on defense, as Malik Fisher and Anthony Hines will be joining the Gamblers after lengthy stints in DC.
Kickoff is set for Saturday, April 11 at 12pm ET from Audi Field, in front of what should be a rowdy crowd to celebrate the Defenders 2025 UFL Championship win.
Week 4: St. Louis Battlehawks vs. DC Defenders
Just three weeks after opening the season against the Battlehawks in St. Louis, the Defenders will conclude the regular season series at home in a Saturday afternoon tilt.
Keep in mind, the UFL decided to shut down conferences ahead of this season, so the top-four teams based on overall record will clinch the playoffs. Each game will carry the same value/importance…
Week 5: DC Defenders at Birmingham Stallions
When the UFL schedule was originally posted by the league, the Defenders were not slated to play Birmingham at all and were set to play the Dallas Renegades in the first game of a back-to-back against Dallas. The league swiftly made a correction to their posts on social media, replacing Dallas with Birmingham in Week 5.
Now focusing on the game, the Stallions will have their first new head coach since the franchise was resurrected in 2022, as Skip Holtz stepped down from his HC role and was replaced by former Alabama and UFL QB AJ McCarron. While McCarron will be making his coaching debut, he will be accompanied by two experienced coordinators as Tyler Siskey will serve as the offensive coordinator and Kevin Sherrer will serve as defensive coordinator.
Birmingham was another team with a highly-touted 2026 draft class, selecting players with real NFL experience, including Anthony McFarland, Laviska Shenault Jr., Justyn Ross, Jackson Carman, Tae Crowder, and Rodrigo Blankenship.
As always, keep an eye on the Stallions this season.
Week 6: Dallas Renegades at DC Defenders
The Dallas Renegades will be an interesting story to track this season, as the team will not be orchestrated by Bob Stoops for the first time in franchise history, dating back to 2020. Stoops decided to step down ahead of the 2026 season, and was replaced by Rick Neuheisel as head coach.
Even with a regime change in Dallas, there was a large amount of retention during the draft process. Luis Perez will be coming back for another spring season with the Renegades, and will be joined by fellow QB Austin Reed in training camp. Dallas will almost certainly sign another QB prior to camp starting in February.
Week 7: Louisville Kings at DC Defenders
In the first game of a back-to-back against Louisville, the Defenders will welcome the Kings to Audi Field and the nation’s capital for the first time in UFL history.
Former Louisville QB Chris Redman will serve as head coach for the Louisville Kings, and he’ll bring a completely different roster and staff to DC compared to the Memphis franchise that Louisville is replacing this season.
Starting on the defensive side, the linebackers group is very solid and led by Monty Rice, Dallas Gant, and Steele Chambers. Chambers is one of the few Memphis players returning from last season. Christopher Hinton leads the defensive line in terms of NFL recognition, followed by Josiah Bronson and Bening Potoa’e. On the backend, Cameron Dantzler and Andrew Booth Jr. are almost penned in as Week 1 starters barring injury or a significant change. Behind them, Eric Garror and Isaiah Bolden stand out as potential names to stick around in Louisville.
Week 8: DC Defenders at Louisville Kings
Just one week after seeing the Kings in DC, the Defenders will make their first-ever trip to Louisville to take on the Kings in part two of a back-to-back.
Taking a look at the offensive side of the ball for Louisville, Jason Bean and Chandler Rogers are the only two quarterbacks currently slated to compete for the QB1 job next month. The Kings are likely to add at least one more quarterback ahead of players reporting to camp. The Kings may end up relying on their ground game this season due to the names
One interesting facet of the back-to-backs this season around the UFL will be the ability (or inability) of coaches to create a diverse enough gameplan when they see the same team two weeks in a row.
Harris vs. Redman. Buckle up!
Week 9: DC Defenders at Orlando Storm
Week’s 9 and 10 include another back-to-back affair, this time against another brand-new franchise, the Orlando Storm led by HC Anthony Becht.
Becht’s departure from St. Louis came as a surprise to many around the league, especially due to the deep-ties he grew in St. Louis and the community. On the other hand, Becht now lives in the Tampa/Orlando area and has expressed his love for Florida continuously on multiple platforms. When the opportunity arose to become the head coach in Orlando, I’m sure Becht did not hesitate.
Moving to the football side of things, Becht has brought over a plethora of former Battlehawks players, including Jerome Kapp, Sam Wiglusz, Micah Abraham, Nate Meadors, Chris Garrett, and Alexander Matheson.
At quarterback, the Storm might have the most anticipated QB battle with three big names set to compete, as Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Tanner Mordecai, and Jack Plummer will enter camp with an equal opportunity to win the starting gig. All three quarterbacks bring something different to the table, so the evaluation process will be critical during training camp and into the season. Also worth noting, the Storm drafted former All-Pro UFL WR/KR Chris Rowland during the draft process. A major blow to the Defenders all-purpose attack.
Week 10: Orlando Storm at DC Defenders
The season finale against Orlando will be played at Audi Field in what many DC fans hope to be a lead-into the UFL postseason.
Taking a quick look at the Storm’s defense, names like Jacob Sykes, Tavante Beckett, Mark Gilbert, and DaShaun White pop off the page as returning spring league vets. Compared to the offense, the defense appears more wide-open on paper in terms of open competition, but it’s likely nearly every roster spot will be an open competition with Becht at the helm.
With Becht now in charge, is DC vs. Orlando potentially a new rivalry brewing on the east coast? What are your thoughts on the DC Defenders 2026 schedule? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
