2026 UFL Week 1 Results: Storm, Stallions, Renegades, Battlehawks Win Big

The 2026 UFL season opened Friday with new teams, new coaches, new players, new uniforms and new rules. [2026 UFL: Everything To Know About the 2026 UFL Season] Kicking things off on FOX UFL Friday, the beloved Birmingham Stallions escaped a close one against the Louisville Kings — one of the league’s three brand-new franchises. Up first on Saturday, it was a battle between two familiar faces, as the St. Louis Battlehawks took down the defending champion DC Defenders. Later that afternoon, the Dallas Renegades, who relocated from Arlington this season, crushed the Houston Gamblers, who reverted to their original name from the legacy USFL this season. Closing things out Sunday, two new teams will go head-to-head, as the Columbus Aviators face the Orlando Storm. Here are the results from Week 1: Birmingham Stallions 15, Louisville Kings 13 Key players: Stallions QB Matt Corral (21-for-30 for 208 yards, one touchdown), WR Jaydon Mickens (9-for-9 for 108 yards); Kings QB Jason Bean (14-for-27 for 226 yards, one touchdown). Game recap: The Kings immediately turned the ball over on their first drive of the game, which led to a quick touchdown by the Stallions to make it 6-0. The Kings fired back with a touchdown drive of their own to regain the lead 7-6 late in the first quarter. Birmingham added a field goal midway through the second quarter to lead 9-7 at halftime. The Stallions had the ball for nearly eight minutes to open the second half and ended up turning things over on downs late in the frame. That allowed Louisville to kick a field goal and take a narrow 10-9 lead into the fourth quarter. After the Stallions turned the ball over on downs yet again to open the final frame, the Kings went up 13-9 with another field goal. Just when it looked like things were over for the Stallions, they scored a touchdown with two minutes remaining to take a 15-13 lead. Louisville turned the ball over on an interception on its next drive, sealing the win for Birmingham. Up next: In Week 2, the Stallions face the Gamblers and the Kings take on the Storm. St. Louis Battlehawks 16, DC Defenders 10 Key players: Battlehawks QB Brandon Silvers (16-for-28 for 198 yards, one touchdown), OLB Pita Taumoepenu (6.0 tackles, 2.5 sacks); Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu (9-for-16 for 123 yards), WR Seth Williams (3-for-4 for 51 yards). Game recap: The first points of the game were historic for the league, as Defenders kicker Matt McCrane connected on a 60-yard field goal — marking the first four-point field goal in UFL history. The Battlehawks responded with a field goal of their own from 58 yards to make it a one-point game early, 4-3. The Defenders fired back with a 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that ended with a goal-line rush to make it 10-3. The second quarter was chaotic — a flurry of punts, interceptions and missed field goals — before the Battlehawks connected on a short field goal just before halftime to close the gap slightly, 10-6. The Defenders never found a rhythm in the second half. They finished the game with three more punts, an interception and a missed field goal, while the Battlehawks added a score late in the third and a field goal early in the fourth to seal a 16-10 win at home. Up next: In Week 2, the Battlehawks face the Renegades and the Defenders take on the Aviators. Dallas Renegades 36, Houston Gamblers 17 Key players: Renegades QB Austin Reed (26-for-40 for 376 yards, three touchdowns), WR Tyler Vaughns (7-for-9 for 144 yards, one touchdown, WR Greg Ward (3-for-3 for 93 yards, one touchdown); Gamblers QB Hunter Dekkers (19-for-29 for 227 yards), WR Jontre Kirklin (4-for-4 for 60 yards). Game recap: The Renegades’ first drive ended with a missed field goal, but they turned things around quickly. Dallas picked off Gamblers QB Nolan Henderson at Houston’s 30-yard line, returning it for the first pick-six of the season. The Renegades turned the ball over on downs near midfield late in the frame, allowing the Gamblers to get a quick field goal to pull within three, 6-3, heading into the second quarter. The Gamblers’ second quarter was riddled with mistakes, while the Renegades came up with back-to-back scores and a field goal to make it a 23-3 game at halftime. Coming out of the break, the Renegades picked up right where they left off. They scored on the first play from scrimmage of the second half; Reed found WR Greg Ward for a monster 66-yard touchdown to open the frame. (In a surprising move, Dallas revealed this week that Reed secured the starting job for Week 1, relegating longtime starter Luis Perez — who led the UFL in passing yards the past two seasons — to the bench.) With that, it was a 30-3 game, but that was short-lived. The Gamblers answered by running the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards for a touchdown. Dallas added two more field goals, and Houston scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter before things ended. Up next: In Week 2, the Gamblers host the Stallions and the Renegades host the Battlehawks. Orlando Storm 23, Columbus Aviators 16 Key players: Storm QB Jack Plummer (17-for-22 for 245 yards, one touchdown), WR Elijhah Badger (4-for-4 for 132 yards), K Michael Lantz (1-for-1 from 55 yards); Aviators QB Jalan McClendon (21-for-32 for 212 yards), RB Zaquandre White (48 yards, one touchdown). Game recap: The Aviators fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to a quick scoring opportunity for the Storm. With that, it was a 6-0 game after just over a minute into things. Columbus added two first-quarter field goals to tie the game headed into the second quarter. After a field goal from the Storm, the home team took a 9-6 lead into halftime. Orlando came out swinging in the second half, starting with back-to-back third-quarter touchdowns to make it a 23-6 game. The Aviators added a field goal early in the fourth quarter, followed by a touchdown midway through the frame to keep things competitive, 23-16. However, it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback, and things ended there. Up next: In Week 2, the Aviators host the Defenders and the Storm host the Kings.