AUSL Unveils Permanent Home Cities and 2026 Schedule for All Six Teams

NEW YORK — The Athletes Unlimited Softball League unveiled permanent home cities and venues for all six teams on Jan. 13, 2026, completing the league’s transition from a touring model to city-based franchises. The 2026 regular season is set to run from June 9 through July 20, with Opening Day featuring all six teams.

The six host cities and venues are: Chicago Bandits at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois; Carolina Blaze at Smith Family Stadium at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina; Texas Volts at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas; Utah Talons at Dumke Family Stadium at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City; Oklahoma City Spark at Tom Heath Field at Oklahoma Christian University; and Portland Cascade at Hillsboro Ballpark in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Opening Day on June 9 features three games: Portland Cascade at Carolina Blaze, Texas Volts at Oklahoma City Spark, and Chicago Bandits at Utah Talons.

The Six Home Cities

The permanent home-city assignments mark a significant evolution from the league’s 2025 touring model, in which teams traveled to 10 different host cities throughout the season. The transition to fixed venues allows each franchise to invest in local marketing, build season-ticket bases and develop the community relationships that drive sustained attendance.

The six cities — Chicago (Rosemont), Durham, Oklahoma City, Portland (Hillsboro), Round Rock, and Salt Lake City — were selected based on venue quality, market demographics, softball culture and local partnership opportunities. The geographic distribution provides national coverage across the Midwest, Southeast, South Central, Pacific Northwest and Mountain West regions.

Schedule Structure

The 50-game schedule is designed to ensure each team plays home and away series against all five opponents, creating balanced competition and ensuring fans in every market see all six teams. The season opens June 9 and runs through late summer, with the championship series concluding the year.

All games air across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ABC under the league’s multi-year broadcast agreement. Select marquee matchups will air on ABC, giving the AUSL its first broadcast television exposure and reaching an audience beyond traditional cable sports subscribers.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the 2026 AUSL season start?

The 2026 AUSL season begins June 9, 2026, with Opening Day featuring all six teams in action.

Where do the AUSL teams play?

The six teams play in Rosemont (Bandits), Durham (Blaze), Hillsboro (Cascade), Oklahoma City (Spark), Round Rock (Volts), and Salt Lake City (Talons).

When does the AUSL regular season end?

The 2026 regular season runs through July 20, followed by postseason play July 24-27.