The United Football League is taking two significant steps to turbocharge offenses as it prepares for its 2026 season.
It will award four points for any field goal of at least 60 yards and has banned most punts inside of the opponent’s 50-yard line, according to a series of rule revisions the league announced Tuesday.
“We’re always looking to innovate but also maintain the integrity and the foundation of the game,” said Dean Blandino, the UFL’s head of officiating. “The game that we want and the game that we’ve strived for is exciting, with a good flow, good pace, not a lot of stoppages and really big plays. We’re going to promote scoring.”
According to Blandino, the four-point field goal was largely the brainchild of Mike Repole, who joined the UFL last summer as an investor with full authority over business operations. Repole has taken a significant role on the football side as well, and he wanted to encourage teams to be as aggressive as possible once they cross midfield.
At that point, and even if a penalty pushes teams back to the other side of the 50, they will have to either go for it on fourth down or kick the long field goal. There is one exception: Punts inside the 50 are allowed after the two-minute warning in either half.
The NFL saw an explosion of field goal attempts from 60 yards or beyond over the past two seasons, and its teams converted 16 of 37 attempts over that time. Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, an alumnus of spring football, has led the league with five such conversions.
“Kicking a 65-yard field goal is a lot harder than one from 35,” Blandino said. “Why should they count the same? So it promotes excitement. Those are really, really exciting plays, whether it’s an end to half or end of game, and it’s also going to change the strategy of the game as well.”
In other rule tweaks, the UFL has:
• Banned the tush push short-yardage play, which NFL owners attempted to do in 2025 but appear to have backed away from this offseason. The UFL defines the prohibited play as “a play in which, after the quarterback takes the snap, he immediately drives forward as the offensive line surges and is assisted by additional players behind him who physically push him forward into the surging offensive line.”
• Changed its options for points after touchdowns in response to feedback from its coaches. The two-point conversion will now align with the NFL, placing it at the 2-yard line. It had previously been at the 5-yard line, which coaches thought was too difficult. Teams will also have a new option to kick for one point from the 33-yard line or go for a three-point conversion from the 8-yard line.
• Created more space for kickoff returners. The kickoff team was moved back 5 yards, from the receiving team’s 40-yard line to its 45. And the receiving team’s zone to line up was moved up 5 yards, from between the 30- and 35-yard lines to between the 35 and the 40. While it might not lead to a surge in long returns, Blandino said, the shift should help elevate average field position and thus improve the chance of a score on the ensuing possession.
• Adopted the NCAA rule that requires only one foot in bounds for a completed catch. The rule, which was also used by the XFL in 2020, further promotes offense, is easier to officiate and could minimize injuries because players will have fewer unbraced falls the ground while making a catch.
UFL players reported to training camp in Arlington, Texas, over the weekend. The league’s 10-week season will begin March 27.
