2026 AUSL season
The 2026 AUSL season is the upcoming second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. There will be six teams in the league consisting of the Chicago Bandits, Carolina Blaze, Utah Talons, and Texas Volts, joined by expansion teams Portland Cascade and Oklahoma City Spark.
Drafts
On December 1, 2025, the AUSL held an expansion and subsequent allocation draft following the addition of the two expansion teams. The drafts were aired on ESPNU.The annual College Draft will be held in Spring 2026.
Expansion draft
Seventh round
Teams
On November 12, 2025, the league announced the addition of two expansion teams: the Cascade and the Oklahoma City Spark. The Spark previously played in Association of Fastpitch Professionals and is the first AUSL team to have a confirmed home location. The locations of the remaining five teams, as well as the ballparks for all six, were unveiled on January 13, 2026. At this time, it was also confirmed that the Bandits are the continuation of the National Pro Fastpitch team of the same name.Schedule
The season schedule was announced on January 13, 2026, with each team scheduled to play 25 games. The regular season will begin on June 9 and conclude on July 20, followed by a play-in game, the best of three AUSL Championship series, and the 2026 All-Star Cup.ESPN will broadcast 47 regular season games and the championship series.