In 2025 the AUSL had four teams: the Talons, Volt, Blaze, and Bandits. In 2026, the AUSL is adding the Oklahoma City Spark and Cascade. As of right now, only the Spark are connected to a home city. But that is about to change. Earlier this month the AUSL announced that they will reveal where each of the 5 remaining “homeless” teams will be located for 2026 and beyond.
The announcement is supposed to be a surprise. But I think the AUSL already tipped their hand on where the final destinations will be.
In 2025, for its inaugural season, the AUSL went on a country-side barnstorming tour. The teams played 24 games in 10 different cities across the nation. They chose cities that had suitable facilities and strong demand for professional softball. In other words, the short list of what I expect to be the home cities for its teams.
So where did the AUSL play in 2025?
| Field Name | City | Closest Big City |
| Parkway Bank Sports Complex | Rosemont, IL | Chicago, IL |
| Wilkins Stadium | Wichita, KS | Wichita, KS |
| McMurry Park at Lake Charles | Sulphur, LA | Houston, TX |
| Frost Stadium | Chattanooga, TN | Chattanooga, TN |
| Love’s Field | Norman, OK | Oklahoma City, OK |
| Connie Claussen Field | Omaha, NE | Omaha, NE |
| Husky Softball Stadium | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Dell Diamond | Round Rock, TX | Austin, TX |
| Dumke Family Softball Stadium | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Rhoads Stadium | Tuscaloosa, AL | Tuscaloosa, AL |
If you plot each of these locations on a map, it looks like this:
The Oklahoma City Spark have already claimed one of the cities above (Norman, OK is only 27 miles from Oklahoma City, OK). If I had to put money on it, my guess is that the 5 teams without cities will be in one of the 9 remaining cities above.
In deciding where to The AUSL needs to balance fan interest, facilities, and limiting travel costs. So I expect Seattle, WA and Salt Lake City, UT to be out of the running. The remaining cities are in roughly the same geographic area and you could reasonably use a bus to get to most of them. Of the remaining cities, I think remove Chattanooga because it’s the furthest city east, and I think they will remove Wichita because it’s a smaller city than Omaha and it’s too close to Oklahoma City and Omaha.
On January 13, 2026, I predict that the AUSL will announce Chicago, Omaha, Austin, Houston, and Tuscaloosa as the newest cities with a professional softball team. Only time will tell!
