March 4, 2026
By Evan Lepler
Exactly 50 days away from the 2026 season opener, teams around the league are firmly in preseason mode. They know their schedules, are fine-tuning their rosters, and are gearing up for the enjoyable grind ahead.
And today’s the day that I officially join them.
With the release of the 2026 “Friday Night Frisbee” schedule, I can now see the framework of my spring and summer as I begin my 12th season with the glorious assignment of traveling the country to broadcast some of the biggest games in our sport. This opportunity remains an unbelievable privilege and honor, and I continue to shake my head at how lucky I am to be experiencing this journey.
But enough of that personal indulgence, for I also know that this is not about me. Truly, Friday Night Frisbee is a showcase of the greatest competitors, crowds, and crescendos in the wide world of ultimate.
For the second straight season, “Friday Night Frisbee” is completely free to watch for all fans, streaming live on the UFA YouTube page. Once again, the 13-week slate features many of the most-anticipated matchups of the season, from rivalries renewed to interdivisional spice.
But there is one quirk of the 2026 "Friday Night Frisbee" calendar: it’s not always on Fridays.
Is this ideal? Of course not.
But is it a big deal? It really isn’t.
Not any crazier than a “Tuesday Toss” being published on a Thursday, at the very least.
The full "Friday Night Frisbee" ledger includes one Saturday, one Sunday, and one bonus Thursday too! It’s actually 14 free games across 13 regular season weeks, all starting with a huge South Division showdown in San Diego on April 24.
So without further ado, here’s my initial thoughts on each matchup that you’ll see this season on "Friday Night Frisbee."
Week 1: Carolina at San Diego | April 24F
The first-ever meeting between Carolina and San Diego was a wildly competitive, astonishingly close battle that ended with the Growlers prevailing 26-25 in a double-overtime stunner. It was a result that rippled for the rest of the season, singlehandedly keeping Carolina out of the playoffs after the teams finished with the same 7-5 record. Heading into 2026, the Flyers and Growlers both carry ambitions to be even better. Carolina showcased impressive pride and resilience in their closing statement last season, sweeping Austin and Houston on the road despite knowing their postseason dream was done. And San Diego, buoyed by some depth from Los Angeles, has a legitimate shot to become the fourth different team to win the South in the last four seasons. Bottom line: the result of this "Friday Night Frisbee" opener will resonate in how we view and discuss the South Division playoff chase all season long.
Week 2: Oregon at Salt Lake | May 1
Over the past four seasons, the Salt Lake Shred have earned considerable acclaim for their play on the field, but even more positive praise has been heaped upon the team’s hometown atmosphere at Zion’s Bank Stadium. The team’s fiercely loyal fan following known as the ShredHeads are easily among the most lively, energetic, and animated in the entire UFA. Furthermore, their spectacular stadium setting nestled between the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains creates a breathtaking landscape for beautiful layouts. Consequently, "Friday Night Frisbee" is heading back to Utah for Salt Lake’s 2026 home opener, despite it being against an Oregon organization that’s only won seven games over the past four seasons. This is truly a huge opportunity for the Steel to show they can be competitive against one of the league’s premier programs. At the same time, Oregon’s been outscored by 55 goals in the team’s last four trips to Salt Lake, so the hometown Shred fans could also have plenty to celebrate in this particular Friday fiesta.
Week 3: DC at New York | May 10 (Sunday)
What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than a fierce frisbee matinee in the Big Apple featuring the best rivalry in the UFA? With all due respect to all the other awesome rivalries in our league, I don’t think it’s controversial to declare that Breeze-Empire is number one. These two teams have traded more meaningful punches over the past decade than any other pairing in the Association. From postseason buzzer-beaters to pure and total chaos, DC and New York have consistently brought the very best out of each other. Following the Empire’s dynastic half-decade, which included three UFA championships from 2019 to 2023, the Breeze have held the upper hand over the last two seasons, winning three of the past four matchups and advancing deeper in the postseason both years. And while the Boston Glory’s success last summer reset the conversation in the East, the DC-New York rivalry, with all its history, drama, mind-bending moments, remains in a league of its own among all the premier mainstay matchups in the Ultimate Frisbee Association.
Week 4: Colorado at DC | May 15
Five days after the 38th all-time meeting between DC and New York, how about the first ever matchup pitting DC against Colorado? The recently rebranded Apex will be traveling east for this daunting Week 4 doubleheader, starting with a battle against the Breeze on "Friday Night Frisbee." According to Daniel Cohen’s Strength of Schedule article, these two teams possess the seventh and ninth toughest slates in the league in 2026. But personally, I think Colorado and DC might actually have the two most challenging schedules across the entire landscape. The Apex have three doubleheader road trips in the season’s first seven weeks, with interdivisional games against DC, New York, and San Diego. Meanwhile, the Breeze have their interdivisional bouts with Colorado, Carolina, and Atlanta, along with two games apiece against Boston and New York, and that’s not meant to slight their other East adversaries who’ve also gotten the better of the Breeze in recent seasons. Quite simply, Colorado and DC are bracing for treacherous trails, and this particular mid-May Friday night fracas will be just another tricky test on a schedule full of potential pitfalls.
Week 5: Atlanta at Carolina | May 23 (Saturday)
Looking at the big picture of the UFA—and not rooting for any particular team over another—it’s cool to see how rivalries can ebb and flow. Just like DC and New York, the Atlanta-Carolina history has seemingly flipped, with the Hustle claiming three of the four regular season meetings in 2025 and effectively eliminating the Flyers from the playoffs with their dramatic mid-July victory on Carolina’s home turf. But every new season—not to mention every new game, quarter, and point—presents a refreshing opportunity to transform the story. It’s fair to say that Atlanta is no longer Carolina’s little brother; the Hustle are all grown up, a full bona-fide UFA contender, and capable of going all the way. Now it’s the Flyers turn to try and reclaim the upper hand again. Even after a down year—and it says a lot that a ‘down year’ meant going 7-5—the Flyers are the South Division’s only active team that’s ever won a game at Championship Weekend. They may have missed the playoffs in 2025, but their pedigree as a championship program remains heading into 2026.
Week 6: Chicago at Indianapolis | May 29
This will be the first of three regular season meetings between the Union and AlleyCats in 2026, and this Chicago-Indy rivalry might actually be more compelling than you remember. In fact, the Cats have won four of the last seven matchups, despite getting swept by the combined score of 48-26 in 2025. But even after these lopsided margins last summer, the twisting balance of public perception probably has Indy as a decent favorite going up against Chicago this season, in part because the Cats poached two of the Union’s top defenders, bringing Xavier Payne and William Wettengel back to the Hoosier State. Those two signings, along with a cavalcade of other meaningful acquisitions, have seemingly vaulted the AlleyCats back into contention, while the Union are prepared for their inevitable fall from perfection after going 12-0 in 2025. But while Chicago’s lost a bunch of its firepower, the Union will still have plenty of talent and pride, and I’m not ready to crown the ‘Cats as the superior Central squad quite yet.
Week 7: New York at Boston | June 5
New York-DC is the best UFA rivalry. But New York-Boston is the best sports rivalry. I’m certainly a bit biased, having spent the first 18 years of my life living in Massachusetts and experiencing it firsthand, but I’ve also seen up close and personal how New York vs. Boston transcends sports. It’s culturally indoctrinated into children from the moment they’re born. And when athletes, especially all-time great champions, jump from one team to the other, it’s personal, painful, and far more powerful than the ordinary free agent transaction. Of course I’m referring to Jeff Babbitt’s decision to move on from New York and sign with Boston prior to the 2024 campaign, after he’d won the 2023 MVP and his third title that season. By helping the Glory to the trophy in just his second year in Beantown, he’s only added fuel to the Empire and their fans, who are determined to ensure that Boston’s ascendance is just a one-year blip rather than the birth of a new frisbee dynasty. Stop what you’re doing and mark this game on your calendar right now. Trust me.
Week 8: Minnesota at Oakland | June 12
Another week and another banger of a matchup. While there’s no rivalry between Minnesota and Oakland—they’ll be meeting for the first time when they collide on June 12 in the East Bay—this duel certainly has the look of a potential Championship Weekend preview. Heading into 2026, the Wind Chill are the only team in the league that’s advanced to the semifinals each of the past three seasons. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the team’s trajectory, though, is that they still feel like a program on the rise, with tantalizing young talent and another crop of marquee free agent playmakers that are looking to cement Minnesota as one of the UFA’s preeminent powers. Meanwhile, the Spiders are clearly a team on the ascent as well. Oakland snapped its lengthy playoff drought in 2024, then advanced to the West finals in 2025. The logical next step, of course, is a division crown and a Championship Weekend appearance in 2026. But no team, particularly not the Wind Chill, will be cowering in the corner and ceding their territory to boys from the Bay. If the Spiders are going to be a factor that competes for a title, handling your business at home against another top contender is a great place to start.
Week 9: Salt Lake at Madison | June 18 (Thursday)
Two "Friday Night Frisbee" games on the same weekend!?!? As far as amazing goes, this is right up there with Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Room. Or imagine if the Shred featured a line with seven Yorgasons. How cool would that be…but I digress. The Shred’s expedition into the Central Division begins with a rare Thursday night showcase at Breese Stevens Field. It will be free to watch under the Friday Night Frisbee banner, and although it’ll still be 10 weeks before this iconic venue hosts Championship Weekend in late August, this mid-June matchup will certainly be a measuring stick moment for both sides. The Radicals are now eight years removed from their championship, but they continue to have a puncher’s chance every time they take the field, and they have a history of rising to meet the moment, especially at home. Meanwhile, the Shred infrastructure seemingly suggests you can just pencil them into the postseason. But like Madison, Salt Lake’s first four years in the UFA, despite a significant amount of winning, have gone by without the Shred emerging victorious in their final game of the year.
Week 9: Salt Lake at Minnesota | June 19
Going to the Twin Cities on the second night of a back-to-back is an unsettling assignment, but it’s exactly the type of challenge that can better prepare a team for the dynamics of Championship Weekend. The Shred will presumably attack this quick turnaround by utilizing their depth, and perhaps they’ll try and sign Joel Clutton to a one-day contract just to recreate his unbelievable game-tying deflection that surged Salt Lake into overtime against Minnesota in the 2023 semifinals, a play that easily remains on the short list of most incredible moments in the UFA’s 14-year history. With a 2-0 record all-time against the Chill, the Shred should have a mental edge as they take the field. But will they be able to withstand the physical toll of Minnesota’s playmaking defense, with block-hunters like Lukas Ambrose, Justin Burnett, and Noah Coolman stalking every slightly fluttering frisbee in the Sea Foam sauna? No doubt the Chill will turn up the heat, and the Shred will need to reach a new level of poise and precision to have any chance of sweeping this Central cooker.
Week 10: Oakland at Colorado | June 26
By the end of June, teams better have an identity. Frankly, that was part of Colorado’s issue in 2025, when injuries and availability meant that the Apex were still seeking consistency even as they advanced to the postseason. When the pressure mounts, uncertainty can lead to disintegration, which is exactly what happened to Colorado in the opening round of the playoffs against the Spiders. Oakland suffocated opposing cutters, capitalized mercilessly, and cruised past Colorado in last summer’s late-July elimination game. When these two teams collide on June 26, it’ll have been almost 11 months since that previous matchup, and the first chance for the Apex to try and exact revenge on an Oakland team that presumably has even bigger ambitions in 2026.
Week 11: Chicago at Minnesota | July 3
The Chicago-Minnesota matchup is sneakily maybe the third-most intense rivalry in the UFA. Like all good rivalries, this one feels super personal for everyone involved. Even though the Union were only watching from afar, they were collectively repulsed by the Wind Chill’s 2024 championship. After all, they had handled Minnesota in St. Paul that summer. If the chumps wearing Chill jerseys could win a championship, why couldn’t Chicago steamroll everyone in the Central Division to take their own title? One year later, the Union absolutely smoked Minnesota in both regular season showdowns, including a Fourth of July demolition on the edge of Lake Michigan. But as we all know, on those same breezy shores a month later, Chicago stumbled in its most important moments, while Minnesota’s magic propelled the Wind Chill on another memorable postseason run. No doubt the Union have lost several key players heading into 2026, while the Wind Chill have seemingly gotten stronger. But no matter who’s on the field, this much remains true: the folks in Chicago cannot stomach Minnesota success. On July 3, one day before fireworks fly everywhere, we shall see if the Union still have the firepower to stop the Wind Chill charge.
Week 12: New York at Chicago | July 10
Championship rematches are not especially common over the course of any UFA season, except for this particular July weekend. On Friday, we’ll see the 2022 title game participants tangling in the Windy City, and one day later, we’ll get the 2025 finalists on the same field again as Boston and Minnesota collide in St. Paul. While there’s no doubt that the Glory traveling to Wind Chill territory will be one of the most-anticipated games of the entire season, the Empire and Union are poised for a juicy and fascinating showdown too. The rumblings about New York’s evolving 2026 roster continue to raise eyebrows, while the Union have all sorts of unfinished business to attack, avenge, and conquer. Ultimately, the penultimate weekend of the regular season will be but a small part of the journey toward this year’s Champ Weekend in Madison, but renewing these historic title tilts should be a grand interdivisional appetizer ahead of the impending playoffs that will commence just a couple weeks later.
Week 13: Oakland at Salt Lake | July 17
If both of these teams are as strong as we expect them to be, this will be another impactful chapter between the best in the West. The Spiders and Shred will square off on May 2 in Oakland and June 27 in Salt Lake, but their third and final tussle of the regular season gets the "Friday Night Frisbee" treatment to help launch the jam-packed Week 13 slate. It’s possible that every division remains up for grabs heading into the last batch of games, but the West feels like perhaps the most likely quadrant where two teams—to be clear, these two teams—will still be fighting for first place on the eve of the playoffs. Last year, the Shred authored an astonishing fourth-quarter comeback in the West Division final against Oakland, stunning the Spiders to win the West for the second time in the last three seasons. Perhaps it was a year too soon for the Spiders, and this summer will be their time to rise. Of course, Salt Lake won’t willingly roll over to simply appease this nifty narrative, and the Shred, with two of the three regular season Oakland games in Utah, have a great chance to ensure that, once again, the West Division title goes through Salt Lake City.
