The Louisville Kings Punch Ticket to UFL Championship, The United Bowl

Golden Tempo rallied from last to first in two Triple Crown victories to beat Mike Repole’s Renegade. The man who brought professional football to Louisville could see the Kings complete another worst-to-first turnaround in the UFL.

On Sunday evening, the Louisville Kings used a couple of big plays and big kicks to pick off the Battlehawks. Playing in front of approximately 20,000 fans in St. Louis, the most raucous venue in the league, the Kings were unfazed, winning 29-20 to punch a ticket to next weekend’s United Bowl.

“For the first year, us going to the United Bowl is amazing,” head coach Chris Redman said after the game. “I’m just so proud of everybody for never giving up. What an incredible example it is. When things are down, and life says you can’t do it, you can still do it. That’s what this group did. They never gave up.”

The Kings lost the first three games in franchise history. In a 10-game season, that is quite a deep hole to dig out of, yet they found a way. Louisville has just won loss since that 0-3 start, and they avenged it on Sunday in St. Louis.

So Many Big Plays

If you’ve kept up with the Kings, you’ve seen some good plays, but long touchdowns? Few and far between. That changed five minutes into the conference final. James Robinson streaked past the Battlehawks for a 53-yard score. It was one of three 50+ yard plays in the Louisville win. WR Isaiah Winstead had a 54-yard gain to set up a tying score in the third quarter. The aptly named Ian Wheeler made the play of the day, giving the Kings a go-ahead 51-yard score in the fourth quarter.

IAN WHEELER 👑

THATS IT. THAT'S THE TWEET. pic.twitter.com/ve6Sj7rVwa

— Louisville Kings (@UFLKings) June 8, 2026

As good as Chandler Rogers (12-20, 162 yards, 1 TD) and Co. were on Sunday, Louisville’s most electric playmaker is the kicker. Tanner Brown launches nukes off his right foot. The Kings are never in a pickle because they have a future NFL kicker ready to blast four-pointers. That’s right, if you make a 60+ yard field goal in the UFL, it’s worth four points. Brown did it twice on Sunday, including a 63-yarder in the fourth quarter that served as the dagger.

ANOTHER 4-POINTER 🤯‼️

Tanner Brown is good from 63-yards 🔥@DynastyFP 4-Point Field Goal pic.twitter.com/Jqp63Ed7Ks

— Louisville Kings (@UFLKings) June 8, 2026

St. Louis could have tied the game with a touchdown and a three-point conversion, but Louisville’s Steele Chambers undercut a seam in the end zone to pick off a pass and end the game.

Kings are 2-0 Against United Bowl Foe

The D.C. Defenders will get to defend their UFL title in their home stadium. In April, the UFL announced that Audi Field would host the United Bowl, regardless of the opponent. The goal is to show a TV audience a stadium with full seats and a ton of energy. D.C. fans show up routinely, and as noted in the press release, have a fun in-game tradition.

Known for its high-energy atmosphere, Audi Field has been home to the DC Defenders since the team first made its mark on spring football in 2020. Since then, the DC faithful have become one of the strongest fan bases in the UFL and built traditions recognized nation-wide like the “Beer Snake.” This fan-led tradition features the construction of a stack of empty plastic beverage cups during the game in a snake-like formation spanning several stadium rows in the team’s endzone support section.

Even though the Kings are forced to play in a true road game to win the UFL Championship, they’re familiar with this setting. Louisville defeated the Defenders 30-13 at Audi Field, then returned to Lynn Family Stadium one week later and beat D.C. 33-30. They say it’s hard to beat the same team three times. We’ll find out on Sunday if that’s actually true.

The Louisville Kings are 1.5-point underdogs (BetMGM) in the United Bowl, which kicks off at 3 p.m. this Sunday on ABC.