Photo by Rich Moll
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
It is fair to say that the 2026 UFA regular season schedule has been able to ruminate with the teams as they gear up towards the beginning of the season. Upon reviewing all the schedules, it is also fair to say that the Minnesota Wind Chill has one of the most challenging and entertaining paths in recent memory.
“As a team, we prioritize improving throughout the course of a season,” said Greg Cousins, who has the sixth-most goals in franchise history. “Playing more games against tougher opponents sharpens us.”
Their opponents' opposing records have slotted the Wind Chill with the second-hardest schedule in the entire league. They also have the second-most interdivisional games in the UFA, and that includes an opponent from every division.
“It’s motivating to know we have these out-of-division regular season matchups,” said 2024 Championship Weekend MVP Will Brandt. “They will all challenge us in unique ways. It’s great to get opportunities to avenge the losses from last season, and it’s always exciting to play a new opponent in Oakland. I’m excited for all of the challenges.”
Photo by Rich Moll
While 2026 is going to be grueling and an absolute battle, the players are big fans of the way Minnesota was able to construct its schedule. They are able to open and close the season in front of their home crowd at Sea Foam Stadium, a crowd and stadium that is among the best in the league. They also get home games for some of their toughest matchups on their docket, including the Salt Lake Shred and a championship rematch with the Boston Glory.
“I absolutely love our schedule this year! I think it's the best schedule in the league, easily,” said 2025 MVP candidate Justin Burnett. “Starting with that five-game stretch of the top three teams in our division is a great test and opportunity to figure out the layout of the division early on. It forces us to come out with our A-game, or it will be hard to recover in the divisional standings. Then having a good stretch of home games in the back half of the schedule is so nice for building momentum and feeding the fan energy heading into the playoffs.”
Here is a more in-depth look at each game for Minnesota this year:
Saturday, May 2 at 6 p.m. CT: vs. Chicago Union
The Wind Chill get to play in front of their home crowd to open the year before they gear up for a long road skid. The fans are going to be buzzing, and everyone will be looking to set the tone for what to expect from the runner-ups last year.
“I'm excited to open at home for the first time in many years,” said defensive line anchor and veteran Brandon Matis, who will be returning to the field after suffering an injury that kept him out of the 2025 season. “We've built an incredible environment at Sea Foam, and starting the season off with that kind of energy should ignite some momentum heading into the away stretch. It'll be interesting to spend that much time on the road to start the season, but look, we craft our schedule to be challenging for a reason. Building that resiliency has paid dividends for a few years in a row now.”
Photo by Steve Kotvis
While this game most likely won’t provide as much excitement as these two teams’ last matchup in the Central Divisional Championship, it will be interesting to see how new additions Lukas Ambrose and Noah Coolman integrate into the lineups.
Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. EST: @ Indianapolis AlleyCats
The first of three road games in a row brings on the AlleyCats, who had one of the most active free agencies in league history. Indy will have just one game under its belt heading into this one, so its chemistry will be the major thing to keep an eye on.
“Indy is a complete mystery,” said Burnett. “They might be like 2016 Roughnecks, or they might be like 2025 Rush. To me, it doesn’t matter because I'm confident in our ability to go out and match up with any team in the league.”
This game has a strong chance to be a blowout with how good this Wind Chill team is versus the potential lack of synergy in the Indy squad. If Minnesota smells blood in the water at any point, it’s going to be a lopsided affair.
Saturday, May 16 at 6 p.m. CT: @ Chicago Union
With Minnesota having four interdivisional games this year, the divisional games hold a bit more weight. There are no easy wins, and if you lose one division game, it could be the difference in seeding come August. They won’t see the Union again until much later in the season, so getting this win would give the Wind Chill a lot of comfort within the division.
“We've got to make every game count,” said Brandt. “Come out firing at every game. The season is short, and we can’t afford to give away games. Every win is important. The division matchups are no different.”
Sunday, May 31 at 5 p.m. CT: @ Madison Radicals
The Wind Chill get just one game in their “second home stadium.” That is a statement coined by many of the veterans of Minnesota due to their success and comfortability playing in Madison. The Wind Chill have won seven of their last nine games in Madison’s stadium, and last year they had a 15-point differential in the three matchups.
“As far as Madison goes, I haven't seen much change from them,” said Burnett. “You can't forget, never count them out, and we will continue to treat every game with the same intensity, but I expect much of the same results as last year.”
Photo by Rich Moll
Saturday, June 6 at 6 p.m. CT: vs. Indianapolis AlleyCats
Around this time of the season is when the college players shift their focus from the college season to the UFA season, and are integrated into their respective lineups at full force. That will be the case for both of these squads.
“I would expect that Indy will gain a few players after the college season ends, just like we will,” said Head Coach Ben Feldman. “They have a good group with some experienced veterans, and we are excited for those matchups this season.”
Indy will have gained some momentum and put together things a bit more at this point, and will look a lot crisper. Expect this matchup to be much closer than the previous one.
Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m. PST: @ Oakland Spiders
For the first time ever, Oakland and Minnesota will face off. This matchup is the first of two on a major road trip for the Wind Chill. They will play two franchises for the first time in program history, but don’t fare all that well as they are 2-5 in their first appearance against a new team.
“Oakland will be a huge test for us, both our coaching and players,” said Feldman. “It's always hard to go up against a team you've never played against before, especially on the road. We are excited for that challenge.”
“I think the beauty of our schedule this year is that you can point to any game on the calendar and get excited about it,” said Matis. “Oakland is a team we haven't played yet, and last year's leadership made a point of trying to play them, specifically.”
The matchup does have a chance to be the game of the year, considering the strengths of these squads. The Spiders have one of the fastest and most explosive offenses in the league, but the Wind Chill counter that with having, arguably, the best defense in the league, and that was before they added defensive weapons in Lukas Ambrose and Noah Coolman.
“I’m incredibly excited,” said Ambrose. “I’ve never played Boston in the UFA, so I’m excited to be a part of a storied game. Oakland and Salt Lake have always been great games on the West Coast, and I'm excited to see what that competition looks like from a new team's perspective. I feel confident that we'll be able to take all three, but we'll see how things play out.”
Saturday, June 13 at 7 p.m. PST: @ Vegas Bighorns
In terms of external factors, the Vegas matchup rounds out their toughest weekend of the year. The second game of a doubleheader weekend, traveling across the country, and facing two new franchises. However, this game should be quite the rout considering the Bighorns are heading into their second year as a franchise without a single win.
“Back-to-backs are always hard in the league,” said Matis. “Adding a championship-caliber opponent and a much more daunting travel experience will only exacerbate that. And the reality is, you need to win on back-to-back nights to win a title at Champ Weekend, so we need to and will treat the trip as if we were there.”
Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m. CT: vs. Salt Lake Shred
Salt Lake is one of the two most anticipated games on Minnesota’s schedule all year. The Wind Chill have suffered two tough losses in the last three years against the high-flying Shred. The first one came in the semifinals of 2023 Championship Weekend in a heartbreaking overtime bout, and the second came in the regular season last year.
“Salt Lake is certainly one of those exciting games to look forward to,” said Cousins. “History is history, but I just see a chance to compete against a good team.”
Photo by Rich Moll
It’s another game of the year candidate, as these are two favorites to make it back to Championship Weekend.
“This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'm more excited about the Salt Lake game than the Boston rematch, because I think there's a budding rivalry there,” said Matis. “We need to finally win one against them to claim it as such. Plus, I think those games have always been fireworks!”
Friday, July 3 at 7 p.m. CT: vs. Chicago Union
Depending on how the season pans out, this could be a rather big game for the standings in the Central. Chicago could be in the thick of a postseason appearance and also could be playing spoiler if the standings are close. Last year, these two played each other on the Fourth of July, in a game where Chicago blew the hinges off the Wind Chill.
“There is certainly less margin for error when it comes to divisional games due to the reduced slate, and that brings a pressure that hopefully makes us perform at our best in those moments,” said Feldman.
Photo by Meghan White
Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m. EST: @ Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
Just two days after playing at home versus Chicago, Minnesota will have a tough turnaround traveling all the way to Pittsburgh with little time to prep. It is one of the two easiest games for the Wind Chill on their schedule, so there’s a chance we see some names we haven’t seen a lot of throughout the season.
Saturday, July 11 at 6 p.m. CT: vs. Boston Glory
Salt Lake is one of the two most anticipated games on the path in 2026 for Minnesota, and this is the other one. For starters, this is a championship rematch, and Minnesota is seeking revenge for Boston halting their back-to-back championship hopes.
“I think that I am most looking forward to the Boston game because they are coming fresh off of winning the championship,” said Ambrose. “Obviously, that’s a huge opportunity to make a statement in the regular season, and I know all the guys are going to be hungry to get the win back.”
“It seemed like they were just a step above us last year when it mattered the most,” said Brandt. “That game stung for sure. It seems like they’re bringing back their core, as are we. Both teams are adding talented players. That will be a huge matchup.”
A clear game of the year candidate, and the crowd that Sea Foam Stadium is going to produce in this one will give it a championship atmosphere. Asking Cousins, who made a miraculous catch late in the game last year to keep the Wind Chill’s hopes alive, had one word when asked about the game he is looking forward to the most, and that was, “Boston.”
Sunday, July 19 at 5 p.m. CT: vs. Madison Radicals
It only seems fitting that Minnesota ends its year with the Radicals coming to town. The Border Battle has been rather one-sided in recent memory, but combining the factors of it being the last week of the season, the last regular season home game, postseason implications in play, and that Radicals fans travel well, Minnesota is going to get back-to-back home games with an unparalleled atmosphere.
“I don't fixate too much on the schedule,” said Cousins. “That said, there are some exciting games against high-quality teams to look forward to. It's hard to think of a better way to end the regular season than being at home against Madison.”
Final Thoughts
Since 2021, the Wind Chill have been able to finish the regular season with at least nine wins. In those years, they have brought home a trophy, a second-place finish, three Championship Weekend appearances, and two division titles. Given the incredibly tough schedule ahead of them and the interdivisional games on the docket, it will be hard to replicate that success. However, there is no team better suited from top to bottom to do so.
“The interdivisional games are so exciting,” said Burnett. “Playing two Championship Weekend teams from last year and an Oakland team that is my preseason pick to win the West is a huge test, and as a player, I love that. I love playing good teams, playing different teams, and playing in cool places, so this schedule gives us all of that! It also means we will definitely be ready for anything come playoffs.”
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