Santa Barbara Sky FC joins USL Championship and will begin play in 2026
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - It promises to be worth the wait for Central Coast soccer fans.
Santa Barbara Sky FC is joining USL Championship in 2026 as they are taking the spot of Memphis who is transferring their franchise rights to Sky FC due to stadium issues.
Sky FC has already formed a multi-year partnership with UCSB to play at Harder Stadium which is nicknamed Soccer Heaven.
The stadium is already undergoing renovations and more enhancements will be done to Harder.
Santa Barbara was going to begin play in 2025 in USL League One but now they will push it back to year after being elevated to USL Championship.
The official league announcement is Wednesday from Miami with Santa Barbara Sky FC owner Peter Moore scheduled for 8am Pacific Time.
