Current season, competition or edition: 2026 UFL season | |
 | |
| Classification | Spring football league |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Founded | December 31, 2023 |
| First season | 2024 |
| Owners | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC[1] (Fox Corporation)
|
| CEO | Russ Brandon |
| President | Russ Brandon |
| No. of teams | 8 + 1 inactive (2026) |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | 1401 Nolan Ryan Expy Arlington, Texas U.S. |
| Most recent champions | DC Defenders (1st title) |
| Most titles | Birmingham Stallions DC Defenders (1 title) |
| Broadcasters | |
| Streaming partners |
|
| Related competitions | Direct:USFL,XFL,TSL Affiliated:IFL Other:NFL,CFL,AAF |
| Official website | theufl.com |
TheUnited Football League (UFL) is aprofessionalAmerican footballspring league in theUnited States. The league was created following the merger of the latest iterations of theXFL andUnited States Football League (USFL); it started play in March 2024.[3] It comprises eight teams, five of which were members of the XFL or USFL prior to the UFL's creation, and all concentrated in theMidwest andSouthern United States.[4]
In 2017,Vince McMahon, who had previously launched theXFL in 2001 as a partnership withNBC Sports, registered atrademark for the United Football League name.[5] An unrelatedUnited Football League, founded byBill Hambrecht, had played four abbreviated seasons from2009 to2012. McMahon ultimately did not use the UFL trademark, as response to theESPN Films30 for 30 documentary "This Was the XFL" in 2017 showed that the XFL brand was still viable, and in February 2020, McMahonrelaunched the XFL with a similar business structure (though, unlike the 2001 XFL, operated as asole proprietorship of McMahon's separate from his professional wrestling corporation,WWE) and an emphasis on speed and innovation.[6] The XFL, which was largely successful with its attendance and television ratings, was forced to shut down halfway through its2020 season in March due tostay-at-home orders imposed during theCOVID-19 pandemic and declared bankruptcy in April.[7][8] Later that year, McMahon sold the league to a consortium led by businesswomanDany Garcia, Garcia's ex-husband and former WWE wrestlerDwayne Johnson (also known as "The Rock"), and private equity firmRedBird Capital Partners.[9][10] The XFL chose not to play a 2021 season (most gathering restrictions would not be lifted until spring of that year) and cancelled the 2022 season after partnership discussions with theCanadian Football League collapsed without any agreement in fall 2021.[11]
While the XFL was on hiatus,Fox Sports, which had been one of the XFL's broadcast partners along withESPN in 2020, entered a partnership with Brian Woods, who had been operatingThe Spring League (TSL) as a non-paying, pay-to-play developmental showcase for professional players[12] under a single-campusbubble format[13] since 2017. The XFL had funded The Spring League's 2019 season to test rule changes and were holding discussions about a potential affiliation between the two leagues before the bankruptcy.[14] Fox aired theautumn 2020 andspring 2021 seasons of The Spring League.[15]
Following the 2021 season, Woods and Fox announced they had acquired the trademarks of the original 1980s incarnation of theUnited States Football League and would be launching areboot of the USFL in spring 2022.[16] The2022 USFL season, though its eight teams nominally bore the names of eight former USFL franchises including their cities, continued to use the bubble format with all eight teams based inBirmingham, Alabama, in the 2022 season.[17] The playoffs were held inCanton, Ohio.[18] Woods eventually backed out of the USFL after the 2022 season.[19]
The XFL and USFL played separate, partially overlapping seasons in 2023, to roughly similar television viewership numbers.[20] The USFL expanded to four home cities, addingMemphis, Tennessee[21] andDetroit, Michigan,[22] to Birmingham and Canton, with each city hosting two teams, while the XFL moved three of its eight teams to new cities and held all eight teams' practices at a hub inArlington, Texas.[23]
For the 2023 season, the USFL average viewership in 2023 was down 16% from its debut season to 601,000 and 3% lower than the2023 XFL season, despite having 28 over-the-airnetwork games compared to eight for theXFL.[20] The championship game also saw a significant decline in viewership from 2022 as the game averaged 1.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports digital platforms.[24] USFL President Daryl Johnston expressed disappointment and anger that the USFL was comparable to the XFL in ratings for the 2023 season, dismissing the XFL as "no competition" to the "far superior" USFL and musing "to be on par with our competition from a ratings standpoint in Year 2, I'm still trying to figure out: How did that happen? (...) they're not even close."[20] The USFL was already seeking additional investors prior to the start of the 2023 season and had hiredAllen & Company to assist in the search; Fox lost an unspecified amount of money on the venture in 2023 due to the high startup expenses for a professional football league.[25]
At the same time, the XFL lost nearly $60 million during the season after spending approximately $140 million in expenses over the course of the 2023 season and earning $80 million in gross revenue, including roughly $20 million that came from its broadcast contract withESPN.[26][27] Executives with the league and ESPN indicated that they considered the season a success.[28] Like the USFL, the XFL was also seeking additional investors with the assistance ofPJT Partners.[29] After the season ended, the XFL made league-wide cuts affecting up to 30 people, including two marketing executives, and shifted other employees to seasonal work.[30][31]
Both the USFL and XFL believed that the leagues could be independently viable in the long term even if they continued to compete against each other but, by the time of the 2023 USFL championship, they had decided that setting aside the business rivalry and merging the two leagues would be even more financially advantageous.[32]
In September 2023,Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons.[33] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date.[34] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[35] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name"United Football League".[36] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via herInstagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for acombined season to begin March 30, 2024.[37]
The merger was formally announced onFox NFL Sunday on December 31, 2023.[38] The eight surviving teams were announced the following day onCollege GameDay, along with the alignment; the XFL and USFL will survive as separateconferences.[39] Daryl Johnston would note in February that maintaining the XFL and USFL conferences as separate entities was designed to build an on-field rivalry between the two brands and to give the winner of the league's championship "bragging rights."[40] President/CEO Russ Brandon would later say that the league would be looking at expansion shortly,[41] while Defenders defensive coordinatorGregg Williams revealed plans to expand to 12 teams by 2025 and to 16 teams by 2026.[42][43] In a May 2024 interview, Johnston stated that he did not anticipate any relocations for 2025.[44]
The 2024 UFL season began on March 30, 2024, with a matchup between the2023 XFL championArlington Renegades and the2023 USFL championBirmingham Stallions.[38] It concluded with the2024 UFL Championship Game between the Stallions and theSan Antonio Brahmas on June 16 in St. Louis.
The UFL exceeded internal expectations for the 2024 season, with Fox Sports executive Eric Shanks commenting that, though the league still lost money, it was "ahead of the expected pace" in terms of achieving self-sustenance. Television viewership rose substantially compared to the previous season as separate leagues, while ticket sales in most cities declined, prompting the league ownership to shift investment toward local ticket sales teams.[45]
The 2025 UFL season began on March 28, 2025 and concluded with the2025 UFL Championship Game on June 14 in St. Louis, where theDC Defenders defeated theMichigan Panthers. In November 2024, the UFL announced it was officially initiating a team expansion process, and was welcoming proposals from potential markets interested in professional spring football.[46][47][48]
In an interview with Randy Karraker prior to the 2025 UFL Championship Game, Brandon indicated that the league had reached the point of being agoing concern and that players, agents and coaches now had enough confidence in the league that it was not at risk of failure in the short term, effectively guaranteeing a2026 UFL season.[49] Overall television ratings and attendance went down in most markets (with the exception of the Michigan Panthers, who made substantial gains),[50] which prompted the firings of ticket sales directors and vice presidents of business operations in Arlington, Houston and Birmingham, three of the UFL's most consistently underperforming markets.[51] The decline in television ratings was not enough to cause alarm for league executives, who remained satisfied with the results, but did prompt reconsideration of the league's start date, which followed the USFL model of starting several weeks after the end of the NFL season (whereas the XFL traditionally drafted off the end of the NFL season and began play the weekend after the Super Bowl).[50] Reports circulated that the UFL would also shift the date of the2025 UFL draft, moving it from July to September to capitalize on roster cuts made by NFL teams aftertheir preseasons conclude, allowing UFL teams to use their draft picks more effectively on players more likely to sign immediately.[52]
Responding to a July 23, 2025 report that the entire USFL Conference would be relocated to other cities by early August in time for the 2026 season, the UFL neither confirmed nor denied the "unauthorized speculation".[53] One of the alleged host venues that the report claimed would be hosting a team—Albertsons Stadium inBoise, Idaho—released a statement denying the stadium would host the UFL in 2026 but that it was a possibility for the future.[54] Sources inLexington, Kentucky, another one of the cities mentioned in the report, also denied that they had heard from anyone in the league about the supposed relocations.[55]
On July 31, 2025, the league announced the addition of another private equity firm, Impact Capital, to the league's ownership group, with its ownerMike Repole serving as the league's new director of business operations; Repole stated that he had purchased a large minority stake in the league.[56] As part of the same announcement, Repole confirmed that one of the league's eight teams would be relocating toHistoric Crew Stadium inColumbus, Ohio and that the league would remain at eight teams for 2026, with two to four teams relocating which had not yet been decided.[56] Birmingham was the first of the four reported teams to be addressed when Repole responded to fans' Save the Stallions campaign by stating it would be given one final chance to increase its ticket sales, aiming for 5,000 season ticket deposits and 15,000 tickets per game.[57] Positive response to the Stallions deposit drive prompted Repole to confirm the team's return for 2026, admitting the move was a test of how the Stallions fan base would respond.[58] In Michigan's case, Repole stated that he was "trying" to keep the team in the state but that his stadium options were undesirable.[59]
On October 3, 2025, the UFL announced that theMichigan Panthers,Memphis Showboats andSan Antonio Brahmas would not return for the 2026 season.[60] Repole cited Michigan in particular as a return candidate for 2028 whenAlumniFi Field opens.[61] San Antonio's shuttering, which was personally ordered by Repole, was a complete surprise, as the UFL had already renewed the stadium lease for the Alamodome when the team's shuttering was announced.[62]
On October 7, 2025, the UFL announced their new teams for the 2026 season; theColumbus Aviators (playing atHistoric Crew Stadium inColumbus, Ohio), theLouisville Kings (playing atLynn Family Stadium inLouisville, Kentucky) and theOrlando Storm (playing atInter&Co Stadium inOrlando, Florida). They also announced the relocation and rebrand of two of their legacy teams; the former Houston Roughnecks would revert to theirHouston Gamblers name and play atShell Energy Stadium, and the former Arlington Renegades would revert to theirDallas Renegades name and play atToyota Stadium.[63]
Among other changes were the formal dissolutions of the XFL and USFL conferences,[64] the demotion of Brandon to a vice president role, the elimination of Johnston's position, the firing of all eight team general managers,[65] and the planned institution of territorial rights to college players,[63] something the XFL had explicitly rejected.[66]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | First season | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Stallions | Birmingham, Alabama | Protective Stadium | 28,000 (47,100)[c] | 2022 | Skip Holtz |
| Columbus Aviators[67][68][69] | Columbus, Ohio | Historic Crew Stadium | 19,968 | 2026 | TBD |
| Dallas Renegades | Frisco, Texas | Toyota Stadium | 20,500 | 2020 | Bob Stoops |
| DC Defenders | Washington, D.C. | Audi Field | 20,000 | 2020 | Shannon Harris |
| Houston Gamblers | Houston, Texas | Shell Energy Stadium | 20,656 | 2022[d] | Curtis Johnson |
| Louisville Kings[69] | Louisville, Kentucky | Lynn Family Stadium | 11,700 | 2026 | TBD |
| Orlando Storm[71][69] | Orlando, Florida | Inter&Co Stadium | 25,500 | 2026[e] | TBD |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | St. Louis, Missouri | The Dome at America's Center | 67,277[f] | 2020 | Anthony Becht |
| Team | Conference | Location | Stadium | First season | Final season | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Panthers | USFL | Detroit, Michigan | Ford Field | 2024 (USFL 2022) | 2025 | Suspended |
| Memphis Showboats | USFL | Memphis, Tennessee | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | 2024 (USFL 2023) | 2025 | Folded |
| San Antonio Brahmas | XFL | San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome | 2024 (XFL 2023) | 2025 | Folded |
Each team carries 75-men roster to training camp, then in the regular season rosters will cut down to 50 (45 active on game day).[72][73] The minimum stay on injured reserve is five games, while season ending injured reserve designation guarantees player a camp invite the following season.[74]
While the UFL embraced more of a "developmental league" mentality,[75] they are also targeting veteran backup players, with Johnston saying: "there are a lot of guys who are at peace that their NFL window has closed, but they love the camaraderie of the locker room. They love the day-to-day grind... That's been the really inspiring thing to me, is there is a number of guys in our league who just love the game and want to keep playing it as long as they can.[76] Players that have three or four years in the NFL and want to kind of rewrite that narrative, the way that they’re being viewed by front offices in the NFL, they want an opportunity to come into the UFL and change that narrative".[77] Johnston also mentioned that the league would like to change the narrative, from "developmental league" and starting to talk about the "sustainability of spring football": "I think one of the things that we’ve started to have conversations is what do we want our new messaging to be? We do want to move off of the developmental component. We want to get away from the opportunity component. We want to talk about the talent of the players that are in this league... (compare to) spring football that you have seen in other iterations, this will be the best talent that if you’re a fan of spring football, you will have seen in recent history".[78] Repole explicitly framed his vision for the UFL as a developmental league where players stay a year, then either advance to the NFL or are pushed out of professional football, stating he did not want veteran players staying loyal to the league for multi-year careers.[79]
The league holds a draft to allocate rights to incoming players. Thedraft held after the 2024 season was held shortly after2024 NFL draft and was limited to rookies who wentundrafted in that draft; after most of the drafted players (including first overall selectionJason Bean) opted to remain in the NFL,[80] the league moved the2025 UFL draft to September to better assess what players would be cut from NFL rosters and thus be available to the UFL for 2026.[81]
Beginning in the 2025–26 offseason, UFL players who have accrued two years under contract to the same team will be allowed to test free agency.[50][82]
TheUnited Football Players Association, as of 2025, serves as the labor union for the UFL. It is the first league in which the UFPA has served as a formal union for its players. The Local 9004 of theUnited Steelworkers, which had served as thelabor union for the USFL in 2023, continued in that capacity for the UFL for the 2024 season, operating as the United Football League Players Association.[83] (This is not to be confused with the United Football Players Association, which Local 9004 disowned during the 2023–24 offseason.)[84] The league continued operating under the USFL'scollective bargaining agreement (CBA).[83][85]
Initial reports suggested that, contrary to the 2023 XFL season, quarterbacks would not be allowed to sign for salaries higher than the other positional players.[86][85] However, the UFLPA later clarified that the agreement with the league is for minimum salary only, and any player could sign a personal contract above the minimum.[87] As late as January 2024, the league had resisted "pushback" from some of the higher-paid XFL quarterbacks to increase quarterbacks' salary, with Johnston at the time refusing to deviate from the plan to pay all players equally while acknowledging "there's a good argument for both sides. How do we manage this situation(...)? It's hard to thread that needle."[76]
Select XFL players, who had voted against joining the USW in 2023, expressed concern about the lack of winning bonuses (a key feature of the XFL's pay structure) and a requirement to pay union dues,[85] while some players decided not to return to the league, citing the pay cut as a contributing factor.[88] In an interview after the merger, Battlehawks QBAJ McCarron revealed that XFL players were in advanced talks with theNational Football League Players Association (NFLPA) for exclusive representation.[88]
On August 12, 2024, the UFLPA announced that United Steelworkers had ceased representing UFL players. In a statement, the UFLPA recommended its members affiliate the UFLPA with an established union, strongly hinting not to affiliate with the United Football Players Association.[89] The UFPA stated that it had won an election to serve as the UFL's union on October 12.[90] The UFPA took a much more aggressive negotiating stance against the league than Local 9004 had; it dismissed the previous CBA as being "unacceptable and disgusting," orchestrated a short strike against a quarterback minicamp,[91] and filed an accusation of unfair labor practices with the NLRB in response to the thus-far unsuccessful negotiations for a new agreement.[92] On April 18, 2025, the UFPA announced it had ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The agreement will expire following the end of the 2026 season.[93]
UFL players' minimum salaries were $5,500 per week ($2,500 for inactive players) and $150 a week toward 401K contributions, with $400 a week house stipend and $55-a-day per diem stipend during travel days. All contracts will run from January 1 to August 24. During training camp, all players will receive $850 a week. Players on injured reserve will receive $2,500 a week (plus house stipend). UFL players will also be entitled for "players accolade bonuses" for Player of the week ($1,000), All UFL ($2,500), Player of the year ($5,000), and MVP ($7,500).[74] The overall league player budget was $24 million.[32]
The UFPA agreement raises pay to $6,200 per game, then $6,400 per game in 2026. Health insurance coverage will expand from the previous four months to seven months, and the remaining five months being covered by giving the players access underCOBRA.[93]
Mike Pereira andDean Blandino are in charge of the UFL's officiating and rules.[41][94]
The league rulebook was released on February 13, 2024. Though most of the UFL's unique rules were common to both the USFL and XFL (such as allowing a second forward pass if the first does not cross the line of scrimmage, and the treatment of a fumble through the end zone the same as other forward fumbles in that it is brought back to the spot of the fumble), a limited number required compromise or were changed entirely from both leagues' rules:[95][96][97]
In February 2022, the XFL signed a collaboration agreement with theNFL to "experiment with proposed rules, test new equipment and develop prospective officials and coaches and explore new ways to address player safety".[102][103] In October 2022, the XFL announced a player personnel partnership with theIndoor Football League (IFL), with the IFL functioning as the XFL'sde facto minor league.[104] Though the league has no formal partnership withArena Football One (AF1), it has actively recruited from that league.[105][106]
In 2023,Dwayne Johnson said that "the XFL specifically designed its schedule to give its players the best chance of latching on with an NFL team in May",[107] whileGerry Cardinale stated that "the minor league analogy is valid, that's an important part of this."[108] After the merger, UFL Executive VP of Football OperationsDaryl Johnston refuted the notion of a "minor-league" when he said in an interview: "I don’t want to be considered a developmental league or a feeder league. We’re a professional, stand-alone football league", but he also acknowledged the importance of an NFL partnership: "the number of people we have at the top of our league office that have connections to the NFL, I’m hoping we’re able to accelerate that process and have meaningful conversations with the NFL about what our league can provide (...) What we’re trying to do is maximize the talent and quality of play in our league. One way we can do that is having access to guys who are in the NFL, on that fringe, on that cusp".[4] It was later announced that the XFL's previous agreement with the NFL would continue for the 2024 UFL season.[41] Incoming co-owner Mike Repole described his goal for the UFL as to "complement(...) the NFL and rid(e) off their momentum(,)" "not looking to compete with the NFL."[109] Repole also stated his explicit desire to make the UFL a developmental league and a desire not to cultivate long-term talent that stays in the league, hoping instead to send its players up to the NFL at the nearest opportunity; he plans on telling UFL players "I want this to be your last year in the United Football League.."[110]
| All-time UFL leaders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Team | Record | Year | |
| Passing yards | Luis Perez | Dallas Renegades | 4,607 passing yards | 2024–present | |
| Passing touchdowns | Jordan Ta'amu | DC Defenders | 32 passing touchdowns | 2024–present | |
| Rushing yards | Jacob Saylors | St. Louis Battlehawks | 959 rushing yards | 2024 | |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ricky Person Jr. | Birmingham Stallions | 11 rushing touchdowns | 2024–present | |
| Receiving yards | Justin Hall | Houston Gamblers | 1,104 receiving yards | 2024–present | |
| Receiving touchdowns | Deon Cain | Birmingham Stallions | 9 receiving touchdowns | 2024–present | |
| Receptions | Justin Hall | Houston Roughnecks | 118 receptions | 2024–present | |
| Tackles | Tavante Beckett | San Antonio Brahmas | 144 tackles | 2024–present | |
| Sacks | Pita Taumoepenu | St. Louis Battlehawks | 12.5 sacks | 2024–present | |
| Interceptions | A. J. Thomas Kameron Kelly | Birmingham Stallions St. Louis Battlehawks | 5 interceptions | 2024–present 2024–present | |
| Coaching wins | Skip Holtz | Birmingham Stallions | 16 wins | 2024–present | |
| Single Season UFL leaders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Team | Record | Year | |
| Passing yards | Luis Perez | Dallas Renegades | 2,307 passing yards | 2024–present | |
| Passing touchdowns | Luis Perez | Dallas Renegades | 18 passing touchdowns | 2024–present | |
| Rushing yards | Adrian Martinez | Birmingham Stallions | 528 rushing yards | 2024 | |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ricky Person Jr. | Birmingham Stallions | 6 rushing touchdowns | 2024–present 2024–present | |
| Receiving yards | Hakeem Butler | St. Louis Battlehawks | 652 receiving yards | 2024–present | |
| Receiving touchdowns | Cornell Powell | DC Defenders | 7 receiving touchdowns | 2025–present | |
| Receptions | Justin Hall | Houston Roughnecks | 62 receptions | 2024–present | |
| Tackles | Tavante Beckett | San Antonio Brahmas | 89 tackles | 2024–present | |
| Sacks | Breeland Speaks | Michigan Panthers | 9.5 sacks | 2024–present | |
| Interceptions | A. J. Thomas Markel Roby Kai Nacua Kameron Kelly | Birmingham Stallions Houston Roughnecks Michigan Panthers St. Louis Battlehawks | 3 interceptions | 2024–present | |
| Coaching wins | Skip Holtz | Birmingham Stallions | 9 wins | 2024–present | |
| UFL Attendance Records[111] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Week | Team | Attendance |
| 2024 | 2 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 40,317 |
| 2024 | 10 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 34,379 |
| 2024 | 6 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 32,969 |
| 2024 | 8 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 32,403 |
| 2025 | 2 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 32,115 |
| 2024 | 4 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 31,757 |
| 2025 | 5 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,406 |
| 2024 | Conference Finals | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,237 |
| 2025 | 8 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,114 |
| 2025 | 3 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,014 |
| UFL Attendance Records[112] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Week | Team | Attendance |
| 2024 | 2 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 40,317 |
| 2024 | 10 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 34,379 |
| 2024 | 6 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 32,969 |
| 2024 | 8 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 32,403 |
| 2025 | 2 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 32,115 |
| 2024 | 4 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 31,757 |
| 2025 | 5 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,406 |
| 2024 | Conference Finals | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,237 |
| 2025 | 8 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,114 |
| 2025 | 3 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 30,014 |
The league was created as a "merger of equals", with the respective leagues' owners initially assuming 50% ownership of the newly formed UFL[113] andThe Walt Disney Company also holding a minority stake.[32] As of 2025, Fox Corporation, RedBird Capital Partners and Impact Capital serve, in descending order of company share, as the league's three largest stakeholders, while the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar owns an unidentified ownership stake.[109] RedBird Capital Partners owner Gerry Cardinale called it "a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique. A legitimate shot at becoming one of the top professional leagues in the country afterthe big four leagues".[114] In the event that the league, in the future, begins accepting individual team owners, it stated in 2024 that it would follow theMajor League Soccer business model of buyers buying into the league itself and not separating the teams into individual business entities.[32][45] One of the UFL's teams already operated on a system akin to that model, in that the Memphis Showboats were sponsored by multibillionaireFedEx CEOFred Smith from the team's launch[21][115] until Smith's death in June 2025.[51] The league's ownership partners each provide "business services" to the league at no nominal charge to save costs.[45]
In March, 2024,Under Armour announced they extended the multi-year agreement signed in 2023 with the XFL.[116] Later that month,Michael Strahan's MSX brand was announced as the "Official Off-Field Apparel Partner".[117] Other UFL's sponsors include:Westgate Resorts,Progressive Insurance,PepsiCo (Gatorade),The Coca-Cola Company (Simply Spiked), CBD Kratom, andMolson Coors. Johnson and Garcia also use the league to promote their own brands, Teremana Tequila andZOA Energy Drink.[118] On April 6, 2024 the league announced a partnership with theUnited States Army,[119] who promised an estimated $11 million for jersey patch sponsorship and other promotional considerations.[120] The Army chose not to renew its sponsorship for 2025, in part because Johnson failed to deliver the promised number of product placement spots in his personal social media platforms, but denied earlier reports of any dispute between the Army and the UFL, nor was there any attempt to claw back any money already spent (as the contract was structured such that the payment would be made after the season); the Army also refuted a false claim that the sponsorship had led to a decline in recruitment.[121] In AprilUpper Deck announced they'll release "2024 UFL Game Dated Moments Cards".[122]
The UFL has no aspirations of challenging or seeking a buy-in with the National Football League; co-owner Gerry Cardinale has stated that the UFL seeks to cooperate within the NFL ecosystem.[123]
Source[124]
In the United States, the television rights for the UFL are held byFox Sports andESPN, which held the rights to the USFL and XFL, respectively.[125][126][127]NBC Sports, which had shared broadcast rights to the USFL with Fox Sports in 2022 and 2023, will not carry UFL games due to an increase in schedule conflicts, stemming from the proposed start date being slightly earlier than 2022 and 2023.[128] There had been one year remaining on NBC's contract.[129] ESPN will also air a weekly multi-platform post-game show.[130] Both ESPN and Fox will carry audio simulcasts of their coverage on theirSirius XM Radio feeds,ESPN Xtra andFox Sports Radio, respectively.[131]
Beginning in the 2025 season, theFox broadcast network will include the UFL as a permanent part of itsFriday night schedule.[132][133]
Several of the UFL's teams have developed strong fan cultures with unique traditions, including Birmingham's shirtless "Pyramid of Flesh,"[134] DC'sbeer snakes,[135] and St. Louis's "ka-kaw" battle cry[136] (along with its embrace of the Battlehawks as a mutual rebuke toStan Kroenke, who relocated the Rams out of the city).[137]
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score | Stadium | Location | MVP | Attendance | Network | Viewership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 16, 2024 | Birmingham Stallions | 25 | San Antonio Brahmas | 0 | The Dome at America's Center | St. Louis, Missouri | Adrian Martinez | 27,396 | Fox | 1.60 million |
| June 14, 2025 | DC Defenders | 58 | Michigan Panthers | 34 | Jordan Ta'amu | 14,559 | ABC | 0.98 million |
The XFL announced on Wednesday that it is planning to relaunch in 2023 after talks with the Canadian Football League about collaboration between the two leagues were tabled.
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Travel guides from Wikivoyage
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