| 2025 UFL season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | United Football League |
| Sport | American football |
| Duration | Regular season: March 28 – June 1 Playoffs: June 8 – 14 |
| Number of games | 43 (40 regular-season games, 3 postseason games) |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC,ESPN,Fox,FS1 |
| Streaming partner(s) | ESPN+,Fox Sports app |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Jason Bean (QB) |
| Picked by | Memphis Showboats |
| 2025 UFL Championship | |
| Venue | The Dome at America's Center,St. Louis, Missouri |
| Seasons | |
← 2024 | |
The2025 UFL season is the current second season of theUnited Football League. TheBirmingham Stallions are the defending champions after they defeated theSan Antonio Brahmas in the2024 UFL Championship Game to win their third consecutive spring football championship, adding to their back to back championships in the rebooted USFL.
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, while the league long-term goal is to solicit local investors in an owner-operator arrangement similar to that used byMajor League Soccer and the previousUnited Football League.[1] League presidentRuss Brandon confirmed that the league's losses in 2024 were smaller than anticipated.[2] No numbers were made public regarding the league's financial losses, revenues, or expenses. Still, theXFL had projected revenue of $100 million for 2024 if the leagues had remained separate, compared to its $80 million intake in 2023.[3] The outpacing of expectations came despite the short ramp-up time for the 2024 season and the complications it posed on the business side of the league, which Vice President of Football OperationsDaryl Johnston blamed for some of the attendance underperformance of the 2024 season compared to years past.[4] Later reports suggested that the 2025 season would be the league's last one if it did not achieve tremendous commercial success.[5]
Television viewership rose substantially compared to the previous season as separate leagues. At the same time, ticket sales in most cities fell, prompting the league ownership to pivot investment toward local ticket sales teams. The inaugural season of the UFL averaged 832,000 viewers per game this season, a 34% increase from the average of 619,000 viewers the USFL and XFL attracted last year. In comparison, the championship game on Fox drew the highest viewership, with 1.596 million viewers.[1] However, attendance dipped from the XFL's 2023 season average of 14,703 to 13,512.[6]
In an interview after the season. Johnston said: "With our home markets, we’ve got to build that trust there — that we’re not going to leave or [that] the league isn't going to fold. We’ve got a couple of cities that historically have been a part of spring football; they've committed to a team, and that team has left. ... We’ve still got some trust to build in our home markets. We are going to be able to dial into the details. We will have a traditional offseason calendar where we can be ahead of the curve instead of being in a position where we have to chase it a little bit".[7] In an October 2024 statement, chairwomanDany Garcia highlighted two areas of improvement for the league in 2025: the league sought to improve its ties to local markets and the quality of play compared to 2024 for a more "dynamic" on-field product.[8] In January 2025 interview UFL PresidentRuss Brandon provided more details: "We have teams on the ground in each market, business teams, thinkAA,Triple A, baseball, front of offices that are on the ground, 365 days a year, promoting and singing the tune of what that brand means in that marketplace".[9]
77 UFL players signed with the NFL for their 2024 preseason; of those, 21 players were on NFL rosters on opening week, including active rosters, practice squads, and injured reserve, with two players —Jake Bates andJalen Redmond — making the 53 roster for week 1.[10]Minnesota Vikings general managerKwesi Adofo-Mensah would later praise the UFL for its role in player development: "Growth opportunities afforded by the UFL can lead to better competition on NFL rosters. If players in the UFL ascend through the opportunity with professional organizations and access to continued coaching and structure, that provides us with valuable information to evaluate if those ascending players fit the characteristics we target to bring potential added value and competition to our roster".[11]
The league's sponsorship agreement with theUnited States Army was not renewed after the 2024 season, after league co-ownerDwayne Johnson failed to deliver on the promised number of personal social media posts in the 2024 agreement.[12]
As one of the conditions for approving the merger of the XFL and USFL, federal regulators were said to have "prefer(red) more opportunities" (eventualexpansion teams) than the eight teams that were included in the 2024 season.[13] No such expansion is planned for 2025, nor are any relocations, asDaryl Johnston stated that the ticket sales in most of the poorer-selling markets could be improved by showing stability and following a more "traditional offseason calendar."[14] In November 2024 the UFL announced the opening of an expansion window for no sooner than 2026, seeking out and inviting cities to present proposals for potential future expansion;[15] a final decision on 2026 expansion is anticipated by the time of the 2025 UFL Championship in June.[16] As of March 2025, Johnston stated that while they were looking to "creatively" tie into the league's extensive ties to the state of Texas, the UFL would not be restricting its expansion to the league's current geographic footprint and would instead take a holistic approach to determining what cities would have a realistic chance of successfully hosting a UFL team.[17] League executive David Dykeman stated that two teams would be announced as expansion franchises at some point in 2025.[18] The UFL has maintained the Aviators brand fromThe Spring League, the only remaining trademark it has retained from that league, for future use for one of the teams; UFL News Hub, a Web site dedicated to covering the league, noted that it had anticipatedColumbus, Ohio—from a state with a slogan "birthplace of aviation," afamous college football rivalry with Michigan, and a history of hosting USFL games in 2022 and 2023 inCanton—would, along with a revival of theSeattle Sea Dragons, be the most likely candidates for expansion.[19]Pro Football Newsroom likewise predicted a Columbus expansion, noting thatRaleigh, North Carolina was also being seriously considered in the event Seattle could not return.[20]
On September 13, 2024, the Houston Roughnecks announced that they would be returning to TDECU Stadium (which would be renamedSpace City Financial Stadium during the offseason)[21] for the 2025 season, following renovations to that stadium. The previous incarnation of theRoughnecks had played at TDECU in 2020 and 2023; the current Roughnecks had played the 2024 season atRice Stadium while Space City Financial Stadium was being renovated.[22][23] On August it was reported that the Battlehawks will host six games in 2025, taking one home game from the Brahmas, as a result of theAlamodome major event commitments for the months of April, May and June.[24][25] The Brahmas' home schedule is expected to be backloaded with the four home games concentrated toward the end of the 2025 season to minimize scheduling conflicts; league presidentRuss Brandon stated that it had considered moving the Brahmas to another stadium in the San Antonio metropolitan area but decided against it to avoid "some very complex operational concerns" that would arise by doing so.[26]
TheMichigan Panthers' lease onFord Field expired following the 2024 season, forcing a delay in the sale of season tickets for that team.[27] The league announced a renewal for the 2025 season on October 29, 2024.[28]
| Conference | Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | First season | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_logo.png){kind=logo} USFL Conference | Birmingham Stallions | Birmingham, Alabama | Protective Stadium | 47,100 | 2022 | Skip Holtz |
| Houston Roughnecks | Houston, Texas | Space City Financial Stadium | 40,000 | 2022 | Curtis Johnson | |
| Memphis Showboats | Memphis, Tennessee | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | 44,000 | 2023 | Ken Whisenhunt (weeks 2-3) Jim Turner (week 1, 4-) | |
| Michigan Panthers | Detroit, Michigan | Ford Field | 65,000 | 2022 | Mike Nolan | |
 XFL Conference | Arlington Renegades | Arlington, Texas | Choctaw Stadium | 48,114 | 2020 | Bob Stoops |
| DC Defenders | Washington, D.C. | Audi Field | 20,000 | 2020 | Shannon Harris | |
| San Antonio Brahmas | San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome | 64,000 | 2023 | Wade Phillips (weeks 1-3) Payton Pardee (weeks 3-) | |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | St. Louis, Missouri | The Dome at America's Center | 67,277 | 2020 | Anthony Becht |
Each team will carry 64-man rosters to training camp, compared to 75 in the 2024 season, with regular season rosters set at 50 (43 active on game day).[29]
During the 2025 offseason, the UFL hosted seven player showcases across the United States from July to November in St. Louis, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Orlando, San Diego and Dallas, with selected players being included in the next UFL Draft.[30]
On September 7, 2024, Memphis Showboats wide receiverDiondre Overton died in a shooting incident.[31]
On August 12, 2024, the United Football League Players Association released a statement announcing thatUnited Steelworkers, which had represented the association (and its predecessor for the USFL), would no longer represent the league's players. The statement also strongly recommended that the players organize under another established union and not affiliate with theUnited Football Players Association, with which the USW and UFLPA had fallen out in 2023, without a "confidential background check."[32] Despite this warning, on October 12, the UFPA issued a statement claiming the UFL players had ratified an agreement establishing the UFPA as their union, and that theNational Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had recognized the vote.[33] Negotiations on a newcollective bargaining agreement began in December.[34]
On February 22, 2025, the UFPA issued a public letter signed by the 24 quarterbacks under UFL contract that collectively declared a shortstrike against the upcoming minicamp;[35] the letter declared a proposal to continue the terms of the previous collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the USW as "negligible," "unacceptable and disgusting." The letter demanded major raises and year-round health insurance.[34] The quarterbacks, along with the rest of the UFL's players, reported to training camp on time as negotiations continued; the UFPA was reportedly satisfied enough not to pursue a full strike but not enough to agree to the most recent proposal put forth by the league.[36] Rumors of a boycott of the UFL media days on March 6 and 7 did not materialize, in part because the UFL coaches collectively showed willingness to discipline any player who missed any team activities, up to including dismissal.[37] Johnston also stated that the UFPA's actions posed "no threat" to the start of the UFL regular season.[37] TheNational Football League Players Association would later issued a statement supporting the UFL players during the CBA negotiations.[38] Showboats quarterbackQuinten Dormady alleged that his active involvement in the UFPA and the minicamp strike was a factor in the Showboats' decision to cut him from the roster despite being in contention for the starting position, an allegation that the league denied.[39]
The UFPA filed a complaint with the NLRB alleging the UFL had committed multiple illegal labor practices on March 14.[40] In a statement to ESPN March 25,Kai Nacua stated that the players would collectively decide whether or not to hold a full strike in the coming days, and that a substantial number of the league's players were preparing to play despite the fact that, without a collective bargaining agreement, the league's players were technically not under contract.[41]
On April 18, 2025, the UFPA announced it had ratified a new collective bargaining agreement raising minimum pay to $6,200 per game (up from the $5,500 per game under the previous agreement) and $6,400 per game in 2026, and an extension of health insurance coverage from the previous four months to seven months, and the remaining five months being covered by giving the players access underCOBRA. In exchange for the jump in pay, the $4,000 annual housing stipend was integrated into the base salary.[42] As was the case under the previous CBA, and with the XFL before it, teams are free to pay select players above the minimum; most of the starting quarterbacks are believed to be making between $100,000 and $250,000 per year, with the UFL being intentionally silent in neither confirming nor denying this.[42] The agreement will expire following the end of the 2026 season. The deal was brokered byHarry Marino.[43]
The2024 UFL draft ahead of the 2025 season, was held on July 17, 2024. The draft consisted of 10 rounds of players who were eligible for the2024 NFL draft in April but went undrafted.[44][45] Memphis, winner of the first overall draft pick as a result of its week 10 victory in 2024, chose quarterbackJason Bean with the selection.[46] Bean declined to sign with the Showboats and chose to remain with theIndianapolis Colts, with whom he had signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024.[47] Despite this, Bean has been written about by multiple press outlets as being a member of the Showboats in the lead-up to the 2025 season, including participating in the QB minicamp strike even though he has no affiliation with the Showboats or the UFL.[48][49]
The UFL has an allocation process for players who entered professional football in the past three years or less (that is, players who were drafted in 2022 onward). Until November 30, each player in this category is allocated based upon the NFL team that last signed them, with each UFL team being assigned four teams:[50]
From December 1, 2024, onward, all eight teams are free to sign any player not currently under contract to another professional team. Players who entered professional football in 2021 or earlier, or had never signed with an NFL team, are free agents at any time.[50]
Some form ofreserve clause exists for players who had previously been under contract to another UFL team in 2024 that gives that team first rights to that player for 2025 even if their contract had expired; the exact mechanism of this is unclear.A. J. McCarron successfully prevented theSt. Louis Battlehawks from enforcing a reserve clause on him following the expiration of his contract after the 2024 season ended.[51]
Three of the four coaches who came into the UFL by way of the XFL—Arlington'sBob Stoops, St. Louis'sAnthony Becht and DC'sReggie Barlow—are believed to be reaching the end of their guaranteed XFL contracts, and will be subject to new terms that the USFL coaches and all assistants agreed upon in 2024 that were less generous than the 2023 XFL's were.[59] (The lone exception, San Antonio'sWade Phillips, is on the second year of a two-year contract extension he signed prior to the merger.[60]) Stoops, the league's longest-tenured coach and the only remaining coach from the inaugural 2020 XFL season, was noncommittal about returning after the 2024 season, stating he was open to returning for 2025 but that "you never know what the structure is going to look like."[61] Stoops confirmed his return on February 5, 2025, on which day six of the UFL teams announced their coaching staffs.[62] Becht announced he had committed to a third season as the Battlehawks' coach in August 2024.[63]
| Team | Departing coach | Incoming coach | Reason for leaving | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Showboats | John DeFilippo | Ken Whisenhunt | Resigned | DeFilippo had coached the Showboats in 2024 after coaching the contractedNew Orleans Breakers in 2023, with a combined record of 9-11 (.450), with his season with the Breakers at 7-3 (.700) and the Showboats at 2-8 (.200). His resignation coincides with the resignation of general managerDennis Polian.[64][65] Whisenhunt had spent the 2023 and part of the 2024 seasons as special assistant to head coachKalen DeBoer atAlabama, as head coach and offensive coordinator; he had extensive experience as an offensive coordinator at the college and NFL levels, and two stints as an NFL head coach for theArizona Cardinals andTennessee Titans. He was hired along with new general managerJim Monos September 23, 2024.[66] |
| DC Defenders | Reggie Barlow | Shannon Harris | Resigned | Barlow resigned March 23, 2025, one week before the start of the regular season, to accept the head coach position atTennessee State.[67] He had a record of 14-8 (.636) over two seasons as coach, including a North Division championship and appearance in the2023 XFL Championship Game (a loss to Arlington). Harris, the Defenders' quarterback coach, wil take over the position. This was somewhat of a surprise, as he was chosen ahead of the more experiencedGregg Williams for the position and preliminary reports had suggested Williams (the Defenders' defensive coordinator) would be the Defenders' head coach.[68] Days after the decision, Barlow indicated that Harris would be joining him at Tennessee State,[69] later clarifying that Harris and the Defenders coaching staff would finish out the season in DC before joining him at Tennessee State.[70] |
| Team | Departing coach | Incoming coach | Reason for leaving | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Showboats | Ken Whisenhunt | Jim Turner | Resigned | Whisenhunt suddenly took an indefinite leave of absence on March 24, 2025, citing personal reasons. Turner, the team's offensive line coach who had carried over from the previous two Showboats staffs, was promoted to interim head coach; this is Turner's first head coaching position after 30 years as an offensive line coach mostly at the college level.[71] Whisenhunt returned from leave after Week 1, coached the next two games,[72] then permanently resigned after the Week 3 contest on April 16, with a record of 0–2.[73] |
| San Antonio Brahmas | Wade Phillips | Payton Pardee | Medical leave | Phillips announced a personal leave of absence April 16, one that is expected to last through the end of the 2025 season (and thus through the end of Phillips's current contract, marking ade facto resignation), following an 0–3 start to the 2025 season. He had suffered a health emergency during the Brahmas's game against the Michigan Panthers on April 13 that had forced Pardee to take over head coaching duties midway through the game.[74] He finishes his UFL tenure with a record of 15–11 (.577) counting his time with the Brahmas and theoriginal Houston Roughnecks, including two playoff appearances and an appearance in the2024 UFL Championship Game. Pardee, the grandson ofJack Pardee,[75] began the season as wide receivers/special teams coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator just one week before being named head coach.[76] |
This is the third year of the league's agreement withArlington, Texas, to serve as the league's centralized hub.[80] The league renewed its agreement with Arlington to serve as the UFL headquarters on January 29, 2025.[81]
Preseason schedule:[82]
The league is divided into two conferences, theUSFL Conference and theXFL Conference, each a continuation of its respective league. Each team will play a ten-game schedule with no bye weeks, playing two games against each conference rival (one home and one away) and one game against each team in the other conference, all eight teams playing in their home markets, starting on March 28.[83][14][84][85]
Due to an increase in stadium conflicts with theAlamodome in 2025 compared to previous years, in particular the dome's hosting of the2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four, theSan Antonio Brahmas will only host four home games in 2025. Both of the Brahmas' in-division games against theSt. Louis Battlehawks will be hosted atThe Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, giving the Battlehawks six home games.[86]
In attempt to increase each team home attendance, all eight teams will have a specific themes of each of their respective home games for the 2025 season.[87]
The postseason will have four teams, with the top-seeded & runner up team in each conference playing in theXFL Championship Game andUSFL Championship Game, the winners of which will advance to the2025 UFL Championship Game on June 14, which will be held at the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis.[88] A midseason proposal, previously suggested prior to the 2024 season, to adjust the playoff format to replace the conference championship games with a broader playoff featuring each conference regular season winner and two wild cards was rejected.[89]
| USFL Conference | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | TD+/- | TD+ | TD- | DIV | PF | PA | DIFF | STK | ||
| Michigan Panthers | 4 | 2 | .667 | – | 7 | 15 | 8 | 2–1 | 156 | 111 | 45 | W1 | ||
| Birmingham Stallions | 4 | 2 | .667 | – | 5 | 9 | 4 | 2–1 | 111 | 82 | 29 | W1 | ||
| Houston Roughnecks | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1.0 | -2 | 8 | 10 | 2–1 | 97 | 105 | -8 | W2 | ||
| Memphis Showboats | 1 | 5 | .167 | 3.0 | -6 | 6 | 12 | 1–4 | 94 | 129 | -35 | L1 | ||
| XFL Conference | ||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | TD+/- | TD+ | TD- | DIV | PF | PA | DIFF | STK | ||
| DC Defenders | 4 | 2 | .667 | – | -3 | 9 | 12 | 2–1 | 131 | 133 | -2 | L1 | ||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 4 | 2 | .667 | – | 1 | 10 | 9 | 2–2 | 131 | 105 | 26 | W2 | ||
| Arlington Renegades | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1.0 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 2–2 | 122 | 92 | 30 | L2 | ||
| San Antonio Brahmas | 1 | 5 | .167 | 3.0 | -6 | 8 | 14 | 1–2 | 71 | 156 | -85 | L2 | ||
| (x)–clinched playoff berth;(y)–clinched conference;(e)–eliminated from playoff contention | ||||||||||||||
All games stream onESPN+ orFox Sports app unless otherwise noted.
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions)[90] | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 28 | 8:00 p.m. ET[91] | St. Louis Battlehawks | 31 | 6 | Houston Roughnecks | Space City Financial Stadium | 7,124 | Fox | 0.69 | 0.7 | [92][93] |
| March 29 | 4:00 p.m. ET[94] | San Antonio Brahmas | 9 | 33 | Arlington Renegades | Choctaw Stadium | 10,114 | 0.58 | 0.6 | [95][96] | |
| March 30 | 12:00 p.m. ET[97] | Michigan Panthers | 26 | 12 | Memphis Showboats | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | 4,373 | ESPN | 0.57 | 0.6 | [98][99] |
| 3:00 p.m. ET[100] | Birmingham Stallions | 11 | 18 | DC Defenders | Audi Field | 12,254 | 0.40 | 0.4 | [101][102] | ||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions)[103] | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 4 | 8:00 p.m. ET[104] | Birmingham Stallions | 21 | 12 | Michigan Panthers | Ford Field | 10,049 | Fox | 0.66 | 0.7 | [105][106] |
| April 5 | 8:00 p.m. ET[107] | Memphis Showboats | 12 | 17 | DC Defenders | Audi Field | 13,142 | ABC | 0.62 | 0.6 | [108][109] |
| April 6 | 12:00 p.m. ET[110] | Houston Roughnecks | 9 | 11 | Arlington Renegades | Choctaw Stadium | 9,582 | ESPN | 0.61 | 0.6 | [111][112] |
| 6:30 p.m. ET[113] | San Antonio Brahmas | 9 | 26 | St. Louis Battlehawks | The Dome at America's Center[a] | 32,115 | FS1 | 0.52 | 0.5 | [115][116] | |
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions)[117] | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 11 | 8:00 p.m. ET[118] | Arlington Renegades | 9 | 10 | Birmingham Stallions | Protective Stadium | 10,126 | Fox | 0.68 | 0.7 | [119][120] |
| April 12 | 2:30 p.m. ET[121] | Houston Roughnecks | 18 | 17 | Memphis Showboats | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | 4,753 | ESPN | 0.30 | 0.3 | [122][123] |
| April 13 | 12:00 p.m. ET[124] | San Antonio Brahmas | 23 | 26 | Michigan Panthers | Ford Field | 11,013 | ABC | 0.72 | 0.7 | [125][126] |
| 3:00 p.m. ET[127] | DC Defenders | 27 | 15 | St. Louis Battlehawks | The Dome at America's Center | 30,014 | 0.97 | 1.0 | [128][129] | ||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions)[130] | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 18 | 8:00 p.m. ET[131] | Memphis Showboats | 9 | 27 | Michigan Panthers | Ford Field | 9,674 | Fox | 0.68 | 0.7 | [132][133] |
| April 19 | 12:30 p.m. ET[134] | St. Louis Battlehawks | 15 | 30 | Arlington Renegades | Choctaw Stadium | 9,614 | ABC | 0.90 | 0.9 | [135][136] |
| 7:00 p.m. ET[137] | Birmingham Stallions | 23 | 16 | Houston Roughnecks | Space City Financial Stadium | 6,613 | Fox | 0.61 | 0.6 | [138][139] | |
| April 20 | 5:00 p.m. ET[140] | San Antonio Brahmas | 24 | 18 | DC Defenders | Audi Field | 12,474 | 0.74 | 0.7 | [141][142] | |
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 25 | 8:00 p.m. ET | Memphis Showboats | 24 | 20 | Birmingham Stallions | Protective Stadium | 9,127 | Fox | 0.47 | ||
| April 26 | 7:00 p.m. ET | Michigan Panthers | 27 | 32 | St. Louis Battlehawks | The Dome at America's Center | 30,406 | ESPN | 0.62 | ||
| April 27 | 12:00 p.m. ET | DC Defenders | 37 | 33 | Arlington Renegades | Choctaw Stadium | 9,544 | 0.55 | |||
| 3:00 p.m. ET | Houston Roughnecks | 27 | 3 | San Antonio Brahmas | Alamodome | 14,427 | 0.39 | ||||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2 | 8:00 p.m. ET | Arlington Renegades | 6 | 12 | St. Louis Battlehawks | The Dome at America's Center | 26,684 | Fox | 0.63 | ||
| May 3 | 12:00 p.m. ET | Memphis Showboats | 20 | 21 | Houston Roughnecks | Space City Financial Stadium | 4,134 | ABC | 0.87 | ||
| May 4 | 12:00 p.m. ET | DC Defenders | 14 | 38 | Michigan Panthers | Ford Field | 11,653 | ESPN | 0.45 | ||
| 4:00 p.m. ET | San Antonio Brahmas | 3 | 26 | Birmingham Stallions | Protective Stadium | 9,627 | Fox | 0.62 | |||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9 | 8:00 p.m. ET | DC Defenders | San Antonio Brahmas | Alamodome | Fox | ||||||
| May 10 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Michigan Panthers | Arlington Renegades | Choctaw Stadium | |||||||
| May 11 | 12:00 p.m. ET | Houston Roughnecks | Birmingham Stallions | Protective Stadium | ABC | ||||||
| 3:00 p.m. ET | St. Louis Battlehawks | Memphis Showboats | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | ESPN | |||||||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16 | 8:00 p.m. ET | Memphis Showboats | San Antonio Brahmas | Alamodome | Fox | ||||||
| May 17 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Michigan Panthers | Houston Roughnecks | Space City Financial Stadium | Fox (TBA%)[143] | ||||||
| Birmingham Stallions | St. Louis Battlehawks | The Dome at America's Center | Fox (TBA%)[143] | ||||||||
| May 18 | 12:00 p.m. ET | Arlington Renegades | DC Defenders | Audi Field | ABC | ||||||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23 | 8:00 p.m. ET | San Antonio Brahmas | St. Louis Battlehawks | The Dome at America's Center | Fox | ||||||
| May 24 | 12:00 p.m. ET | Arlington Renegades | Memphis Showboats | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | ABC | ||||||
| 3:00 p.m. ET | Michigan Panthers | Birmingham Stallions | Protective Stadium | ||||||||
| May 25 | 4:00 p.m. ET | DC Defenders | Houston Roughnecks | Space City Financial Stadium | Fox | ||||||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30 | 8:00 p.m. ET | St. Louis Battlehawks | DC Defenders | Audi Field | Fox | ||||||
| May 31 | 3:00 p.m. ET | Houston Roughnecks | Michigan Panthers | Ford Field | ESPN | ||||||
| June 1 | 12:00 p.m. ET | Arlington Renegades | San Antonio Brahmas | Alamodome | ABC | ||||||
| 3:00 p.m. ET | Birmingham Stallions | Memphis Showboats | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Fox | |||||||
The playoffs will start on June 8 and will end with the championship game on June 14.
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 8 | 3:00 p.m. ET | USFL/XFL Conference #2 Seed | USFL/XFL Conference #1 Seed | TBD | ABC | ||||||
| 6:00 p.m. ET | USFL/XFL Conference #2 Seed | USFL/XFL Conference #1 Seed | TBD | Fox | |||||||
| Date | Time | Away team | Result | Home team | Stadium | Attendance | Broadcast | Viewership (millions) | Rating | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14 | 8:00 p.m. ET | USFL/XFL Conference Champion | USFL/XFL Conference Champion | The Dome at America's Center | ABC | ||||||
Announced attendance figures for each home game. In the weekly columns, dashes (—) indicate away games, whilebold font indicates the highest attendance of the week.
| Team / Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conference finals | Championship | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington Renegades | 10,114 | 9,582 | — | 9,614 | 9,544 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38,854 | 9,714 |
| Birmingham Stallions | — | — | 10,126 | — | 9,127 | 9,627 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19,253 | 9,627 |
| DC Defenders | 12,254 | 13,142 | — | 12,474 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37,870 | 12,623 |
| Houston Roughnecks | 7,124 | — | — | 6,613 | — | 4,134 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17,871 | 5,957 |
| Memphis Showboats | 4,373 | — | 4,753 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9,126 | 4,563 |
| Michigan Panthers | — | 10,049 | 11,013 | 9,674 | — | 11,653 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42,389 | 10,597 |
| San Antonio Brahmas | — | —[a] | — | — | 14,427 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14,427 | 14,427 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | — | 32,115[a] | 30,014 | — | 30,406 | 26,684 | — | — | — | — | — | 119,219 | 30,845 | |
| Total | 33,865 | 64,888 | 55,906 | 38,375 | 63,504 | 52,098 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 219,718 | |
| Average | 8,466 | 16,222 | 13,977 | 9,594 | 15,876 | 14,157 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12,065 |
| Week | Offensive Player | Defensive Player | Special Teams Player | Refs. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos. | Team | Player | Pos. | Team | Player | Pos. | Team | ||
| 1 | Jaryd Jones-Smith,Steven Gonzalez,Mike Panasiuk, | OL | Battlehawks | Anthony Hines III | LB | Defenders | Matt McCrane | K | Defenders | [146] |
| 2 | Manny Wilkins | QB | Battlehawks | DJ Miller | CB | Panthers | Marquette King | P | Renegades | [147] |
| 3 | Bryce Perkins | QB | Panthers | Andre Mintze | DE | Defenders | Devin Ross | WR | Panthers | [148] |
| 4 | Bryce Perkins (2) | QB | Panthers | Ajene Harris | CB | Renegades | Mathew Sexton | WR | Brahmas | [149] |
| 5 | Dresser Winn | QB | Showboats | Ajene Harris (2) | CB | Renegades | Isiah Hennie | WR | Showboats | [150] |
| 6 | ||||||||||
| 7 | ||||||||||
| 8 | ||||||||||
| 9 | ||||||||||
| 10 | ||||||||||
| Conference Championship | ||||||||||
| Award | Winner | Position | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach of the Year | ||||
| Most Valuable Player | ||||
| Offensive Player of the Year | ||||
| Defensive Player of the Year | ||||
| Special Teams Player of the Year | ||||
| Sportsman of the Year |
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| QB | ||
| RB | ||
| WR | ||
| TE | ||
| OT | ||
| OG | ||
| C | ||
| DL | ||
| EDGE/OLB | ||
| ILB | ||
| CB | ||
| S | ||
| K | ||
| P | ||
| LS | ||
| RS |
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing yards | Jordan Ta'amu | DC Defenders | 1472 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 11 | ||
| Rushing yards | Jacob Saylors | St. Louis Battlehawks | 312 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | 4 tied[a] | 4 | |
| Receptions | Justin Hall | Houston Roughnecks | 32 |
| Receiving yards | Chris Rowland | DC Defenders | 395 |
| Receiving Touchdowns | 2 tied[b] | 3 | |
| All-Purpose Yards | Chris Rowland | DC Defenders | 836 |
| Touchdowns Scored | 4 tied[c] | 4 | |
| Defense | |||
| Tackles | Frank Ginda | Michigan Panthers | 54 |
| Sacks | Pita Taumoepenu | St. Louis Battlehawks | 5.5 |
| Interceptions | Ajene Harris | Arlington Renegades | 3 |
| Special teams | |||
| Punt return yards | Jahcour Pearson | St. Louis Battlehawks | 226 |
| Kick return yards | Devin Ross | Michigan Panthers | 403 |
| Field goals made | Rodrigo Blankenship | St. Louis Battlehawks | 14 |
| Punting yards | Mike Rivers | Houston Roughnecks | 1,353 |
On January 29, 2025 the UFL announced that the City ofArlington, Texas will become the year-round football operations home for the league.[152] On February 27, 2025, the league announced a partnership withSalesforce.[153]
In the United States, the television rights for the UFL are held byFox andESPN in the third season of a five-year deal.[154] This season, 10 games, one game each week, will be contested on Friday night onFox in order to accommodate Fox's newIndyCar deal and to fill anotoriously difficult-to-fill void on the Friday schedule left whenWWE SmackDown returned toUSA Network.[1][155] Fox will air nine other regular season games, including one game airing immediately after the2025 Indianapolis 500, two games will air regionally at the same time, and one game will air on FS1. ESPN will air 20 regular season games across its networks, with 10 onABC, and 10 on ESPN.[156]
ABC and Fox will then air a conference championship game each. Per a two year rotation (ABC and Fox), this season's championship game will air on ABC.
All ESPN-produced games will be available to stream onESPN+. All Fox-produced games may be available viaauthenticated streaming on theFox Sports app.
Both ESPN and Fox had contingency plans in the event a strike forced the cancellation of any games in the season. Fox would have carried episodes ofThe Masked Singer,Gordon Ramsay's shows and other archival reality programming, also potentially shuffling its other sports content into any vacant slots while ESPN would have filled open airtime with30 for 30 and other similar documentary programming.[157]
DAZN announced a streaming agreement to carry the UFL in Latin America, Asia, most of Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa beginning with Week 2.[158]
ESPN announced new broadcast announcing teams for the 2025 season.[159] In order of play-by-play, color commentary and sideline reporter(s):
Murray previously played spring football in the XFL in2020, and theAlliance of American Football in2019.
Erin Dolan will serve as abetting analyst for all ESPN broadcasts.[160]
Fox Sports will continue to useCurt Menefee andJoel Klatt as its lead broadcast team. Other play-by-play commentators includeKevin Kugler and Connor Onion; other color commentators and field analysts includeMark Sanchez,Robert Smith,Brock Huard,Devin Gardner andJake Butt.Jenny Taft will serve as a sideline reporter for select games.[161]
Week 1 viewership for the UFL set a record for the worst viewership for an opening week of spring football, with none of the four games breaking one million viewers and the first game of the season finishing in seventh place in the ratings that night, not only losing to the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments andWWE SmackDown, but also drawing less than half the viewers of afigure skating competition on NBC while arerun ofShark Tank drew nearly four times as many viewers.[162]
In millions of viewers
| Broadcaster | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conference finals | Championship game | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | – | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3.2 | 0.8 |
| – | – | 1.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| ESPN | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | - | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1.9 | 0.5 |
| 0.4 | – | – | – | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| – | – | – | – | 0.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| Fox | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4.7 | 0.7 |
| 0.6 | – | – | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| – | – | – | 0.7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| FS1 | – | 0.5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Total | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.4 | |
| Average | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
* One decimal place is shown in table but two decimal places are used in all calculations.
* Viewership figures for games streaming onESPN+ were not released.
The Memphis Showboats, the only UFL team to have their games broadcast on local radio in 2024, changed flagship stations toKXHT for the 2025 season,[163] following two years onWKIM.[164] The Houston Roughnecks resumed carrying Spanish language play-by-play via Deportes Nation, which had carried the 2020 Roughnecks.[165]
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