USFL, XFL Unveil Merger, Operations To Be Played As United Football League

By Barry Janoff

UPDATED January 1, 2024: The 2024 ten-game season for the United Football League — the spring football league that will result from the merger of the XFL and USFL — is scheduled to begin March 30, 2024.

Russ Brandon, former president and CEO of the XFL, will lead the UFL as President and CEO. Daryl Johnston, former USFL president of football operations, will lead football operations.

Games will air on Fox and ESPN platforms.

The UFL has set its eight markets and secured head coaches for each team, according to ESPN. Owners include Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital Partners.

Also that weekend: NCAA Men’s and Women’s March Madness, NBA, NHL, MLB Opening Weekend, MLS, Nascar, NWSL, PGA, ATP, WTA.

September 28, 2023: In order to keep their plans for a pro football spring league viable, the United States Football League and the XFL today unveiled their intention to merge, with a league name, cities, locations, finances, media and other logistics still to be determined.

“The Regulatory review process is underway and does not come with any guaranteed outcomes,” the two leagues said in a joint statement.

The second incarnation of the USFL is run under the auspices of Fox Corp.

Current ownership said this version of USFL is a “new, independent football league controlled by Fox Sports through USFL HoldCo, LLC, a new business entity, and it is not associated or affiliated with the USFL of the 1980s or its owners.”

The third version of the XFL is owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, business partner Dany Grcia and Redbird Capital Partners.

This was the first season that both leagues played during consecutive and concurrent months.

Indications of a merger were reported by Axios earlier this week.

“Subject to customary regulatory approvals and if the transaction is consummated, the new league will establish best-in-class operations based on the most recent seasons of both leagues,” according to both sides via a joint statement.

“This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together.

“More details regarding the new league will follow.”

The USFL initially played from 1983-85 before folding, then relaunched for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

XFL games this year aired on ESPN and ABC platforms from February to May; USFL games this year aired on Fox and NBC Sports from April to June.

The XFL played one season in 2001, then lasted less than two months in 2020, both times under the majority ownership of Vince McMahon, WWE chairman.

Johnson, Garcia and Redbird acquired rights to the XFL for $15 million in 2020 and played a full season earlier this year.

Each league operated this year with eight teams.

“The new league will establish best-in-class operations atop the foundation built over the USFL and XFL’s most recent seasons, cementing the future professional spring football, and further enhancing the development of its player, coaches and staff,” the USFL posted to social media.

“We are extremely proud of what we have built over the past two season, We have shown that the professional spring football model can work — and, in many ways, have done what many football and business minds thought was impossible: The USFL ;became the first spring league at scale in approximately 40 years to come back and play a second season.”

According to the USFL, “Meanwhile, the XFL defined its own success this past season emanating that the time is right to combine the USDL and XFL.”

Both sides said the USFL agreed to terms with the XFL’s ownership group and “recently submitted the necessary filings of the proposed merger.

“While this creates many questions . . . we are excited about the future."

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