The spring football league formed following the merger of the XFL and the United States Football League will be known as the United Football League (UFL), the partners confirmed on Sunday.
In late November, federal regulators on Thursday approved the merger of the XFL – owned by former WWE star and actor Dwayne Johnson – and its spring rival, the USFL.
Details about the organization were initially unclear, but it has now been made clear that the XFL and USFL will merge their operations to form the UFL – with the league set to debut in late March.
In a joint statement, the partners said the UFL season will begin on March 30 with a clash between the Arlington Renegades and Birmingham Stallions, who are reigning champions of the XFL and USFL, respectively.
The UFL partners mentioned in the press release included three XFL owners – wrestler and movie star Johnson, his ex-wife Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital – along with USFL owner FOX Sports and ESPN.
The spring football league created following the merger of the XFL and the United States Football League will be known as the United Football League
XFL co-owner Dwayne The Rock Johnson gets the crowd excited for a February game
A giant flag is stretched over the field during the national anthem before a USFL game
“From day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture and innovation,” Johnson said in a news release.
“If we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting and very cool for football fans: a spring league with lasting impact for all players with a dream to play professional football and the 'hardest workers in the room' mentality to drive their to make dreams come true.'
Former XFL president/CEO Russ Brandon will hold the same title for the UFL. Daryl Johnston, former USFL president of football operations, will oversee the new league's football operations.
The Stallions join the Michigan Panthers, Houston Gamblers and Memphis Showboats as the former USFL teams that will transition to the UFL. The Renegades are currently the only XFL team included in the UFL.
The Washington Post reported Sunday that five
Other details, including broadcast rights and contract terms for players, are still being negotiated.
The XFL and USFL announced plans to merge in September after the latter relaunched in 2022 with support from Fox Sports. The XFL returned in 2020 and has since been acquired by Johnson and business partner Garcia.
Defenders fans 'feed the snake' during the first XFL Championship in May
The XFL was originally launched by WWE CEO Vince McMahon and NBC in 2001, but folded after one season of spring football.
McMahon has spent $200 million on restarting the league for the 2020 season, according to his lawyers.
Although a whopping 3 million viewers tuned in during the first week of 2020, the audience was about half that size five weeks later when playback stopped due to the pandemic.
The league declared bankruptcy in April 2020, leading to a legal battle between McMahon and XFL commissioner Oliver Luck, who filed a $23.8 million wrongful termination lawsuit against the wrestling mogul.
In his lawsuit, Luck included part of his agreement signed by McMahon that “irrevocably and unconditionally” guaranteed his $20 million salary.
McMahon claimed that Luck was fired for cause, but eventually relented and negotiated a settlement totaling $24 million.
The standout star of the original XFL was Rod Smart, who had “He Hate Me” embroidered on his uniform
Donald Trump and Herschel Walker worked with the New Jersey generals in the USFL
Steve Young of the USFL's LA Express in 1985
The USFL relaunched in 2022, four decades after the short-lived spring football league run that featured stars like Reggie White, Herschel Walker, Steve Young, Jim Kelly and future President Donald Trump.
The original USFL launched in 1983 but collapsed after three seasons due to out-of-control spending and an ill-conceived attempt by New Jersey Generals owner Trump to compete directly against the NFL with a fall season.
Ultimately, the USFL's most lasting legacy was the $3 verdict it “won” in an antitrust case against the NFL, a ruling that ended the league in 1986 before a Trump-backed move from spring to fall performed.