The UFL – the United Football League – is back, bringing its brand of football to the spring, for those of us who cannot get enough of the sport.
Hey, our site IS called “The Football Beat,” after all.
The league officially opens its second season on Friday, March 28, when the St. Louis Battlehawks travel south to take on the Houston Roughnecks.
Other games that weekend have San Antonio, who lost to Birmingham in the UFL Championship last spring, on the road at Arlington to take on the Renegades; the Memphis Showboats will host the Michigan Panthers; and defending champ Birmingham is on the road, as well, facing the D.C. Defenders.
See a complete first-weekend schedule below.
The league was actually very good in its first season, in 2024. In case you don’t remember, it was a merger in late 2023 of the former spring leagues the XFL and the United States Football League (USFL).
The eight teams listed above comprise the league, which is televised in broad fashion on both FOX and ESPN.
The teams each have a 75-man roster, cut down to 50 for the regular season.
Many of the league’s rules – really, most of them – are rules utilized across the landscape of football, although they do have the onside conversion, instead of the onside kick.
If a team trails in the fourth quarter, they can attempt what amounts to a fourth-down conversion from their own 28-yard-line. If they make the yards to gain, that team gets to keep the ball, rather than have to give it up to their opponent.
Also of major impact: defensive pass interference is not a spot foul, as it is in the NFL. Pass interference carries a 15-yard penalty from the previous line of scrimmage.
The Football Beat looks forward to being on hand for the UFL’s second season, covering it for you. We’ll all see if the Birmingham Stallions can repeat: Birmingham defeated San Antonio in the first-ever UFL Championship in St. Louis on June 16, 2024.
This year’s championship game is June 14.
Next week, we’ll preview each of the UFL’s eight teams here on TFB. We’ll preview two teams each day next week, from Monday through Thursday, leading up to the season openers.
Now, that first weekend schedule:
- St. Louis Battlehawks at Houston Roughnecks, at Houston’s TDECU Stadium; Friday, March 28, at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central, televised on FOX.
- San Antonio Brahmas at Arlington Renegades, at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington; Saturday, March 29 at 4 p.m. Eastern, 3 Central, also on FOX.
- Michigan Panthers at Memphis Showboats, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium; Sunday, March 30 at noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central, televised on ESPN.
- Birmingham Stallions at D.C. Defenders, Audi Field in Washington, D.C.; Sunday, March 30, at 3 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Central, also televised on ESPN.
Here’s a link for tickets: UFL Tickets 2025 – UFL Tickets, Teams, and Schedule | Ticketmaster.
And if you want to deck out in any of the teams’ gear, here you go: Official UFL Store.
