The USFL-XFL spring football leagues formally announced on Monday the two would be merging to become the United Football League for the 2024 season.
After a 2023 season that saw both the USFL and XFL partially compete head-to-head, the leagues announced back on Sept. 28 their intent to merge and received approval from federal regulators Nov. 30.
Former XFL president/CEO Russ Brandon will hold the same title for the UFL, and former USFL president of football operations Daryl Johnston will lead the new league's football operations.
A news release listed five UFL "partners": the three XFL owners -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital Partners -- USFL owner Fox Sports (represented by CEO Eric Shanks) and ESPN (represented by chairman Jimmy Pitaro). Disney/ESPN was the exclusive broadcast partner of the 2023 XFL season.
The eight team league will feature teams exclusively located in either the Eastern or Central time zones. The teams will be split into two conferences that are named after the leagues that formed them. Four XFL coaches and four USFL coaches were retained.
USFL conference
Birmingham Stallions: Skip Holtz
Houston Roughnecks: Curtis Johnson
Memphis Showboats: John DeFilippo
Michigan Panthers: Mike Nolan
XFL conference
Arlington Renegades: Bob Stoops
D.C. Defenders: Reggie Barlow
San Antonio Brahmas: Wade Phillips
St. Louis Battlehawks: Anthony Becht
Both leagues both had a franchise in Houston in 2023. The UFL decided to keep the XFL team's brand but named the USFL team's coach.
Training camp is slated to begin on Feb. 24 with players reporting to Arlington, Texas, where the XFL trained last season. The regular season will feature 10 games and schedule will be released at a later date.
During the press conference, the UFL did confirm that its March 30 opener will be played between the leagues' 2023 champions: the Arlington Renegades (XFL) and Birmingham Stallions (USFL).
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