The UFL—the joint league created in the wake of the XFL and USFL's merger—announced its schedule for the 2024 season on Monday, starting with a Saturday, March 30 matchup between the Birmingham Stallions and Arlington Raiders at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.
That will pit the two champions from last season against each other, with the Stallions winning the USFL last year and the Raiders topping the XFL.
Teams will play a 10-game schedule this season and practice in a central location in Texas. Each team will host five games in their home markets, with broadcasts during the season on Fox, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
"The UFL will now have exceptional platforms through which fans can experience spring football. We are equally excited to welcome new and returning fans back into our buildings this season so they can immerse themselves in the energy around spring football," UFL president and CEO Russ Brandon said in a statement. "Our players are here to perform and to reach the next level, and our fans are going to be treated to an excellent on-field product and in-stadium experience."
A number of alternative leagues have attempted to step into the void left in the NFL and college football offseason, to varying degrees of success. The Alliance of American Football didn't last a season. The Arena Football League was one of the few alternatives that had some longevity, with runs between 1987-08 and 2010-19.
Both the USFL and XFL have had multiple iterations. The USFL first existed between 1983-85 as a summertime option for football fans and was revived in 2022.
The XFL, meanwhile, offered a professional wrestling perspective on the sport in its inaugural season in 2001 but folded after just one year. It was again revived in 2020 but was canceled midseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A third attempt at the league came in 2023, a full season was held before before the USFL merger.
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