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Fox News
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
2025 UFL schedule: Scores, dates, times, channels, full week-by-week matchups
The 2025 UFL regular season is underway, and we've rounded up everything you need to know about this year's schedule. The 2025 season will consist of a 10-week regular-season schedule, with no bye weeks, followed by a two-week postseason consisting of XFL and USFL conference title games and the 2025 UFL Championship Game on June 14. All games will once again be aired on FOX, ABC and ESPN. Friday, April 4 Saturday, April 5 Sunday, April 6 Friday, April 11 Saturday, April 12 Sunday, April 13 Friday, April 18 Saturday, April 19 Sunday, April 20 Friday, April 25 Saturday, April 26 Sunday, April 27 Friday, May 2 Saturday, May 3 Sunday, May 4 Friday, May 9 Saturday, May 10 Sunday, May 11 Friday, May 16 Saturday, May 17 Sunday, May 18 Friday, May 23 Saturday, May 24 Sunday, May 25 Friday, May 30 Saturday, May 31 Sunday, June 1 Season tickets for the 2025 season are officially on sale, and fans can secure seats by visiting Season tickets will be available in Arlington, Birmingham, D.C., Houston, Memphis, San Antonio and St. Louis. Action began with UFL Kickoff Weekend on Friday, March 28, as the St. Louis Battlehawks visited the Houston Roughnecks. The kickoff game was the first of many games held on a Friday this year, as the league adds Friday night football to its 2025 campaign. All games in the new time slot will be broadcast on FOX. Opening weekend continued with the San Antonio Brahmas facing the Arlington Renegades on Saturday, March 29. Then, on Sunday the 30th, the Memphis Showboats hosted the Michigan Panthers, followed by the reigning UFL champion Birmingham Stallions hitting the road to battle the DC Defenders. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League
With the 2025 UFL season right around the corner, we've rounded up everything you need to know about the spring football league. What does UFL stand for? The United Football League (UFL) is a professional American spring football league created by merging the now defunct United States Football League (USFL) and Xtreme Football League (XFL). The 2024 season was the inaugural campaign of the rebranded league, which became an instant hit with football and sports fans alike. How many teams are there? There are eight total teams in the UFL — four former USFL and four former XFL teams. (There was one overlapping market in 2024, and the UFL opted to rebrand the USFL Houston franchise with the XFL Houston team name.) The USFL Conference is made up of the defending champion Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers. The XFL Conference includes the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks. [Read more: UFL announces the team matchups for 2025 season ] When does the season start? Action begins with UFL Kickoff Weekend on Friday, March 28, with the Battlehawks visiting the Roughnecks. The kickoff game will be the first of many games held on a Friday this year, as the league adds Friday night football to its 2025 campaign. All games in the new time slot will be broadcast on FOX. Opening weekend continues with the Brahmas facing the Renegades on Saturday, March 29. Then, on Sunday the 30th, the Showboats host the Panthers, followed by the Stallions hitting the road to battle the Defenders. [Read more: 2025 UFL schedule: Dates, times, when does the regular season start?] The UFL is owned by FOX Sports, RedBird Capital Partners, Dany Garcia and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. FOX Sports owns half of the league, while the other half is shared by the other three. Garcia was previously the co-owner and chair of the XFL. How many weeks are in the season? The 2025 season will consist of a 10-week regular-season schedule, with no bye weeks, followed by a two-week postseason consisting of XFL and USFL conference title games and the 2025 UFL Championship Game on June 14. All games will be aired on FOX, ABC and ESPN. How can I go to a UFL game this season? Season tickets for the 2025 season are available in Arlington, Birmingham, D.C., Houston, Memphis, San Antonio and St. Louis and are on sale now. Fans can secure seats by visiting . Single-game tickets for all eight teams will go on sale on Thursday, February 27. Who won last year? The Stallions shut out the Brahmas in the inaugural UFL Championship Game last year, 25-0. The victory marked the third straight spring football title for Birmingham after back-to-back USFL championships in 2022 and 2023. Who's the favorite to win this season? The Stallions are early favorites to win it all, according to BetMGM as of Feb. 20. What can fans expect this season? Innovation and player development will continue to be mainstays as the league works to improve both the on-field product and growth in the home markets. The UFL will focus on building on the innovations that have already influenced the NFL, including the league adopting the former XFL's kickoff rule, along with UFL's TrU Line ball-spotting technology, expanding coach-to-player communication, sideline tablet video availability and the transparency of the spring league's official replay system. Yes! In fact, more than 250 of last season's 400 UFL players (60%) were called to the NFL for workouts after Year 1, with 78 individuals signing contracts to attend 30 NFL team training camps and 21 stars landing on NFL rosters. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Boston Globe
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Coming soon for the NFL: 18-game seasons, Super Bowl on Presidents' Day weekend, and more
▪ The regular season will be 18 games long. For 43 years (1978-2020) the NFL season was 16 games long, with most teams playing four preseason games. In 2021 the NFL transitioned to a 17 and three setup, and now 18 and two is on the horizon. The Super Bowl is set for the next two seasons, but the 2027 season is wide open for a schedule change. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The NFL can't increase to 18 games without consent from the NFL Players Association, and commissioner Roger Goodell said that talks with the NFLPA only have been informal. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell pushed back against the 18-game schedule this past week at the Super Bowl. Advertisement 'When I have talked to the players over the last two seasons, no one wants to play an 18th game. No one,' Howell said. But he's likely just posturing. And the NFL is also waging a public relations battle. The league announced recently that the 2024 season saw the fewest concussions since the NFL began tracking them in 2015, which helps the NFL justify adding an 18th game. 'Because of the safety of our game, the advances we made in how we're training in the offseason, how we're training in the preseason … This year, the data on safety has been extraordinary,' Goodell said. The NFLPA will want concessions on international travel, a second bye week, and a larger cut of revenue. But an 18th game means there's more money to be made for both sides — teams and players — so it seems certain to happen before the end of this decade, and potentially as soon as 2027. Related : Advertisement ▪ Week 1 games held on three continents. The Kickoff Game probably won't be altered, as the NFL likes opening the season with the defending Super Bowl champions raising their new banner. But the NFL is going full throttle with its international expansion, and Week 1 provides a unique opportunity for the league to play games in far-flung locales. The NFL was pleased with its experience this year in Brazil, where the Eagles and Packers played on Friday night of Week 1 to give them extra rest after the long flight home. Now a similar schedule is being considered for the first game in Melbourne, set to be a Rams home game in 2026. The teams might spend the last 1-2 weeks of training camp in Australia, play their game on Friday night (Saturday morning in Australia), then land back in the United States on Saturday. Related : The NFL hasn't announced another Brazil game but wants to go back. And the deal with Melbourne is for games in 2026 and 2027. So it's a real possibility that Kickoff Weekend could feature games in the United States, South America, and Australia. ▪ Sixteen international games overall. Current NFL rules allow for a maximum of eight international games per season, and the 2025 schedule currently has six scheduled: Three in London (Browns, Jets, and Jaguars as the home teams), and one each in Madrid (Dolphins), Berlin (Colts), and Dublin (Steelers). Brazil and Mexico City are up in the air. Goodell sees a world in the near future where every team plays an international game every year. 'We do think that 16 [international games] is something that is realistic,' he said. 'And so that's our job, is to try to bring more access on a global basis.' Advertisement ▪ Lasers measuring first downs. The NFL isn't tennis or soccer, which uses technology to efficiently and accurately determine whether a ball is in or out. The NFL has the concept of possession, and forward progress, and an oddly-shaped ball. There always will be a human element to whistling a play dead and spotting the ball. But the appearance of using humans, and not technology, to spot the ball and measure first downs makes the $20 billion NFL look cheap. With the NFL being sensitive to appearances, don't be surprised if the league replaces the human chain gang with lasers in the next few years. 'We tested, I think, in the preseason this past year, on being able to use that technology,' Goodell said. 'I think technology is advancing at such a pace that we obviously incorporate that into our game. But you really need to test it, make sure your data is right, and then implement it when you think you have it right.' ▪ The Super Bowl on Presidents' Day weekend. It's an idea that makes all kinds of sense. The country is watching the big game on Sunday night, so who wouldn't want a day off from work the next day? Moving to a 17-game schedule in 2021 pushed the Super Bowl back a week, and moving to 18 games should push the game to Presidents' Day weekend. Football fans actually will get a dry run in the 2026 season. The Super Bowl is set for Feb. 14, 2027, and Presidents' Day falls on the 15th. Trade winds DE Garrett, WR Kupp on the move? Super Bowl week began with a splash, but one that didn't involve either the Chiefs or Eagles. Two of the NFL's biggest names hit the trade market in Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett and Rams receiver Cooper Kupp . Advertisement Garrett, a four-time All Pro in eight NFL seasons and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, requested a trade. The Browns are 53-78-1 (.405) with just two playoff appearances in Garrett's time, and he wants to play for a contender instead of trying to play his entire career with one franchise. Garrett also likely wants a new contract, as he is undervalued at $19.8 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026, the final two years of his deal. Browns GM Andrew Berry said recently he wants Garrett to retire a Brown, and that he wouldn't trade Garrett for two first-round picks. But Berry likely will be flooded with offers, and he might not be able to say no to all of them. Garrett obviously makes sense for any team, but he would be a boon for the Falcons (31st in sacks), Dolphins (27th), 49ers (23rd), Lions (23rd), Bills (18th), Eagles (13th), or Commanders (11th). The rebuilding Patriots probably don't fit the profile of the type of team Garrett is looking to join, but Mike Vrabel was with the Browns last year and the Patriots need to make a splash, so keep an eye on New England. As for Kupp, he announced this past week that the Rams will look to trade him this offseason. While still a productive receiver at 31, Kupp has had trouble staying healthy the last three seasons, starting 33 of 51 games (including playoffs) while producing some of the lowest stats of his career in 2024. He's due $39.9 million over the final two years of his contract, so any trade might have to come with a reworked contract, or he may be flat-out released. Kupp is probably not the answer for the Patriots, but he could be a good fit for a team that runs the Sean McVay offense, like the Vikings, Jaguars, or 49ers. Advertisement Myles Garrett, a four-time All Pro in eight NFL seasons and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, requested a trade out of Cleveland. Terrance Williams/Associated Press Favoring the Chiefs? Referees fight back on conspiracy theories It's understandable the NFL doesn't enjoy conspiracy theories about the officials favoring Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. But everyone's starting to get a little too sensitive about it. Roger Goodell first fired back at the critics at his news conference this past Monday. 'That's a ridiculous theory for anyone who might take it seriously,' Goodell said. 'I think the men and women that officiate in the NFL are outstanding. They have the highest possible standards.' Then on Tuesday, the NFL Referees Association felt like it had to weigh in. 'Commissioner Goodell's comments that it is 'ridiculous' to presume that NFL Officials are not doing everything possible to make the right call on every play is spot on,' said Scott Green , executive director of the NFLRA. 'Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice each regular season. It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.' Then on Wednesday, someone (presumably from the league office or NFLRA) Tua Tagovailoa (7.32 flags per 100 hits taken), followed by Josh Allen (6.73 flags), with Mahomes ranking eighth (3.53 flags). Note: Fans are always going to complain about the officials. Just laugh it off and move on. The Chiefs are just plain annoying Share WATCH: Senior assistant sports editor Katie McInerney has Kansas City fatigue. But as long as Patrick Mahomes is in the Super Bowl, the NFL is still winning. Leaving New Orleans LB Baun turned into a star with Eagles Zack Baun left the Saints last year disappointed in his four-year tenure. A third-round pick in 2020, Baun struggled as a backup edge rusher, compiling only two sacks in four years and never playing more than 27 percent of snaps in a season. He signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Eagles in the offseason, plus a $1 million Pro Bowl bonus that seemed like a fantasy. But Baun returned to New Orleans last week a hero. The Eagles moved him to off-the-ball linebacker, and Baun blossomed into a star, finishing with 151 tackles, 3½ sacks and 5 forced fumbles to earn a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro. His next contract should be quite larger. 'When I was here, I didn't really know what I needed. I just knew it didn't necessarily feel right, and maybe I wasn't getting it right away,' Baun said this past week. 'I blame myself for a lot of it, getting in my own way. It taught me patience — if you're not where you want to be right away, don't stop working, continue to work hard and just keep going for it.' Eagles got their men Rookies Mitchell and DeJean were home runs The Eagles hit a home run in this year's NFL Draft. Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell , the 22nd pick, finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, while fellow defensive back Cooper DeJean , taken 40th in the second round, finished fourth. The way the Eagles tell it, they were glad just to get one of those guys, let alone both. 'The entire early part of the draft was all offense, mainly quarterbacks, so we never thought that Quinyon Mitchell would be a possibility,' Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. 'And the irony of it all is we had another player have an equal grade, which has almost never happened in my history — it's literally a tie. And so when we chose Quinyon, we made a commitment to do everything possible to get Cooper, and we never thought it would be possible. We went to bed that night and said, 'There's just no way.' ' Then on Day 2, the Eagles thought they were out of luck when the Rams traded up to 39, one spot in front of Philadelphia. 'We threw up our hands and said, 'OK, they got him a pick ahead of us,' but they took Braden Fiske ,' Lurie said. 'Sometimes things work out. In this case, we had two players we projected as major stars in the league, and we got them.' Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, the 22nd pick, finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Daniel Kucin Jr./Associated Press MVP vs. All-Pro Star choices made for interesting voting There was no wrong choice for MVP between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson (disclosure: I voted for Allen). But the 50 voters found an interesting way to split the baby, awarding Jackson first team All-Pro at quarterback, and Allen the MVP. This year marks just the third time since 1961 that a player won at least a share of the MVP without being named first team. The others were in 2003 when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-MVPs, and 1987 when John Elway won MVP after losing out on first team to Joe Montana . For All-Pro, Jackson received 30 votes for first team while Allen got 18 (including mine) and Joe Burrow two. But for MVP, Allen received 27 first-place votes, and Jackson only 23, which was enough to swing the results. The Associated Press published the results of all 50 ballots, but did not reveal the nine voters who voted Allen for MVP but not first team. I'd love to hear those voters' rationale. Josh Allen speaks to the crowd after winning NFL MVP. David J. Phillip/Associated Press Extra points Got to love Jets owner Woody Johnson , who is nothing if not predictable. Instead of entrusting his top executives to conduct the search for a new coach and general manager, Johnson hired former GMs Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman of The 33rd Team as consultants. Sure enough, after hiring coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey , who did the Jets hire last week as a senior football adviser? None other than Spielman himself. The Jets also hired Broncos scout Rob Paton , the brother of Broncos GM George Paton , who was Spielman's righthand man for years in Minnesota. Let's see if Tannenbaum is next to join the Jets in some capacity … Texans GM Nick Caserio tapped into his old connections to reshape the offense. He promoted former Patriots offensive line coach Cole Popovich to run game coordinator, hired former Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley as offensive coordinator, and hired former Patriots assistant coach Jerry Schuplinski for an unknown role. Schuplinski was a college teammate of Caserio's at John Carroll University over 25 years ago, and Caley is a John Carroll grad as well … Remember last year leading up to the Super Bowl when the 49ers and NFLPA complained about the quality of the grass field that was laid on top of the artificial turf at UNLV? A Chiefs source said Friday there were no such issues this year at Tulane University, with the grass field holding up perfectly throughout the week … Former Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt received a fifth-place vote for Assistant Coach of the Year from CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala … According to Goodell, the NFL had the same number of concussions on kickoff plays in 2023 and 2024 (eight). But there were 332 more kick returns in 2024. 'We were able to bring [the concussion rate] more in line with a line of scrimmage play, and still bring 332 new plays into the game,' he said … Former 10-year offensive tackle Ryan Harris , now a Notre Dame broadcaster who played with the Chiefs in 2014, passed along this terrific nugget over dinner: A staple of Andy Reid's coaching is to use three different snap counts within the first 10 plays of the game. It makes it tougher for the defensive linemen to jump the snap count throughout the game, and can create more false starts and free plays. Ben Volin can be reached at
