Timeline of the XFL and USFL

This timeline of the United Football League (UFL) tracks the history of each of the league's eight franchises from their enfranchisements in the XFL and USFL, through the merger of the two leagues, and to the present day.

2018–2020: Rebirth of the XFL


On January 25, 2018, Vince McMahon announced a new incarnation of the XFL, which would begin with a 10-week inaugural season beginning in January or February 2020. In a press conference, McMahon stated that the new XFL would be dissimilar to its previous incarnation. The XFL revealed team names and logos on August 21, 2019.

On March 12, 2020, the league canceled the remainder of its regular-season games over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the league still planned on having a 2021 season; it was exploring relocating as many as three of its teams, with the league contacting authorities in San Antonio, Texas, in early April about potentially placing a franchise there. Other potential 2021 actions included moving the Tampa Bay Vipers to Orlando and the New York Guardians to a smaller New Jersey stadium, Red Bull Arena.

On April 13, the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, stating that the coronavirus pandemic had deprived the league of tens of millions of dollars in revenue. As part of the bankruptcy agreement, McMahon agreed not to buy back the XFL.

2021–2022: Founding of the USFL


On August 3, 2020, it was reported that a consortium led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (through Cardinale's fund RedBird Capital Partners) purchased the XFL for $15 million just hours before an auction could take place; the purchase received court approval on August 7, 2020.

On March 10, 2021, it was announced that the XFL and CFL had entered into formal talks ahead of "opportunities for the leagues to collaborate, innovate, and grow the game of football". On July 7, 2021, both leagues ended the discussions with no agreement; in the same statement, the XFL cancelled its 2022 season, intending to return in "Spring 2023".

On June 3, 2021, it was announced that the United States Football League would be making a return and would begin its inaugural season in April 2022. Fox was also announced as a minority owner in the league.

On January 25, 2022, the city of Birmingham announced that the league headquarters would be in Birmingham, and all games of the 2022 USFL season would be played at Protective Stadium and Legion Field.

The first game was played on April 16, 2022, between the Birmingham Stallions and the New Jersey Generals at Protective Stadium. The game was broadcast by Fox and NBC, the first football game simulcast on over-the-air broadcast networks since the final week of the 2007 NFL regular season. Upon the conclusion of its first season, the league became the first high-level spring football league to complete a season since the original iteration of the XFL in 2001, following the early shutdown of the AAF and COVID-19-induced hiatus of the second XFL in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

2023: USFL and XFL


On April 6, 2022, a report came out that sources close to the league had mentioned that XFL would be keeping five teams in their original 2020 locations (DC Defenders, St. Louis BattleHawks, Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks and Seattle Dragons), following through with the Vipers proposed move to Orlando, and adding two new teams in San Antonio and Las Vegas. The teams in San Antonio and Las Vegas would replace the New York Guardians and the Los Angeles Wildcats, respectively.

On June 27, 2022, Fox Sports confirmed to Sports Business Journal that the USFL would return for another season in 2023. There would be no expansion that year, and the league would continue to use a hub model, with "two to four" locations housing all eight teams.

On July 25, 2022, Johnson and Garcia held an XFL Townhall at Texas Live! where they confirmed team locations, venues, and staff allocation. All 2020 XFL teams except the Los Angeles Wildcats would return. They would be replaced by a team in San Antonio, with the Tampa Bay Vipers and New York Guardians relocating to Las Vegas and Orlando respectively. The league announced that all teams would hold practices at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas during the week and travel to their respective home stadiums for games.

On November 15, 2022, the USFL and the City of Memphis, Tennessee announced that the Tampa Bay Bandits organization would effectively be relocated to Memphis as the Memphis Showboats. The team played all of its home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, sharing the stadium with the Houston Gamblers, which also served as another "hub" site for the league to host multiple teams at in addition to Birmingham.

It was later revealed that Ford Field would be the home of the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars, while Rynearson Stadium would host the teams' practices.

On January 25, 2023, the league announced that the New Jersey Generals and the Pittsburgh Maulers would play their home games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.