United Football League: What is the UFL? 2024 schedule, how to watch, teams, players & rules

The first-ever UFL season kicks off in March 2024, and we have you covered with everything you need to know about the spring football league.

This will include what the UFL is, how to watch the UFL, the 2024 schedule, teams, notable players and the league's rules.

What is the UFL?

The United Football League is a new Spring football league set to make its debut on March 30, 2024 and is a combination of the United States Football League (USFL) and XFL. 

Those two leagues played separate seasons in 2023 but made the decision to merge into one starting in 2024.

The UFL is made up of a total of eight teams, four from the USFL and four from the XFL.

The league is co-owned by Fox Corporation, RedBird Capital Partners, world famous actor and entertainer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Dany Garcia.

How to watch the UFL, TV channel and streaming

In the United States, the UFL will be broadcast on Fox, FS1, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Streaming will be available on any service that carries the aforementioned networks, such as YouTube TV or fuboTV.

UFL 2024 schedule

Below we have listed the key dates for the 2024 UFL season, which starts on Saturday, March 30 and ends on Sunday, June 16, 024

Week 1: Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31
Week 2: Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7
Week 3: Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14
Week 4: Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21
Week 5: Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28
Week 6: Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5
Week 7: Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12
Week 8: Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19
Week 9: Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26
Week 10: Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2

Conference Championships: Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9
UFL Championship: Sunday, June 16 at 5:00 PM ET

List of UFL teams

USFL Conference

• Birmingham Stallions

• Houston Roughnecks

• Memphis Showboats

• Michigan Panthers

XFL Conference

• Arlington Renegades

• D.C. Defenders

• San Antonio Brahmas

• St. Louis Battlehawks

UFL notable players

The majority of the UFL is made up of former college football players, most of whom tried to go to the NFL, but did not have the success they were looking for.

There are a few names who stick out among the UFL rosters, which we have briefly discussed below:

A.J. McCarron - St. Louis Battlehawks (QB)

Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron won the 2009 National Championship and spent many years in the NFL, primarily as a backup.

He also previously spent time with the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2022, before returning to the NFL in 2023 with the Cincinnati Bengals.

However, in February of 2024 McCarron was released from his contract and returned to the Battlehawks for the upcoming UFL season.

Jordan Ta'amu - D.C. Defenders (QB)

Former Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta'amu has spent plenty of time in the XFL and USFL and has previously played for the St. Louis Battlehawks and the D.C. Defenders.

He led the USFL in passing yards and touchdowns in 2022 and was the XFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2023. 

UFL rules

Most of the rules in the UFL are similar or the same when compared to the NFL or college football, however, there are some distinct differences, which we have explained below:

The biggest difference between the UFL and NFL/college football is there are no traditional extra points. Instead of kicking an extra point, the offense will decide to go for one, two, or three points.

A one-point try will be from the two-yard line, a two-point try will be from the five yard line, and a three-point try will be from the 10-yard line.

Another major difference is that there are no onside kicks. If a team decides they want to try and get the ball back after scoring, they will need to convert a "fourth down onside kick". With this rule, the ball will be placed at the 28-yard line and the offense will need to convert a fourth and 12 to retain the ball.

Essentially, the offense will get to run one play to try and reach their own 40-yard line. If they convert, the offense will stay on the field, but if they fail, the opposing team will take over possession.

These two rules are unique to the UFL and should make watching that much more exciting when the league kicks off this weekend on March 30.