USFL, XFL Merging into ‘United Football League’ This Spring; How and When to Stream New League’s Games
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced the impending combination of the two spring football leagues on New Year’s Eve.
The NFL playoffs might be just around the corner, but diehard football fans who are ready for the beginning of the spring football season will note things look quite a bit different in 2024 than they did in 2023. That’s because the USFL and XFL are merging, as announced by XFL co-owners Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia on “NFL on Fox” on New Year’s Eve.
- XFL and USFL are joining to create the new “United Football League.
- The league’s season will start on March 30, 2024.
- Games will appear on ABC, ESPN, Fox and FS1.
Will UFL Have All Teams From the USFL and XFL?
The announcement of the United Football League’s (UFL) creation was not accompanied by details about which teams would be incorporated into the merged league, nor was a schedule revealed. An official press release promised those details would be available soon, however.
Watch Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia Announce the Creation of the UFL:
The XFL was first resurrected by Johnson, Garcia and their fellow co-owners RedBird Capital Partners in 2023. The USFL came back in 2022, but it seems that neither league was able to draw a large enough fanbase to continue independently.
“From day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture and innovation,” said Johnson in a statement. “As we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting and very cool for football fans – a spring league with lasting impact for all the players with a dream to play pro football and the ‘hardest workers in the room’ mentality to make their dreams come true.”
Where Will New UFL’s Games Stream?
At the moment, there aren’t enough details available from UFL officials on the broadcast and streaming arrangements for the new league’s games. ESPN and Fox are officially partners in the league’s games; XFL matchups used to air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, FX, and ESPN+, while the USFL sent its games to Fox and NBC; NBC will not carry any UFL games.
It seems unlikely that a new league trying to gain traction with fans would narrow its distribution, so there’s a good chance that UFL games will continue to stream on ESPN+; however, that is not confirmed. ESPN, FS1, ABC, and Fox are available to stream in most media markets on DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. Sling TV carries Fox in 18 markets, and all games appearing on ABC will also stream on ESPN3.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $94.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| Fox | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| FS1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
If the merged UFL makes it past its inaugural season, its games could stream on ESPN’s new platform that is due to launch in 2025. The new ESPN streamer will offer all the content users can watch on linear ESPN, without the need for a cable subscription.
Fans will be able to start watching the new UFL on March 30. Keep checking back with The Streamable to learn how to stream individual games from the new league, and how many of its contests will be available to watch on ESPN+.
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