2025 UFL season: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Line 7: | logo = United Football League 2024 logo black.png | caption = | duration = Regular season:<br /> March 28 – | no_of_games = 43 (40 regular-season games, 3{{nbsp}}postseason games) | no_of_teams = 8 Line 27: | conf2_runner-up = | finals = [[2025 UFL championship game|2025 UFL Championship]] | finals_venue = TBD | finals_link = | finals_champ = Line 45: | picked_by = [[Memphis Showboats (2022)|Memphis Showboats]] }} The '''2025 UFL season''' is the upcoming second season of the [[United Football League (2024)|United Football League]]. The [[2024 Birmingham Stallions season|Birmingham Stallions]] are the defending champions where they defeated the [[2024 San Antonio Brahmas season|San Antonio Brahmas]] 25–0 in the [[2024 UFL championship game|2024 UFL Championship Game]], the only shutout of the entire season, to win their third consecutive spring football championship, adding to their back-to-back championships in the rebooted USFL. ==Offseason== Line 56: ===Draft=== {{see also|2024 UFL draft}}
==Teams== As one of the conditions for approving the merger of the XFL and USFL, federal regulators were said to have "prefer(red) more opportunities" (eventual [[expansion team]]s) than the eight teams that were included in the 2024 season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCann |first=Michael |last2=Soshnick |first2=Scott |last3= |first3= |date=2023-11-30 |title=XFL, USFL Merger Approved by Federal Authorities |url=https://www.sportico.com/leagues/football/2023/xfl-usfl-merger-approved-1234748527/ |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=Sportico.com |language=en-US}}</ref> No such expansion is planned for 2025, nor are any relocations, as [[Daryl Johnston]] stated that the ticket sales in most of the poorer-selling markets could be improved by showing stability and following a more "traditional offseason calendar."<ref name=year2evolution>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Eric |date=June 18, 2024 |title=UFL 2024: Year 2 evolution to include more innovation, player development |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/ufl-2024-year-2-evolution-to-include-more-innovation-player-development/ar-BB1oskN8 |website=Fox Sports on MSN}}</ref> On September 13, 2024, the Houston Roughnecks announced that they would be returning to [[TDECU Stadium]] for the 2025 season, following renovations to that stadium. The previous incarnation of the [[Houston Roughnecks (2020)|Roughnecks]] had played at TDECU in 2020 and 2023; the current Roughnecks had played the 2024 season at [[Rice Stadium (Rice University)|Rice Stadium]] while TDECU Stadium was being renovated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Anthony |date=2024-09-13 |title=Houston Roughnecks to Return to TDECU Stadium for 2025 Season |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/ufl/ufl-news/houston-roughnecks-to-return-to-tdecu-stadium-for-2025-season |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=UFL |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Mark Perry|title=PR: Roughnecks to Play 2025 UFL Season at University of Houston’s TDECU Stadium|url=https://uflnewshub.com/ufl/pr-roughnecks-to-play-2025-ufl-season-at-university-of-houstons-tdecu-stadium/|website=uflnewshub.com|date=September 12, 2024|access-date=September 12, 2024|archive-date=September 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912172656/https://uflnewshub.com/ufl/pr-roughnecks-to-play-2025-ufl-season-at-university-of-houstons-tdecu-stadium/|url-status=live}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" Line 83: !scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | '''[[Houston Roughnecks (2024)|Houston Roughnecks]]''' | style="text-align:center;" | [[Houston|Houston, Texas]] | style="text-align:center;" | [[TDECU Stadium|TDECU Stadium]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 40,000 | style="text-align:center;" | 2020 Line 93: | style="text-align:center;" | 50,000 | style="text-align:center;" | 2023 | style="text-align:center;" | [[ |- !scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | [[Michigan Panthers (2022)|'''Michigan Panthers''']] Line 106: | style="text-align:center;" | [[Arlington, Texas]] | style="text-align:center;" | [[Choctaw Stadium]] |style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:center;" | 2020 | style="text-align:center;" | [[Bob Stoops]] Line 143: {{Location map~ |United States |lat=38.632778 |long=-90.188611 |mark=blue pog.svg |label=[[St. Louis BattleHawks|St. Louis]] |position=bottom}} }} == Players == Line 161 ⟶ 160: |Memphis Showboats |[[John DeFilippo]] |[[Ken Whisenhunt]]
|Resigned |DeFilippo had coached the Showboats in 2024 after coaching the contracted [[New Orleans Breakers (2022)|New Orleans Breakers]] in 2023, with a combined record of 9-11 ({{winpct|9|11}}), with his season with the Breakers at 7-3 ({{winpct|7|3}}) and the Showboats at 2-8 ({{winpct|2|8}}). His resignation coincides with the resignation of general manager [[Bill Polian#Personal life|Dennis Polian]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-03 |title=Memphis Showboats GM Stepping Down After One Season |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/ufl/ufl-news/memphis-showboats-gm-stepping-down-after-one-season |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=Sports Illustrated |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-10 |title=John DeFillippo resigns as coach of Memphis Showboats |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/john-defillippo-resigns-as-coach-of-memphis-showboats |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> Whisenhunt had spent the 2023 and part of the 2024 seasons as special assistant to head coach [[Kalen DeBoer]] at [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]]; he had extensive experience as an offensive coordinator at the college and NFL levels, and two stints as an NFL head coach for the [[Arizona Cardinals]] and [[Tennessee Titans]]. He was hired along with new general manager [[Jim Monos]] September 23, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dylan |first=Jonah |title=Former Cardinals, Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt hired by Memphis Showboats |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/2024/09/23/memphis-showboats-ken-whisenhunt-ufl-spring-football-jim-monos-john-defilippo/75349821007/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=The Commercial Appeal |language=en-US}}</ref> |} Line 171 ⟶ 172: ===Regular season=== The league is divided into two conferences, the [[United States Football League (2022)|USFL Conference]] and the [[XFL (2020)|XFL Conference]], each a continuation of its respective league. Each team will play a ten-game schedule with no bye weeks, playing two games against each conference rival (one home and one away) and one game against each team in the other conference, all eight teams playing in their home markets, starting on March 28.<ref name="SIBrandon">{{Cite web|title=UFL President Reveals League's Future Plans, Schedule, Vision|url=https://www.si.com/fannation/ufl/news/ufl-president-russ-brandon-future-plans-schedule-vision|website=SI.com |date=January 4, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=year2evolution/><ref>{{Cite web|author=Mark Perry|title=PR: United Football League (UFL) Returns March 28, Friday Night Games|url=https://uflnewshub.com/ufl/pr-united-football-league-ufl-returns-march-28-friday-night-games/|website=uflnewshub.com|date=September 17, 2024|access-date=September 17, 2024|archive-date=September 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917235524/https://uflnewshub.com/ufl/pr-united-football-league-ufl-returns-march-28-friday-night-games/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Sue Levine|title=All The UFL Needs For A Great 2025 Is Fantasy Football|url=https://uflnewshub.com/ufl/all-the-ufl-needs-for-a-great-2025-is-fantasy-football/|website=uflnewshub.com|date=September 18, 2024|access-date=September 18, 2024|archive-date=September 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920194301/https://uflnewshub.com/ufl/all-the-ufl-needs-for-a-great-2025-is-fantasy-football/|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to an increase in stadium conflicts with the [[Alamodome]] in 2025 compared to previous years, in particular the dome's hosting of the [[2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]] Final Four, the [[San Antonio Brahmas]] will only host four home games in 2025. Both of the Brahmas' in-division games against the [[St. Louis Battlehawks]] will be hosted at [[The Dome at America's Center]] in St. Louis, giving the Battlehawks six home games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schneider |first=Joey |date=August 21, 2024 |title=St. Louis Battlehawks to host extra sixth home game in 2025 season |url=https://fox2now.com/sports/battlehawks/st-louis-battlehawks-to-host-extra-sixth-home-game-in-2025-season/ |access-date=August 21, 2024 |website=[[KTVI]]}}</ref> Line 325 ⟶ 326: ===Postseason=== The playoffs will start on June {{2025 UFL playoffs}} Line 454 ⟶ 455: ==Media== ===Television=== In the United States, the television rights for the UFL are held by [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox]] and [[ESPN]] (which is under its third season of a five-year deal),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=May 17, 2022 |title=Disney Strikes Deal to Put XFL on ESPN, FX, ABC |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/disney-xfl-rights-deal-espn-fx-1235269996/ |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> <!--==Reception== {{Empty section|date=June 2024}}--> | |||