The United Football League (UFL) is a professional American football high-level minor league which started play in March 2024. The league was created following the XFL–USFL merger of the latest incarnations of the XFL and United States Football League (USFL). It consists of eight teams, all of whom were members of the XFL or USFL prior to the UFL's creation, concentrated in the Midwest and Southern United States.

History

XFL–USFL Merger

In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons. On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date. The merger would also require regulatory approval. In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League". On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024.

The merger was formally announced on Fox NFL Sunday on December 31, 2023. The eight surviving teams were announced the following day on College GameDay, along with the alignment; the XFL and USFL will survive as separate conferences. Daryl Johnston would note in February that maintaining the XFL and USFL conferences as separate entities was designed to build an on-field rivalry between the two brands and to give the winner of the league's championship "bragging rights". President/CEO Russ Brandon would later say that the league would be looking at expansion shortly, while Defenders defensive coordinator Gregg Williams revealed plans to expand to 12 teams by 2025 and to 16 teams by 2026.

2024 season

The 2024 UFL season began on March 30, 2024, with a matchup between the 2023 XFL champion Arlington Renegades and the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions.

**Американска футболна лига на САЩ (UFL)**

Американската футболна лига на САЩ (UFL) е професионална американска футболна лига, основана през 2009 г. Лигата се състои от четири отбора: Лас Вегас Локомотивс, Омаха Найнс, Сакраменто Маунтин Лънс и Вирджиния Войджърс.

UFL играе 10-седмичен редовен сезон, след който следват плейофи от два кръга. Шампионският мач на лигата се нарича UFL Шампионат.

Лигата е съставена от бивши играчи на NFL, както и от международни играчи. UFL има споразумение за развитие с NFL, което позволява на играчите да преминават между двете лиги.

UFL излъчва своите мачове по Versus и CBS Sports Network. Лигата също така има споразумение за предаване с ESPN, за да излъчва своите плейофни мачове.

UFL е вълнуваща нова лига, която бързо придобива популярност сред феновете на американския футбол. Лигата предлага уникална възможност на играчите да покажат уменията си и да преследват мечтите си за NFL.