USFL to Return in Spring 2022 with at Least 8 Teams; Will Be Broadcast on Fox Sports
Thirty-five years after the United States Football League ceased operations, the league is being resurrected, with play set to begin in the spring of 2022.
Per an official release, the new USFL will "target a minimum of eight teams" and all games will be broadcast on Fox Sports.
There have been multiple attempts over the years to launch a professional spring football league after the NFL season ends. The Alliance of American Football launched in February 2018, but it folded eight weeks into its inaugural season.
A new version of the XFL kicked off in February 2020, but play was suspended the following month because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league folded and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2020.
Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale purchased the XFL for $15 million before it went up for auction.
The original USFL ran for three seasons from 1983-85. A fourth season in 1986 was planned for the fall and winter months to go head-to-head with the NFL amid constant pressure from Donald Trump, who owned the New Jersey Generals, but the league folded because of significant financial losses.
The USFL filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL for acting as a monopoly on pro football. The USFL did win its case, but the league was only awarded $3.76 after interest and spent more than $6 million in court costs.
Brian Woods, founder and CEO of The Spring League, is a co-founder of the relaunched USFL.
“We look forward to providing players a new opportunity to compete in a professional football league and giving fans everywhere the best football viewing product possible during what is typically a period devoid of professional football," Woods said in the release.
In addition to being the broadcast home of the USFL, Fox Sports owns a minority equity stake in the league.