XFL-USFL Merger Potentially Benefits CFL
Over the past half-decade, there have been many attempts in the United States to create an alternative professional football league other than the NFL. Many have failed in the process.
Fans have seen the XFL in 2020 and 2023, while the USFL has had two completed seasons in 2022 and 2023. Now the two leagues are combining forces.
That could be a good thing for the CFL. It could mean more talent coming north.
The XFL and USFL announced back in September that they intended to merge pending federal approval. New surfaced Thursday that the two leagues have been approved through the antitrust review resulting in a merger being official. The kickoff for the new merged league be March 30, 2024.
NEWS: USFL-XFL merger has cleared federal antitrust review, the new entity is planning a 2024 season to kick off March 30.
— Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) November 30, 2023
The two leagues released a joint statement regarding the matter.
“We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new League in the coming weeks.”
The top executive for the new league will be current XFL CEO Russ Brandon.
Those are the only facts that have been confirmed as of the release of this article.
There have been rumors regarding what the new league will look like. Sources told XFL and USFL reporter Mike Mitchell that the new league will be called the UFL (United Football League) with eight teams playing in 2024. One source told Mitchell the markets will be Arlington, Houston, San Antonio, St. Louis, Washington DC, Birmingham, Michigan and Memphis.
The growing sense from sources within the USFL and XFL is that the new league will be branded as the UFL with only eight teams existing in 2024. With the remaining markets being put on ‘pause mode’.
— Mike Mitchell (@ByMikeMitchell) November 30, 2023
One close source has indicated that the returning markets for the new merged… https://t.co/tuVn7q2HuZ
Again, these locations and the league name have not been confirmed or finalized by the new merger league.
One lingering question from CFL fans is how this will affect their league in 2024. It will open a world of possibilities for more players and coaches to join the CFL.
The CFL has competed with the XFL and USFL for players and coaches over the last four years. One notable player that left the CFL for the XFL was Montreal Alouettes linebacker Darnell Sankey, who went to play for the 2023 XFL Champion Arlington Renegades. Sankey since has returned to the CFL with Montreal and won the Grey Cup in November.
If the new merger league has eight teams, there will be many openings for players and coaches to consider moving north to Canada to play in the CFL. There is too much speculation to truly know the impact on the CFL, but less teams in America only means more opportunities in Canada.
CFL Commissioner Looking for 'Conclusion' to Expansion Talks
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.