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XFL and USFL in talks for a potential merger

A merger would establish a single, unified spring football league.

The Philadelphia Stars are a founding member of the revived USFL, which is in talks to merge with the XFL.
The Philadelphia Stars are a founding member of the revived USFL, which is in talks to merge with the XFL.Read moreAndy Lyons/USFL / Getty Images

The XFL and the USFL are negotiating a potential merger, according to several media reports.

The official announcement could come as early as this week, according to Axios. A merger would establish a single, unified spring football league. Currently, the XFL’s season runs from winter to early spring, after the end of the NFL season. The USFL operates from April to early July.

The XFL was purchased by a group including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale in 2020. The XFL was previously engaged in talks to merge with the Canadian Football League, which ultimately stalled without an agreement. The XFL relaunched as an independent league in 2023.

The USFL operated for three seasons in the 1980s before folding. The league was revived in 2022, and is owned by a subsidiary of Fox. While the USFL has a team called the Philadelphia Stars, the Stars’ current home stadium is Ford Field in Detroit, home of the Lions. The New Jersey Generals, meanwhile, play their home games at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.