2022 USFL season

The 2022 USFL season is the planned inaugural season of the United States Football League (USFL), and the first by a league of that name since the 1985 season of the previous incarnation of the league. Planned to be played from April to June 2022, it will involve eight teams, and could potentially be played in its entirety in Birmingham, Alabama.

2022 USFL season
LeagueUnited States Football League
SportAmerican football
DurationRegular season: April–June 2022
Number of games10 per team
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)Fox, NBC, USA Network

Background

Announced on June 3, 2021, the new USFL was founded by Brian Woods, also the founder and CEO of The Spring League. This will be the second attempt to recreate the league after the original folded in 1986, following a failed attempt in 2010.[1]

The league has been in talks with officials from the city of Birmingham, Alabama, with a potential goal to host the entirety of the season in the city.[2] The league's aim is to play 75–80% of the games at Protective Stadium and the remaining 20–25% at Legion Field.[2] Fox Sports will be the league's official broadcast partner, and the talks include plans to split the games' broadcast rights equally between Fox, Fox Sports, NBC and the USA Network.[2]

Teams

The league's eight debut teams were announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[3] The teams will be separated into two separate divisions; the North Division will contain the Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, and Pittsburgh Maulers, while the South Division will contain the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Tampa Bay Bandits.[4] The eight teams that will compete in the league's first season are all trademarks that were retained from the last edition of the league.[4]

The teams' logos and home cities were also unveiled. The league announced that the season would be held in one host city, in a format similar to the 2020 NBA Bubble.[5] Given the ongoing talks between the league and the city of Birmingham, it is expected that Birmingham will be the selected host city.[6]

Schedule

The league announced in November 2021 that teams would each play a ten-game schedule, with each team facing divisional opponents twice and non-divisional opponents once each. The regular season is scheduled to run from mid-April to mid-June 2022. The champion and runner-up of each division will qualify for the playoffs, which will consist of a semifinal and championship round.[7] It is planned that games will be played on Saturdays and Sundays, with some "special broadcasts" planned for Fridays and Mondays.[8]

While specific dates have not yet been announced, a non-binding memorandum of understanding between the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center Authority and the owners of the USFL gives use of Protective Stadium to the league between the dates of April 15 and July 3, 2022, giving a rough timetable for the season.[9]

References
  1. "Will Birmingham play in the New United States Football League?". Birmingham Pro Sports. August 13, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  2. "Birmingham, BJCC officials discussing playing all USFL games in the city". WVTM. October 12, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  3. "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". Fox Sports. November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  4. Gaydos, Ryan (November 22, 2021). "USFL's 8 teams bring back nostalgia for football fans". Fox News. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  5. Fambro, Cassie (October 11, 2021). "USFL possibly returning to Birmingham". WBRC. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  6. Patchen, Tyler (October 13, 2021). "USFL eyes relaunch, approaches Birmingham business leaders". Birmingham Business Journal. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  7. Kelley, Kevin (November 17, 2021). "USFL announces division structure, playoff format for inaugural season". FBSchedules. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  8. "New USFL reveals team names, cities, logos for 2022 season". FOX 13 Tampa Bay. November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  9. Johnson, Roy S. (October 18, 2021). "USFL, BJCC reach tentative MOU to bring inaugural season to Birmingham". AL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
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