Week 1 of the NFL is arguably the most anticipated start to any of the four major U.S. sports.

Football reigns supreme in America, so when the 18-week season and playoffs end in February, fans are left without action until August. That’s where the UFL steps in, quenching fans’ thirst for football.

The UFL was created in December 2023 in a merger with the XFL and USFL. The league was designed to be a minor-league equivalent to the NFL.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who co-owned the XFL, used his own playing career as inspiration when merging to create the UFL. He references himself as the 54th man on a 53-man roster for the University of Miami.

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“Imagine all those 54s out there, and you tell them you’ve got one more shot in the UFL and then to go on to the NFL potentially, how do you think they’ll play? They’re gonna ball out,” Johnson said on Fox’s NFL Sunday pregame show.

The UFL’s season began in March 2024 and is nearing the championship.

If the UFL is planning to stick around year after year — and, more important, its fans plan to stick around — it’s key for viewers to learn the basics. Here’s what UFL stands for as the league wraps up its first season.

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What does UFL stand for?

UFL stands for United Football League and is the spring football league that is shaping up as a minor-league equivalent to the NFL.

The NFL and UFL are not partnered, but Johnson hopes that players in the UFL can perform their way onto an NFL roster. There are eight teams currently in the UFL.

• St. Louis Battlehawks
• San Antonio Brahmas
• DC Defenders
• Arlington Renegades
• Birmingham Stallions
• Michigan Panthers
• Memphis Showboats
• Houston Roughnecks

The league is split into two conferences: the XFL and the USFL, which honors the two leagues that merged together to form the UFL.

The teams compete in a 10-week season and the top two teams in each conference will play each other for the conference title as the first round of the playoffs. The winners will play in the UFL championship.

The two playoff rounds occur in June.

UFL standings 2024

XFL Conference

USFL Conference

UFL Playoff schedule 2024