UFL News Hub is hearing from sources that the United Football League will release its 2025 schedule this Thursday or Friday. The UFL dropped this tease via email late last week.
Sports Illustrated’s Mike Mitchell reported that the league was tentatively going to release the schedule this past weekend. UFL News Hub is hearing from sources that these plans fell through in part because neither Fox Sports nor ESPN wanted to promote each other’s competing telecasts, among other reasons.
FOX Sports and ESPN Working Together
This highlights the challenge of competing entities being in business together. While they are collaborating, they are also competing—not just with each other, but with streaming platforms as well.
One could argue they are losing that battle with streaming. It is looking like Venu Sports, the sports streaming platform planned by ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros is DOA. In August 2024, the launch was delayed after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, halting the service.
This decision stemmed from an antitrust lawsuit filed by competing streaming platform FuboTV, which claimed that Venu Sports could establish an unfair competitive edge and risk monopolizing the sports broadcasting market.
ESPN recently announced its new streaming service Flagship which will begin in the fall of 2025.
Current UFL Schedule Plan
The tentative plan now for the UFL is to release the schedule via the United Football Leagues social media channels either this Thursday or Friday, January 2nd or 3rd. No word on if the Championship game location will be announced as part of the rollout.
UPDATE
DC Defenders Potential Schedule
We can look at the MLS schedule to infer potential dates for the DC Defenders. These are the dates DC United will NOT have a home game at Audi Field. The DC Defenders only need five dates, but here are six slots.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Kickoff Time (ET) |
|---|
| April 6 | San Jose Earthquakes | PayPal Park | 5:00 p.m. |
| April 19 | New York Red Bulls | Red Bull Arena | 7:30 p.m. |
| April 26 | Philadelphia Union | Subaru Park | 4:30 p.m. |
| May 10 | Toronto FC | BMO Field | 4:30 p.m. |
| May 17 | Nashville SC | GEODIS Park | 8:30 p.m. |
| May 31 | FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium | 7:30 p.m. |
If the DC Defenders can get a home playoff game, there would NOT be availably the weekend of June 7th as DC United is taking on the Chicago Fire.
UFL Schedule Planning
It is much hard for UFL schedule makers to come up with something that works rather than any of the major sports leagues because they have to share those facilities with other sports. The is why the UFL wants to stay away from MLS stadiums even though they are great to watch a game at. Scheduling football games there is the issue.
Also, the San Antonio Brahmas are set to host just four home games at the Alamodome during the 2025 UFL regular season because of scheduling conflicts with other major events. As a result, both of their games against the St. Louis Battlehawks will take place in St. Louis, giving the Battlehawks a total of six home games for the season.
UFL 2024 Schedule Release
The UFL released its 2024 season schedule on February 5th, 2024. So it is a month earlier than last season. With a full off season, and marketing teams in place. Fan should expect a hire turnout for games during the 2025 season.
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