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The Brahmas took the UFL's longest trip over the weekend - from San Antonio to Washington, D.C. - to pick up their first win of the season (1-3) on Sunday while handing the Defenders their first loss (3-1) with a 24-18 decision. DC was driving for an opportunity to win or force overtime, but a 4th-and-goal effort with 21 seconds left was way off the mark. The two teams are 1,246 miles apart, which is 124 miles more than the distance from San Antonio to the Michigan Panthers' home stadium, Ford Field in Detroit.
The Easter Day attendance at Audi Field was in-line with its average (12,474) for 2025, but that number was well below the 2024 average of 14,143 for the Defenders, who continue to trail only St. Louis in league-wide attendance with the Battlehawks averaging 31,065 in 2025.after drawing 34,365 per game in 2024.
The fact that it was Easter Weekend didn't seem to have a lot impact on attendance. Only 6,613 showed up in Houston for the 23-16 home loss to Birmingham, but that's close to what the Roughnecks have averaged for the last two seasons. Houston is the league's second-worst draw, topping only the pathetic Memphis averages of 4,563 for two games in 2025, and 6,894 a year ago.
Ford Field saw a marked decrease to 9,674 for its 27-9 win on Friday at home over Memphis. The Michigan Panthers drew 10,049 and 11,013 to their two previous home games in 2025. Arlington had 9,614 for its big win over St. Louis on Saturday to fall just under the average of 9,887 over the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
The UFL is striving to become the Spring Football League that lasts, as every prior iteration has typically failed in 3 years or less. While this is only the second season of the UFL, it's a collection of former XFL and USFL teams. More than some of the prior leagues, the UFL seems to have found a positive relationship with the National Football League. The NFL holds its 2025 draft from April 24-26 in Green Bay with the opening round on Thursday, the second and third rounds on Friday, and the final four rounds on Saturday. Michigan cornerback Will Johnson has moved up to the 6th-best NFL draft odds to be the No.1 over-all pick at +15000, tying Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and a few others. But the mock drafts mostly have Johnson as the 13-pick or lower in the first round with teams like Miami and Arizona showing a keen interest.
The Renegades' win over the Battlehawks, combined with the Defenders loss to the Brahmas, put those two teams back in a tie for first place in the XFL Conference as each now has a 3-1 record. The Renegades improved to 3-0 at home in 2025. The Brahmas have played all four games on the road. It's just another example of terrible structuring of the schedule by the league, which really suffered on opening weekend by not featuring the league's top draw, St. Louis, in a home game. Instead, it opened with St. Louis traveling to Houston where only 7,124 showed up.
It's becoming obvious that the league needs to look at other cities to host teams, including Orlando which has always performed respectably with spring football teams. Their XFL team, the Guardians, drew nearly 15,000 per game in 2023 after the Apollos of the Alliance of American Football averaged nearly 20,000 in 2019. The Alliance also featured teams from Memphis, Birmingahm and San Antonio. But one of the problems with Orlando and most of the other markets is that the stadiums are too big for the product.
So far, we know of no plans for expansion, or the relocation of existing teams.
The good news is that the league and players agreed to a CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) that will cover this season and the 2026 campaign. The new agreement included raises, such as a bump in minimum pay of 12.74% from $55,000 to $62,005. It features medical care for all players, as well as bonuses for player awards and the championship game rosters.
Legend:
SoS=Strength of Schedule
SoV=Strength of Victory
c=Clinched Conference
p=clinched playoff
e=Eliminated
| XFL Conference | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | Conf | ConfPct. | Streak | SoS | SoV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington Renegades | 3 | 1 | .750 | 83 | 43 | 3-0 | 0-1 | 2-0 | 1.000 | Won 1 | .438 | .333 |
| DC Defenders | 3 | 1 | .750 | 80 | 62 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | .500 | Lost 1 | .375 | .417 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 2 | 2 | .500 | 87 | 72 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost 2 | .500 | .250 |
| San Antonio Brahmas | 1 | 3 | .250 | 65 | 103 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 1-2 | .333 | Won 1 | .688 | .750 |
| USFL Conference | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | Conf | ConfPct. | Streak | SoS | SoV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Stallions | 3 | 1 | .750 | 65 | 55 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 2-0 | 1.000 | Won 3 | .625 | .583 |
| Michigan Panthers | 3 | 1 | .750 | 91 | 65 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 | .667 | Won 2 | .250 | .083 |
| Houston Roughnecks | 1 | 3 | .250 | 49 | 82 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 1-1 | .500 | Lost 1 | .500 | .000 |
| Memphis Showboats | 0 | 4 | .000 | 50 | 88 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-3 | .000 | Lost 4 | .625 | .000 |
Week 4 Results (Home Team in BOLD):
Friday, April 18
Michigan 27, Memphis 9 (9,674 at Ford Field, Detroit)
Saturday, April 19
Arlington 30, St. Louis 15 (9,614 at Choctaw Stadium, Arlington)
Birmingham 23, Houston 16 (6,613 at TDECU Stadium, Houston)
Sunday, April 20
San Antonio 24, DC 18 (12,474 at Audi Field, DC)
Week 5 Games (all times eastern)
Memphis at Birmingham, Friday, April 25 | 8:00 PM | FOX
Michigan at St. Louis, Saturday, April 26 | 7:00 PM | ESPN
DC at Arlington, Sunday, April 27 | 12:00 PM | ESPN
Houston at San Antonio, Sunday, April 27 | 3:00 PM | ESPN