Birmingham Stallions Are The Most Likely UFL To NFL Players…

championship games drawing an average of 1.18 million people each. That number was an increase from 816k viewers who watched UFL regular-season games on FOX, ABC, and ESPN on average. That’s more than 30% more people than watched UFL and XFL games last season.

Before the last weekend of 2024, many wondered if the UFL championship game on FOX would be the high point of the league’s season and eclipse the viewership of the USFL and XFL championship games in 2023.

Sunday’s 5 pm ET telecast on FOX of the UFL 2024 Championship game, featuring the Birmingham Stallions winning a third-straight pro football championship in resounding fashion with a 25-0 shutout over the San Antonio Brahmas, averaged 1.596 million viewers.

Last May, the XFL’s championship game on ABC averaged 1.43 million viewers. The USFL’s title tilt averaged 1.2 million viewers last July. The UFL title game also eclipsed the USFL 2020 title tilt, which averaged 1.5 million viewers.

The UFL Championship had a lot of things working against it. Besides not being in a natural prime time slot (5 pm ET) and taking place on Father’s Day, the game itself was arguably the least competitive of the entire UFL 2024 season.

Those factors could’ve limited the game’s overall viewership ceiling, but the game still delivered. The UFL’s title game served as a chance to impress the casual and mainstream football fans who perhaps weren’t along for the entire ride. From that end, the league didn’t produce the quality it had all season. But it definitely generated more eyeballs and attention.

Overall, the 2024 UFL season was a success in year-to-year growth from the USFL and XFL. Spring pro football has developed a respectable floor in on-field quality and overall viewership. The question going into 2025 is whether the UFL can break through and reach a higher ceiling. The answer may determine whether there will be a 2026 season.