The United States Football League (USFL) will stage their inaugural playoffs and championship game in Canton, Ohio, the league announced on Wednesday.
All three postseason contests will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, which is the site of the annual preseason NFL/Hall of Fame Game. The stadium has a seating capacity of 20,000 and is adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“We’re excited to play our first playoffs and championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium,” said Edward Hartman, USFL Executive Vice President, Business Operations. “It’s a beautiful stadium with all the facilities necessary to host football at the highest level, and we look forward to crowning our first champion in the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
The USFL will begin play this spring as an eight-team league split into two divisions. The North Division will consist of the Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, and Pittsburgh Maulers, while the South Division will include the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Tampa Bay Bandits.
The top two teams in each division will meet in the semifinals in Canton on Saturday, June 25. Winners of those two games will meet in the inaugural USFL Championship game the following week on Sunday, July 3.
The USFL’s regular-season will begin on Saturday, April 16 with the New Jersey Generals facing the Birmingham Stallions at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. The game will be simulcast by NBC and FOX at 7:30pm ET / 6:30pm CT. The remainder of the USFL Schedule for the inaugural season has not yet been announced.
For the 2022 season, all USFL games will be played in Birmingham, Ala. Most of the games will be played at Protective Stadium, while some will be contested at Legion Field.