USFL’s Michigan Panthers will play at Ford Field in 2023

A new professional sports team will claim Detroit as its home in 2023, as the USFL’s Michigan Panthers will play in Ford Field this year.

The USFL announced on Thursday that Detroit will be one of four hubs to host games for their 2023 season. The eight-team spring football league is entering its second season since its revival last year. In 2022, all games were played in Birmingham, Alabama. This year, there are four host cities that will act as the “home” site for two teams each.

One of the teams that will be “home” in Detroit is the Michigan Panthers. The Panthers were one of the most successful USFL franchises during its first iteration in the 1980s, winning its inaugural championship in 1983. However, led by head coach Jeff Fisher, they struggled in the league’s revival season last year, going just 2-8 in 10 games.

The home games will be played at Ford Field, meaning the Michigan Panthers—and the other Detroit “host” team, the Philadelphia Stars—will be the first to play on the new turf, which is scheduled to be installed in January.

There has been no information given about ticket sales, and the 2023 USFL schedule has yet to be released. However, they did announced that games will begin in Detroit on April 30. Given their 10-game schedule last year, those games will likely stretch deep into June and possibly July. So if you’re going to be hankering for some football at Ford Field, all you have to do is wait a few of months.

Here’s a look at the host cities for the USFL’s 2023 season and the teams who will be home there.

Detroit, MI: Michigan Panthers, Philadelphia Stars
Canton, OH: Pittsburgh Maulers, New Jersey Generals
Birmingham, AL: Birmingham Stallions, New Orleans Breakers
Memphis, TN: Memphis Showboats, Houston Gamblers