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City of Detroit to lose Michigan Panthers to relocation

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Payton | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 12:00 AM ET

The Michigan Panthers are coming off a really good season in which they went to the UFL championship. It was a great thing to watch while Detroit football fans waited for the Detroit Lions to be back. Sadly, that will be the last time Panthers fans will get to enjoy this team.

News broke late Tuesday night that the Panthers, along with the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, and the Memphis Showboats, will be relocating to Boise, Columbus, Orlando, and Kentucky. No word yet on where the Panthers wind up.

BREAKING: Major changes are coming to the #UFL, per multiple sources.

USFL Markets in Michigan, Houston, Birmingham, and Memphis are all being relocated for the 2026 season.

Plenty more changes to come. The UFL is blowing it up this offseason.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) July 23, 2025

The Panthers were one of the league's more popular teams in 2025. They saw a 43% increase in attendance and had the league MVP, Bryce Perkins, putting on a highlight reel every week. He was likely a big reason for that since the word of mouth around town was "You have to see this guy."

The league is likely looking to move teams to areas that don't have an NFL team after the St. Louis Battlehawks have proven to be the attendance kings of the league. That explains the odd choices like Boise and Kentucky. These areas have been clamoring for a pro sports team, but don't really have the infrastructure to have an NFL team.

I'm sad to see the Panthers go, and I'm sad to see spring football just not be a thing in Detroit anymore.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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