The XFL has announced the eight cities and venues its teams will call home when the league launches the weekend of 8-9 February, 2020.
- Dallas – Globe Life Park
- Houston – TDECU Stadium
- Los Angeles – StubHub Center
- New York – MetLife Stadium
- St. Louis – The Dome at America’s Center
- Seattle – CenturyLink Field
- Tampa Bay – Raymond James Stadium
- Washington, DC – Audi Field
The announcement was made today by XFL Commissioner & CEO Oliver Luck at a press conference held at MetLife Stadium, which included representatives from all eight markets.
“After months of research and consideration, we’re thrilled to announce the cities and venues of the XFL’s eight inaugural teams,” said Luck. “We are committed to being ingrained in the local community and extremely fortunate that our teams will have world-class facilities to call home.”
Beginning today, fans can go to XFL.com to reserve their season tickets, which will provide them with early access to select their seats and purchase season tickets before the general public.
The new XFL will deliver a fan-centric, innovative experience, including fast-paced games and a family-friendly environment, complemented by cross-platform viewing options and real-time fan engagement.
For those with a long memory, you may remember a previously failed attempt by Vince McMahon to launch a spring league with the same name. It played for one season in 2001, with the Los Angeles Xtreme as the XFL’s first and only champions.
The league was launched as a partnership between the WWE (then the WWF) and TV partner NBC. The broadcaster pulled out of their two-year partnership after the first season citing rating problems. Whilst McMahon vowed to carry on, the league didn’t last and he later conceded that the league was a “colossal failure”.
The previous XFL featured teams from NFL cities around New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The remaining four teams were placed in markets that had previously hosted rival major leagues: Birmingham, Memphis, Las Vegas and Orlando. Cities for the 2020 launch have yet to be chosen, however, their intent is for a mix of major and mid-major markets in all regions of the US.
It looks like McMahon may have learnt valuable lessons from the previous venture and this looks to be a more serious spring league to rival the NFL, rather than a WWE/football hybrid. It’s a good job as the previous league was mocked by the media. Sportscaster Bob Costas speaking on a late night chat show said:
“It has to be at least a decade since I first mused out loud, ‘Why doesn’t somebody combine mediocre high school football with a tawdry strip club?’”