Overview
Three separate attempts at a spring league — 2001, 2020 and 2023 — the last of which merged into the UFL.
The XFL has existed in three distinct versions. The first, in 2001, was a joint venture between the WWF and NBC that leaned on wrestling-style promotion; it drew a huge opening audience, lost it almost immediately, and folded after one season.
A second, more conventional version launched in 2020 under Vince McMahon and was shut down by the pandemic five weeks in. A third, owned by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, played in 2023 and 2024 before merging with the USFL to form the United Football League.
Season Format
Recent Champions
Most recent first. Seasons still in progress are marked.
History
The 2001 league is remembered less for its football than for its rule experiments and its presentation: a scramble for the ball instead of a coin toss, on-field microphones, and sideline cameras that the networks later adopted.
The 2020 and 2023 versions were serious football operations whose innovations — the kickoff formation designed to reduce high-speed collisions, transparent replay reviews, tiered extra points — were studied and in some cases adopted by the NFL. The 2024 merger with the USFL produced the UFL.
Governance
Each version was privately owned and centrally operated rather than governed by independent club owners.