--- slug: xfl title: XFL depth_tier: league side: UNIVERSAL category: Leagues source_id: "LGE-0004" created: 2026-05-12 updated: 2026-05-12 canonical: https://learningfootball.xyz/leagues/xfl aliases: - XFL football - Xtreme Football League - McMahon football --- # XFL ## Short Definition Vince McMahon's professional football league—launched 2001, relaunched 2020 and 2023, then merged with the USFL to form the United Football League in 2024. ## Definition The XFL was a professional football league launched in 2001 by WWE founder Vince McMahon and NBC as a joint venture attempting to combine football with sports entertainment production values. The original league operated for one season before folding due to poor television ratings and financial losses. McMahon relaunched the XFL in 2020 with a cleaner football-first approach, but the season was cancelled after five weeks when COVID-19 ended the 2020 spring sports calendar. The third iteration launched in 2023 under McMahon's ownership, subsequently sold to a group that included Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital. This version of the XFL operated the 2023 season before the ownership group negotiated a merger with the competing USFL, forming the United Football League beginning in 2024. The 2001 XFL introduced several rule innovations that influenced later football discussions: no fair catch on punts, encouraging receivers to reveal their name on jerseys, and aggressive camera and microphone placement for entertainment value. Some of these ideas—particularly eliminating the fair catch—were later adopted or experimented with by the NFL and other leagues. The XFL's repeated attempts at spring football viability across three decades reflect both the persistent belief that football appetite extends beyond the NFL's September-to-February window and the structural challenges of building a sustainable professional sports organization without an established fanbase, revenue-sharing model, or player pipeline. ## Example "Three launches across twenty-two years—2001, 2020, 2023. Each time a different version of the same idea: people want more football. Each time a different reason it didn't survive alone. The UFL is the fourth attempt." ## Common Confusion The XFL had three distinct launches—2001, 2020, and 2023—that operated under the same name but with substantially different ownership structures, rules, and identities. The 2001 XFL was a joint venture between Vince McMahon's WWE and NBC; the 2020 and 2023 versions were owned by McMahon and then by a group including Dwayne Johnson after McMahon sold his stake. They are the same brand but not continuous operations. ## Related - ufl - usfl - nfl - madden --- Source: https://learningfootball.xyz/leagues/xfl