XFL Releases Team Nicknames for Reboot’s Inaugural Season

The XFL released team names for each of its eight franchises that will play in the relaunched league’s inaugural season in 2020, with names that include a mix of wildlife and mystical creatures.

The nicknames were released during a live social media stream and promoted on YouTube and Twitter;

• Dallas Renegades
• Houston Roughnecks
• Los Angeles Wildcats
• New York Guardians
• St. Louis Battlehawks
• Seattle Dragons
• Tampa Bay Vipers
• Washington (D.C.) Defenders

The XFL’s eight teams will play in a mix of stadium sizes, ranging from facilities that already have NFL teams in New York (MetLife Stadium), Seattle (CenturyLink Field) and Tampa Bay (Raymond James Stadium) plus Major League Soccer facilities in Los Angeles (Dignity Health Sports Park) and Washington (Audi Field). Dallas will play at the Texas Rangers’ GlobeLife Park, Houston will play at the University of Houston’s TDECU Stadium and St. Louis will play in the Rams’ former stadium, The Dome at America’s Center.

The league is in the process of finding players through a series of national showcases and officially announced former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones as its first league signing. The XFL has already announced a broadcast agreement with ESPN, and Fox Sports with games airing on weekend afternoons on each of their respective networks’ broadcast platforms, with a targeted launch date of February 8­–9, 2020, the week after the NFL’s Super Bowl.

The league also made several sports industry veteran hires after announcing its relaunch plans, with Oliver Luck as commissioner and Jeffrey Pollack as president and COO.