(AP) The new XFL professional football League will start play in 2020, and  will kick off its 10-week season on February 8, a week after Super Bowl LIV.

The XFL has multi-year deals in place with both ESPN, ABC, FOX Sports, & FS1 to televise next season’s games, which will air on FOX and ABC every weekend.

ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1 will also air games throughout the season, and the league’s championship is scheduled to broadcast on ESPN on April 26.

ABC – CSi 6 & HD 80

ESPN – CSi 14 & HD 84,  ESPN2 CSi 18 & HD 84

FOX – CSi 9 & HD 81

FS1 – CSi 41 & HD 116

The eight teams, announced Wednesday afternoon by XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck, ESPN’s Laura Rutledge, and FS1 host Colin Cowherd:

— Dallas Renegades

— Houston Roughnecks

— Los Angeles Wildcats

— New York Guardians

— St. Louis BattleHawks

— Seattle Dragons

— Tampa Bay Vipers

— Washington Defenders

So far, just one player has signed a contract to play in the XFL: former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former University of Oklahoma standout Landry Jones. Commissioner Oliver Luck says the league is expected to announce more signings as NFL teams begin to cut their offseason rosters to 53 players.   He says, “We’ve anxiously awaiting the Labor Day cuts that will take place where there will be another group of players available. Things have gone as well as expected.”

Luck said the draft will be in October. Playing rules are still being tweaked after the league held a session in California with coaches, Fox and ESPN last month.

League President and COO Jeffrey Pollack says, “We’re sincere in our belief that it is up to fans and players to write the story. We have written the headline and now the story will be what happens on the field.” .

 

The XFL announced in 2017 that it was coming back after it went one season in 2001 before shutting down.