After canceling the remainder of its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and declaring bankruptcy, many believed that spring football league XFL won’t be back anytime soon. But it turns out that they could be wrong, as the league recently announced plans to play games in 2022.
After bankruptcy, XFL was purchased by a new ownership group led by actor Dwayne Johnson and his business partner Dany Garcia in August. At the time, Garcia hinted that the league could have a bounce-back year immediately in 2021, but it became obvious that those plans are not manageable in the current situation.
Still, the break won’t be a significant one, as Johnson announced on Thursday that the league intends to return in the spring of 2022.
“For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022,” said XFL President Jeffrey Pollack in a statement. “The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back. We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners, and fans.”
Founded by WWE owner Vince McMahon, XFL debuted in 2001 and played just one season before bowing out due to poor ratings and low attendance. McMahon resurrected the league in 2018, and XFL kicked off its comeback season in February 2020.
However, after playing just five out of planned 10 games in the regular season, the league was forced to pull the plug on its activities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
