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July 25 (UPI) -- Las Vegas, San Antonio and Orlando, Fla., will be among the eight host cities for the 2023 XFL season, the football league announced. The XFL announced its eight host cities, including the aforementioned three new sites, at a town hall Sunday night at Texas Live in Arlington, Texas. Houston, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Arlington and Seattle are among the other host cities.
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New York, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay were dropped from the league, which last played in 2020.
The league also announced venues for seven of its eight teams and coaches for each team. Team names and mascots will be announced later.
College football coaching legend Bob Stoops will lead one team at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.
Former Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips will lead the Houston team at TDECU Stadium.
Former NFL player and college football assistant Terrell Buckley will coach the Orlando team at Camping World Stadium.
Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver will coach the San Antonio team at the Alamodome.
Former NFL coach Jim Haslett will lead the Seattle team at Lumen field. Former NFL player Anthony Becht will coach the St. Louis team at The Dome at America's Center.
Former NFL player and college football coach Reggie Barlow will coach the Washington, D.C., team at Audi Field.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson will coach the Las Vegas team. A venue was not announced for that franchise.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital partners agreed in 2020 to purchase the XFL after it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The XFL announced two months later that the group purchased the league for $15 million.
"I'm psyched to reveal the cities that our players will have the chance to represent and compete in," Johnson said in a news release. "This is another massive moment for the XFL, and I'm ready to feel the electricity our dedicated fans will bring to these iconic venues.
"There is great energy building within our league and there is still much more to come... and I can promise it's going to be worth the wait."
The XFL plans to start its season in February. More than 200 players worked out Sunday at Choctaw Stadium in a final showcase to increase their chances of being drafted. The XFL Draft will be held in November.
The XFL's 43 regular-season games and playoff matchups will air on Disney TV and streaming platforms, including ESPN, ABC and FX. Each team will play 10 regular-season games.
