XFL Betting Guide

The 2023 XFL championship game is taking take place Saturday, May 13 at the Alamodome in San Antonio (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+). The North Division champion DC Defenders and South Division champion Arlington Renegades are the last two teams standing following last week’s semifinal playoff games. View XFL odds for every team below.

XFL odds

Sportsbooks are no longer offering XFL championship futures. The DC Defenders opened the XFL Playoffs as the favorite. Go here for a closer look at tonight’s XFL Championship Game odds.

XFL Championship Odds

DC Defenders -255: The North Division champions finished with the best regular season record. The Defenders punched their ticket to the championship game by defeating the Seattle Sea Dragons for the third time this year in last week’s XFL playoff game, 37-21. Sportsbooks have listed D.C. as the favorite throughout the 2023 season, including +100 odds as the start of the playoffs. DraftKings Sportsbook had the D.C. Defenders as a -6 .5 favorite over the Arlington Renegades as of Wednesday morning. The two teams faced each other once during the regular season with D.C. winning, 28-26.

Arlington Renegades +215: The Renegades finished the regular season with a 4-6 record, but made the XFL playoffs as a result of their second-place finish. The South Division champs opened the postseason with the longest XFL odds among the four remaining teams at +1200. Arlington upset the Houston Roughnecks, 26-11, in the other XFL semi-final game. This is the same Renegades team that lost both regular season games versus Houston. Despite the championship game taking place in their home state of Texas, Arlington is a +6.5 underdog. Can they pull off another upset?

Best XFL betting apps

In contrast to how the betting market unfolded for the short-lived Alliance of American Football (AAF), several major sportsbooks made their intentions to offer wagering opportunities for the XFL well in advance.

DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook have already rolled out XFL 2023 Championship futures and are offering lines for every regular- and post-season game. However, not every state has approved XFL betting markets. These will be covered further below.

Of note is the fact the XFL launched a “comprehensive integrity” program in conjunction with Genius Sports, which collects/distributes statistics, content and data related to betting and already works with NCAA, NBA and the PGA Tour stateside.

What XFL bets can I make?

In addition to futures bets,  sportsbooks are offering moneyline, point spread and projected totals bets for the league’s games each week. Specialty bets such as player and game props are to be determined.

Where can I bet on XFL in the US?

The following states have authorized XFL betting markets for the 2023 season via mobile sports betting apps:

• New Jersey sports betting (BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, bet365, PointsBet, BetRivers)
• Pennsylvania sports betting (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers)
• Indiana (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers)
• West Virginia (DraftKings, FanDuel)
• Iowa (PointsBet)
• Oregon (via Oregon Lottery/DraftKings partnership)
• New Hampshire (DraftKings)
• New York (DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars)
• Rhode Island (Sportsbook RI)
• Nevada (various in-person sportsbooks or apps where you must deposit at a retail sportsbook)

That still leaves three states where you can still bet on the XFL, but only in-person at retail casino sportsbooks:

• Delaware
• Arkansas
• Mississippi (in-person, retal sportsbooks only)
• coaches, teams and rosters

XFL North Division

DC Defenders

• Home stadium: Audi Field (capacity 20,000)
• Head coach: Reggie Barlow

Seattle Sea Dragons

• Home stadium: Lumen Field (capacity 69,000)
• Head coach: Jim Haslett

St. Louis Battlehawks

• Home stadium: The Dome at America’s Center (capacity 66,965)
• Head coach: Anthony Becht

Vegas Vipers

• Home stadium: Cashman Field (capacity 12,500)
• Head coach: Rod Woodson

XFL South Division

 Arlington Renegades

• Home stadium: Choctaw Stadium (capacity 25,000)
• Head coach: Bob Stoops

Houston Roughnecks

• Home stadium: TDECU Stadium (capacity 40,000)
• Head coach: Wade Phillips

Orlando Guardians

• Home stadium: Camping World Stadium (capacity 60,219)
• Head coach: Terrell Buckley

San Antonio Brahmas

• Home stadium: Alamodome (capacity 64,000)
• Head coach: Hines Ward

Are XFL rules different from NFL rules?

The XFL rulebook features a number of notable differences from that of the NFL’s. The majority of the changes implemented are designed to either speed up the overall pace of play, enhance the excitement of the game, or support player safety on special teams. A full list of all of the rule differences between the XFL and NFL, along with the XFL’s rationale for each, can be found on the league’s official website.

The following are highlights directly from the XFL’s website of some of the more prominent changes in each area of game play:

Special Teams/Returns

• Out of bounds kicks and kicks that fall short of the 20-yard line will result in an illegal procedure penalty, taking the ball all the way out to the kicking team’s 45 yard line.
• Players can move when the ball is touched by the returner or 3 seconds after the ball touches the ground (when the official waves his hand down).
• If the ball is kicked into the end zone and is downed it is a “Major” touchback and the ball is placed at the return side 35-yard line.
• If the ball bounces in bounds and then out of the end zone or is downed in the end zone, the ball is placed at the return side 15-yard line.
• If a team wishes to run an onside kick, it must indicate this to the official before the play and the two teams will be permitted to line up using traditional NFL rules (i.e. 10 yards apart from the kicking team). There will be no surprise onside kicks.

Special Teams/ Extra Points

• After a touchdown, the team has the option of running a play from the 2, 5, or 10-yard line, worth 1, 2, or 3 points respectively. The team must run an offensive play and no kicking plays are allowed.
• If the defense is able to cause a turnover and return the ball to the opponent’s end zone, the resulting score is equal to the number of points the offense was attempting to score on its PAT.

Special Teams/ Punts

• Punting team cannot release past the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked.
• If the ball goes out of bounds inside the 35-yard line, it is a “Major” touchback and the ball goes to the 35-yard line.
• If a punted ball lands in the opponent’s end zone or goes out of the end zone the result is a “Major” touchback, and the ball goes out to the 35-yard line.
• Fair catches are permitted.

Offense/ Double Forward Pass

• If a team completes a forward pass behind the line of scrimmage, that team may throw a second forward pass, as long as the ball has at no time crossed the line of scrimmage.
• Once the ball has passed the line of scrimmage, no forward passes are permitted. 

Overtime

• Overtime shall consist of 5 “Rounds”, staged in alternating single-play possessions as is customary in NHL shootouts or MLS penalty kicks. A “Round” will consist of one offensive play per team. Each possession starts at the opponent’s 5-yard line and the offensive team has one play to score. The team with more points after 5 rounds is the winner.
• If a team has been mathematically eliminated before all 5 rounds have been completed, the game ends immediately (e.g. If Team A scores on its first 3 attempts and Team B is stopped on its first 3 attempts, then no subsequent plays are necessary).
• If teams are tied after 5 rounds, then rounds continue until one team is leading at the conclusion of a round, and that team will be the winner.
• For scoring purposes, each successful overtime score is worth 2 points.
• The defensive team cannot score. If the offensive team commits a turnover, the play is over immediately.
• If the defensive team commits a penalty, the offensive team will be allowed to re-attempt from the 1-yard line.
• Any subsequent penalty committed by the defensive team on any subsequent play, including in future rounds, will result in a score awarded to the offensive team.

Play clocks

• There will be a 25-second play clock that begins after the ball is spotted for the next play.
• It takes 7 seconds on average to spot the ball (average 32 second play clock)
• Outside the last 2 minutes of each half, when a play ends out of bounds, or on an incompletion the game clock will be stopped until the ball is spotted.
• Aside from incompletions and out of bounds plays, game clock rules outside the last 2 minutes of each half are the same as the NFL.

Comeback period

• Occurs after the 2-Minute Warning in each half.
• On plays that end in the field of play, the game clock will be stopped until the ball has been spotted and 5 seconds have run off of the play clock.
• On incomplete passes and out of bounds plays, the game clock will stop completely until the ball is snapped. 

Timeouts

• Each team will have 2 one-minute timeouts per half.

Instant replay

• The XFL will have no coaches’ challenges and all plays will be subject to review from the Replay Official, who will be stationed in a booth above the field.
• Reviewable plays are limited to: (a) Plays involving possession. (b) Plays involving touching of either the ball or the ground. (c) Plays governed by the goal line. (d) Plays governed by the boundary lines. (e) Plays governed by the line of scrimmage. (f) Plays governed by the line to gain. (g) Number of players on the field at the snap. (h) Game administration. (1) Penalty enforcement. (2) Proper down. (3) Spot of a foul. (4) Status of the game clock. (i) Disqualification of a player. This list of reviewable plays is identical to those in the NFL prior to 2019.
• Exception: The Replay Official may correct obvious errors involving player safety at any point throughout the game.
• Exception: The Replay Official may correct any egregious obvious error that may have a significant impact on the outcome of the game in the last five minutes of the 4th quarter or during overtime.

 Additional rules that differ from NFL

• Only one foot inbounds required for a catch.
• One official dedicated specifically to spotting the ball after each play.
• 10-minute halftime period.

How do I watch/stream the XFL?

Fans will be able to watch the XFL through multiple platforms:

Traditional Broadcast/Cable Channels:

Regular season:

• ABC (one game per week)
• ESPN or ESPN 2 (one game per week)
• FX (at least one game per week)
• Also streaming on ESPN+ and fuboTV

XFL FAQ 

Who owns the XFL?

On August 3, 2020, a group led by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (through RedBird Capital Partners) bought the XFL for $15 million, hours before an auction. A court approved the deal on August 7, 2020.

What does XFL stand for?

Officially, the “X” in XFL does not stand for anything, despite popular belief during the league’s initial run that it implied “Xtreme”.

How long did the original XFL last?

The original XFL lasted the entirety of its 2001 season, folding in May 2001 after losing television partners NBC and UPN. The Los Angeles Xtreme won the league’s inaugural championship.

What is an XFL player’s salary?

The average annual salary is $60,000, with weekly $5,000 paychecks and a win bonus of $1,000.

How long is the XFL season?

The XFL season will consist of 10 regular-season games for each team. There will be no bye weeks. There will then be two-week postseason in which the top two teams in each conference will face off in a single-elimination bracket during the first week, followed by the league’s championship game the following week.