Spring football leagues XFL and the USFL announced plans to merge on Thursday, meaning the teams could start playing each other as soon as next year.

The two football leagues issued a joint statement revealing their intention to merge.

“This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together,” the statement read.

Full statement: https://t.co/jBrNOFNUCp pic.twitter.com/I5VTC2loNn

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 28, 2023

Former professional wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, are currently the owners of the XFL, while Fox Corp owns the USFL, ESPN noted.

A statement from the USFL to players shared on X noted how proud the league is for what it has “built over the past two seasons.”

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“We have shown that the professional spring football model can work, and, in many ways, have done what many football and business minds thought was impossible,” it read.

“The USFL became the first spring league at scale in approximately 40 years to come back and play a second season,” it added. “Meanwhile the XFL defined its own success this past season cementing that the time is right to combine the USFL and XFL in a joint entity.”

The post noted that the “Regulatory review process is underway and does not come with any guaranteed outcomes.” The USFL also said it recognizes that this news creates many questions and promised to “communicate” when new information is available.

Last year, the USFL relaunched after initially operating for three seasons from 1983 to 1985 before folding, ESPN noted. The Johnson and Garcia-led ownership group, which purchased the XFL for $15 million from Vince McMahon in 2020, officially launched in 2023, Yahoo.com noted.