The XFL's 2023 season is underway and after an entertaining first weekend, spring football fans will want to know when they can next catch a game.
The XFL isn't making them wait long. In fact, football fans won't even have to make it to the weekend to watch another installment of spring-league football.
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The XFL is taking a page out of the NFL's book and will be hosting a couple of Thursday night games during its season. That includes a contest scheduled to kickstart Week 2 of the 2023 season.
Here's what to know about the XFL's Thursday night football schedule as well as the league's full schedule for its first week of play.
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Is there a Thursday night football game tonight?
There will be a Thursday night game in Week 2 of the 2023 XFL season. The Seattle Sea Dragons will play host to the St. Louis BattleHawks in a battle between two XFL North Division rivals.
The Sea Dragons are coming off a disappointing loss in their first game of the 2023 season. They traveled to D.C. to take on the Defenders and were defeated 22-18 despite outgaining their opponent 331 to 177 during the contest.
Quarterback Ben DiNucci had an up-and-down game. He completed 35 of 54 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown, but he struggled with turnovers, committing three. Two were particularly costly — a pick-six and a last-minute fumble on the D.C. 1-yard line — so he will have to clean those up moving forward.
The good news is that the Seattle defense was solid and Josh Gordon showed good chemistry with DiNucci. So, the Sea Dragons should soon be poised for a bounce back.
But will that come against the BattleHawks? St. Louis was the only XFL team not to throw an interception in Week 1. And while A.J. McCarron and the offense struggled for a good chunk of the game, they managed to score 15 points in the last 1:25 to beat the Brahmas 18-15 in a hostile San Antonio environment.
St. Louis will need to carry over its momentum from the end of that game into their matchup with the Sea Dragons. If the BattleHawks can't do that, it could be another long day for their offense.
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How to watch XFL on Thursday night
The Sea Dragons vs. BatlleHawks game won't begin until 9 p.m. ET. That will be 6 p.m. local time (PT) in Seattle.
The Seattle vs. St. Louis game will air on FX, which is owned by the ESPN family of networks. For more information about how to watch the contest on FX, click here.
Streamers looking to watch the game will have a plethora of ways to catch the game. Those subscribed to ESPN+ will be able to watch the game live. Elsewhere, fuboTV, which comes with a free trial, carries FX and will offer fans a way to watch all 43 XFL games during the season.
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XFL schedule Week 2
The XFL's second week will be played over a span of four days. As mentioned, the BattleHawks and Sea Dragons will play on Thursday. Then, the D.C. Defenders and Vegas Vipers will play a stand-alone Saturday night game.
Finally, the week will close with a Guardians vs. Brahmas matchup and a highly anticipated clash between two of the best teams in the XFL — the Arlington Renegades and Houston Roughnecks.
Here's a look at the full schedule and how to watch each matchup.
Week 2
Thursday, Feb. 23
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel | Live stream |
| St. Louis BattleHawks at Seattle Sea Dragons | 9 p.m. ET | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
Saturday, Feb. 25
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel | Live stream |
| D.C. Defenders at Vegas Vipers | 7 p.m. ET | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
Sunday, Feb. 26
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel | Live stream |
| San Antonio Brahmas at Orlando Guardians | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN | ESPN+, fuboTV |
| Arlington Renegades at Houston Roughnecks | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | ESPN+, fuboTV |
To see the full 10-week schedule for the 2023 XFL season, click here.
MORE: Full schedule, dates, times for 2023 XFL games
XFL Thursday night football schedule 2023
The XFL is planning to broadcast two Thursday night games during its 2023 season, both involving the Seattle Sea Dragons. They are as follows:
| Week | Date | Matchup | Kickoff time (ET) | Channel | Live stream |
| 2 | Feb. 23 | St. Louis BattleHawks at Seattle Sea Dragons | 9 p.m. ET | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
| 5 | March 16 | Houston Roughnecks at Seattle Sea Dragons | 9 p.m. ET | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
It isn't clear whether the XFL is planning to host any more Thursday night games during the season if these two prove successful. The league will, however, have at least one Monday night game. It is scheduled for Week 6.
As for why the league is playing two Seattle games on Thursday, that is likely related to the Seattle Sounders' presence at Lumen Field. The Sounders have home games scheduled each of the weeks that the Sea Dragons are playing on Thursday night. So, it seems like that might be having an influence on the field's weekend availability.
