The football league that will result from the merger of the USFL and the XFL has a kickoff date, but which teams will make the cut for the 2024 season have not been announced.

The USFL and XFL announced on Thursday their proposed merger had cleared a federal legal hurdle: “We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new league in the coming weeks.”

The March 30 kickoff will be six weeks later than the XFL started its 2023 season and two weeks before the USFL started its 2023 campaign.

The current iteration of the USFL began in 2022 with eight teams, based on the USFL of the 1980s, playing their complete 10-game regular-season schedules in Birmingham, with the league playoffs held in Canton, Ohio.

In its second season in 2023, the USFL stayed at eight teams but moved them into four hubs, with the Birmingham Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers staying in Birmingham, with other teams based in Canton, Detroit and Memphis.

The Stallions won the USFL championship in both seasons.

The original XFL appeared in 2001, and the name returned in 2020. But that season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

The XFL made another comeback in 2023 with a new concept: The eight teams trained and practiced in Arlington, Texas, but the games were played in the eight cities represented by the teams.

The leagues announced in September that they planned to merge.

In addition to the Stallions and Breakers, the USFL’s teams in the 2023 season included the Houston Gamblers, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers.

The XFL’s 2023 teams included the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Orlando Guardians, San Antonio Brahmas, Seattle Sea Dragons, St. Louis Battlehawks and Vegas Vipers.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.