What is the NFL?
The NFL, or National Football League, is the top professional American football league. It has 32 teams and ends each season with the Super Bowl, the most-watched annual US sporting event.
The NFL was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association and took its current name in 1922. In 1970, it merged with the American Football League, forming two conferences, the AFC and NFC, each with four divisions of four teams.
Each team plays 17 regular-season games, and the season runs from September to early February. Fourteen teams reach the playoffs. The Super Bowl winner receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have each won six Super Bowls, the most of any team. The Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX in February 2026.
Popularity
The NFL is the most popular sports league in the United States and one of the richest in the world. Games draw huge TV audiences, and the league also plays some regular-season games abroad, in countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Spain and Ireland.
Did You Know?
The Green Bay Packers are the only NFL team owned by their fans, with hundreds of thousands of shareholders.