National Football League facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

"NFL" redirects here. For other leagues of the same name and other uses, see National Football League (disambiguation) and NFL (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
National Football League
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Formerly	American Professional Football Conference (1920) American Professional Football Association (1920–1921)
Sport	American football
Founded	September 17, 1920 (105 years ago) (1920-09-17) Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Inaugural season	1920
Commissioner	Roger Goodell
No. of teams	32
Country	United States
Headquarters	345 Park Avenue New York City, New York, U.S.
TV partner(s)	United States: CBS Fox NBC ESPN/ABC/ESPN2 NFL Network TUDN Telemundo Deportes ESPN Deportes International: See list
Streaming partner(s)	United States: Paramount+/Vix Tubi Peacock ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+ Amazon Prime Video/Twitch Netflix YouTube TV International: DAZN

The National Football League (NFL) is a major professional American football league in the United States. It has 32 teams, split evenly between two groups: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is the highest level of professional American football in the world.

Each NFL season starts in August with a three-week preseason. This is followed by an 18-week regular season from September to January. During the regular season, each team plays 17 games and has one week off. After the regular season, 14 teams (seven from each conference) move on to the playoffs. This is a knockout tournament that ends with the Super Bowl in early February. The Super Bowl is where the champions of the AFC and NFC play each other. The NFL's main office is in New York City.

The NFL began in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). It changed its name to the National Football League in 1922. At first, the champion was decided by who had the best record. A playoff system was added in 1933. The Super Bowl was first played in 1967 after the NFL agreed to merge with another league, the American Football League (AFL). Since the merger was completed in 1970, the Super Bowl has been the final game of every NFL season. The NFL is very popular in the United States. The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sports events globally.

The Green Bay Packers have won the most NFL championships with thirteen titles. This includes nine before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls. Since the Super Bowl began, the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most, with six titles each.

The NFL's Story: How It Began

Starting the League: From APFA to NFL

"American Professional Football Association" redirects here. For the similarly-named minor professional league of the 1930s, see Midwest Football League (1935–1940).

On August 20, 1920, a group of football teams met in Canton, Ohio. They wanted to make professional football better and fairer. This meeting led to the creation of the American Professional Football Conference (APFC).

A second, bigger meeting happened on September 17, 1920. Teams from four states joined. The league was renamed the American Professional Football Association (APFA). Jim Thorpe, a famous athlete, was chosen as its first president. The league started with 14 teams. Only two of these original teams are still in the NFL today: the Chicago Bears (originally the Decatur Staleys) and the Arizona Cardinals (originally the Racine (Chicago) Cardinals).

The Akron Pros won the first APFA (NFL) Championship in 1920.

The APFA didn't have official standings in its first season (1920). Teams played games against both league and non-league opponents. The Akron Pros were named champions with an 8-0-3 record. The first league game was on September 26, 1920. In 1922, the APFA officially changed its name to the National Football League (NFL).

In 1932, two teams, the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans, tied for first place. The league decided they needed a special playoff game to decide the champion. The Bears won this game 9-0. Because fans loved this championship game, the NFL changed its rules in 1933. It split into two groups, called divisions. The winners of these divisions would then play in a championship game. For a period, players of color were not allowed to play in the league. This changed in 1946, after public pressure.

The NFL was the biggest professional football league in the U.S. It faced competition from other leagues over the years. Some current NFL teams, like the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers, actually started in these other leagues. By the 1950s, the NFL was the main professional football league in the United States.

The AFL-NFL Merger and Modern Growth

In 1960, a new league called the American Football League (AFL) started. It quickly became popular and competed with the NFL for players and TV deals. To end this competition, the two leagues agreed to merge on June 8, 1966. The merger was fully completed in 1970. Before the full merger, the leagues started playing a championship game called the Super Bowl. The NFL won the first two Super Bowls, and the AFL won the next two.

After the merger, the NFL was reorganized into two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Most of the old NFL teams went to the NFC. All the AFL teams, plus three NFL teams, formed the AFC.

Today, the NFL is the most popular sports league in North America. Much of its growth happened under former commissioner Pete Rozelle, who led the league from 1960 to 1989. During his time, attendance at games grew a lot, and the Super Bowl became a huge global event. The NFL also started NFL Properties to manage its merchandise and NFL Charities to support good causes.

The current commissioner, Roger Goodell, started in 2006. He has focused on making the sport safer for players. This includes reducing dangerous hits and working to prevent concussions. The NFL also works to include many different types of businesses in its operations.

How the NFL Season Works

The NFL season has three main parts: a three-week preseason, an 18-week regular season (where each team plays 17 games), and a 14-team single-elimination playoff. The season ends with the Super Bowl, which is the league's championship game.

Preseason Games

The NFL preseason starts with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Each team plays three preseason games. These games don't count towards the team's record. Coaches use them to decide which players will make the team. Players use them to show their skills. Some fans and players worry about injuries during these games.

Regular Season Games

2024 AFC team standings
POS	AFC East	AFC North	AFC South	AFC West
1st	Bills	Ravens	Texans	Chiefs
2nd	Dolphins	Steelers	Colts	Chargers
3rd	Jets	Bengals	Jaguars	Broncos
4th	Patriots	Browns	Titans	Raiders

2024 NFC team standings
POS	NFC East	NFC North	NFC South	NFC West
1st	Eagles	Lions	Buccaneers	Rams
2nd	Commanders	Vikings	Falcons	Seahawks
3rd	Cowboys	Packers	Panthers	Cardinals
4th	Giants	Bears	Saints	49ers

This chart of the 2024 season standings shows how the NFL scheduling works. For example, the Eagles (green) finished first in their division. This means in 2025, they played certain teams based on their division and last year's finish.

The regular season lasts 18 weeks, with each team playing 17 games. It starts the week after Labor Day and ends after New Year's. The first game is usually on a Thursday night, hosted by the team that won the Super Bowl the previous season.

Most NFL games are on Sundays. There is also a Monday night game and a Thursday night game each week. Games are not usually played on Fridays or Saturdays until late in the season. This is because a federal law prevents professional football from competing with college or high school football games.

The NFL uses a special formula to decide which teams play each other. Each team plays its three division rivals twice (home and away). They also play all the teams from one division in the NFC and one division in the AFC. The remaining games are against teams that finished in the same place in their divisions the previous year. Each team gets one week off, called a bye week.

Postseason Playoffs

After the regular season, 14 teams enter the NFL Playoffs. Seven teams from each conference qualify. These include the four division winners and three "wild card" teams. Wild card teams are the three best teams that didn't win their division. Teams are ranked by their record, with division winners always ranked higher.

The top team from each conference gets a week off. The other six teams (ranked 2-7) play in the Wild Card round. Winners move to the Divisional Round. Then, the winners of those games play in the Conference Championships. Finally, the AFC and NFC champions meet in the Super Bowl to decide the league champion.

The NFL also hosts the Pro Bowl, which is an all-star game. It's played the week before the Super Bowl. Players from teams in the Super Bowl don't play in the Pro Bowl. This game is not as competitive as regular season games, as players try to avoid injuries.

NFL Teams

The NFL has 32 teams. These teams are divided into two conferences, the AFC and NFC, with 16 teams in each. Each conference is then split into four divisions, with four teams in each division. On game days, teams can have up to 55 players on their roster, but only 48 can play. Teams also have a practice squad of up to sixteen players.

Each NFL team has a special right, called a franchise, to operate in its home city. This means they have exclusive rights to host games and promote events in their area. Some cities or states have multiple teams, and they share these rights.

The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports team in the world. This was true in 2025, according to Sportico. On average, an NFL team is worth $7.13 billion.

Key
Symbol	Meaning
*	Franchise has relocated at some point in its existence
†	Club was a founding member of the NFL

National Football League teams
Conference	Division	Team	City	Stadium	Capacity	First season	Head coach
AFC	East	Buffalo Bills	Orchard Park, New York	Highmark Stadium	71,608	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Vacant
		Miami Dolphins	Miami Gardens, Florida	Hard Rock Stadium	64,767	1966 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Jeff Hafley
		New England Patriots	Foxborough, Massachusetts	Gillette Stadium	65,878	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Mike Vrabel
		New York Jets	East Rutherford, New Jersey	MetLife Stadium	82,500	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Aaron Glenn
	North	Baltimore Ravens	Baltimore, Maryland	M&T Bank Stadium	71,008	1996	Jesse Minter
		Cincinnati Bengals	Cincinnati, Ohio	Paycor Stadium	65,515	1968 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Zac Taylor
		Cleveland Browns	Cleveland, Ohio	Huntington Bank Field	67,895	1946 (AAFC) 1950 (NFL)	Vacant
		Pittsburgh Steelers	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Acrisure Stadium	68,400	1933	Vacant
	South	Houston Texans	Houston, Texas	NRG Stadium	71,995	2002	DeMeco Ryans
		Indianapolis Colts*	Indianapolis, Indiana	Lucas Oil Stadium	63,000	1953	Shane Steichen
		Jacksonville Jaguars	Jacksonville, Florida	EverBank Stadium	67,814	1995	Liam Coen
		Tennessee Titans*	Nashville, Tennessee	Nissan Stadium	69,143	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Robert Saleh
	West	Denver Broncos	Denver, Colorado	Empower Field at Mile High	76,125	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Sean Payton
		Kansas City Chiefs*	Kansas City, Missouri	GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium	76,416	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Andy Reid
		Las Vegas Raiders*	Paradise, Nevada	Allegiant Stadium	65,000	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Vacant
		Los Angeles Chargers*	Inglewood, California	SoFi Stadium	70,240	1960 (AFL) 1970 (NFL)	Jim Harbaugh
NFC	East	Dallas Cowboys	Arlington, Texas	AT&T Stadium	80,000	1960	Brian Schottenheimer
		New York Giants	East Rutherford, New Jersey	MetLife Stadium	82,500	1925	John Harbaugh
		Philadelphia Eagles	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Lincoln Financial Field	69,176	1933	Nick Sirianni
		Washington Commanders*	Landover, Maryland	Northwest Stadium	62,000	1932	Dan Quinn
	North	Chicago Bears*†	Chicago, Illinois	Soldier Field	61,500	1920	Ben Johnson
		Detroit Lions*	Detroit, Michigan	Ford Field	65,000	1930	Dan Campbell
		Green Bay Packers	Green Bay, Wisconsin	Lambeau Field	81,441	1919 1921 (NFL)	Matt LaFleur
		Minnesota Vikings	Minneapolis, Minnesota	U.S. Bank Stadium	66,860	1961	Kevin O'Connell
	South	Atlanta Falcons	Atlanta, Georgia	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	71,000	1966	Kevin Stefanski
		Carolina Panthers	Charlotte, North Carolina	Bank of America Stadium	75,523	1995	Dave Canales
		New Orleans Saints	New Orleans, Louisiana	Caesars Superdome	73,208	1967	Kellen Moore
		Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Tampa, Florida	Raymond James Stadium	65,618	1976	Todd Bowles
	West	Arizona Cardinals*†	Glendale, Arizona	State Farm Stadium	63,400	1898 1920 (NFL)	Vacant
		Los Angeles Rams*	Inglewood, California	SoFi Stadium	70,240	1936 (AFL) 1937 (NFL)	Sean McVay
		San Francisco 49ers	Santa Clara, California	Levi's Stadium	68,500	1946 (AAFC) 1950 (NFL)	Kyle Shanahan
		Seattle Seahawks	Seattle, Washington	Lumen Field	69,000	1976	Mike Macdonald

How the NFL is Organized

Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner since 2006 (pictured in 2012)

The NFL is like a club made up of its 32 teams. The teams pay for and run the league together. The league has a commissioner, a secretary, and a treasurer. Each conference also has a president, which is mostly an honorary role.

The commissioner is chosen by the teams. They have a lot of power to solve disagreements between teams, players, and coaches. The commissioner also hires league employees and makes deals for TV contracts. If someone breaks league rules, the commissioner can give out fines or suspensions. The current commissioner is Roger Goodell, who started in 2006.

Trophies and Awards

Team Trophies

The NFL has used different trophies for its champions over the years. The first was the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Cup in 1920. It was meant to be passed around until a team won three titles. This trophy is now lost.

From 1934 to 1967, the league used the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy. Each champion also received a smaller copy to keep. The main trophy is believed to be with the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

The current trophy is the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It was renamed in 1970 after Vince Lombardi, who coached the Green Bay Packers to win the first two Super Bowls. A new Lombardi Trophy is made each year for the champion. These trophies are made of sterling silver by Tiffany & Co..

Winning players, coaches, and staff also get Super Bowl rings. Each ring is unique, designed by the winning team. The losing team also gets rings, but they are less valuable. Conference champions receive their own trophies too. The NFC champion gets the George Halas Trophy. The AFC champion gets the Lamar Hunt Trophy.

Player and Coach Awards

See also (related category): NFL trophies and awards

The NFL gives out many awards to players and coaches each year at the NFL Honors event. The most important player award is the AP Most Valuable Player (MVP). Other big awards include the AP Offensive Player of the Year and AP Defensive Player of the Year. The Walter Payton Man of the Year award honors a player's work both on and off the field. The top coaching award is the NFL Coach of the Year.

How to Watch NFL Games

In the United States, NFL games are shown on many TV channels. These include ESPN/ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Prime Video, Netflix, and NFL Network. The league sells rights to different groups of games. For example, CBS shows afternoon games from the AFC, and Fox shows afternoon games from the NFC.

Some games are shown nationwide, usually in prime time. NBC broadcasts Sunday Night Football. ESPN is the main channel for Monday Night Football. Amazon's Prime Video streams Thursday Night Football. NFL Network, which is owned by the league, also shows some games. The Super Bowl TV rights rotate among CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN/ABC every four years.

You can also stream NFL games online. CBS games are on Paramount+. NBC games are on Peacock. ESPN games are on ESPN+. Amazon streams games on Prime Video and Twitch. Starting in 2024, Netflix streams some Christmas Day games. The NFL also has deals with Spanish-language channels like NBC Universo and ESPN Deportes.

NFL games are very popular. Since 2012, at least 200 million people have watched the regular season. NFL games are often the most-watched TV shows in the fall. Super Bowls are among the most-watched TV programs in U.S. history.

You can also listen to NFL games on the radio. Westwood One broadcasts select games nationally on over 500 stations. Other radio networks also carry games.

How Players Join Teams: The Draft

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward, the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft

Each April, the NFL holds a draft for college players. The draft has seven rounds. Each of the 32 teams gets one pick in each round. The team with the worst record from the previous season usually picks first. The Super Bowl champion always picks last.

To be eligible for the draft, players must be at least three years out of high school. Players chosen in the draft can only sign with the team that picked them. If they don't sign, they can enter the next year's draft. Drafted players sign four-year contracts, with an option for a fifth year. The amount of money they can earn depends on where they were picked. Players who are eligible but not drafted can sign with any team.

The NFL also holds a supplemental draft sometimes. This is for players who become eligible after the main draft. Teams can also get extra draft picks, called compensatory picks. These are given to teams that lost more key players than they gained in free agency.

Free Agents: Players Changing Teams

Players whose contracts have ended are called free agents. There are two types: restricted and unrestricted. Restricted free agents have played for three seasons. They can talk to other teams, but their old team can match any offer. If the old team doesn't match, they get draft picks as compensation.

Unrestricted free agents have played for four or more seasons. They can sign with any team they want, and their old team doesn't get any compensation.

Teams can use a "franchise tag" on one of their unrestricted free agents. This is a one-year contract that pays the player a high salary. There are two kinds of franchise tags. One doesn't let the player talk to other teams. The other lets them talk to other teams, but their old team can still match the offer.

Every team has a salary cap, which is a limit on how much money they can spend on player salaries. For the 2019 season, the salary cap was $188.2 million. Players on a team's practice squad can sign with another team's main roster at any time.