The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world. The NFL's 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference (four division winners and three wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held on the first Sunday in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC. The league is headquartered in New York City.
The NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. After initially determining champions through end-of-season standings, a playoff system was implemented in 1933 that culminated with the NFL Championship Game until 1966. Following an agreement to merge the NFL with the rival American Football League (AFL), the Super Bowl was first held in 1967 to determine a champion between the best teams from the two leagues and has remained as the final game of each NFL season since the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance (67,591) of any professional sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. The Super Bowl is also among the biggest club sporting events in the world, with the individual games accounting for many of the most watched television programs in American history and all occupying the Nielsen's Top 5 tally of the all-time most watched U.S. television broadcasts by 2015. The NFL is the wealthiest professional sports league by revenue, and the sports league with the most valuable teams.
The Green Bay Packers hold the most combined NFL championships with 13, winning nine titles before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls afterwards. Since the creation of the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots both have the most championship titles at six.
Teams and regional broadcasters[]
American Football Conference (AFC)[]
| Division | Team | Location | Stadium | Flagship TV station | Flagship radio station |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | Buffalo Bills | Orchard Park, New York | Highmark Stadium | WIVB-TV | WGR |
| Miami Dolphins | Miami Gardens, Florida | Hard Rock Stadium | WFOR-TV | WINZ/WBGG-FM (English) WQBA (Spanish) | |
| New England Patriots | Foxborough, Massachusetts | Gillette Stadium | WBZ-TV | WBZ-FM | |
| New York Jets | East Rutherford, New Jersey | MetLife Stadium | WCBS-TV | WAXQ-FM (English) WADO (Spanish) | |
| North | Baltimore Ravens | Baltimore, Maryland | M&T Bank Stadium | WBAL-TV | WIYY, WBAL-AM |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Cincinnati, Ohio | Paycor Stadium | WXIX-TV | WCKY/WEBN/WLW | |
| Cleveland Browns | Cleveland, Ohio | Huntington Bank Field | WEWS-TV (English) WLFM-LP (Spanish) |
WKRK-FM/WNCX/WKNR | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Acrisure Stadium | KDKA-TV | WDVE/WBGG (English) Steelers en Español (Spanish) | |
| South | Houston Texans | Houston, Texas | NRG Stadium | KTRK-TV | KILT-AM/KILT-FM (English) KLOL (Spanish) |
| Indianapolis Colts | Indianapolis, Indiana | Lucas Oil Stadium | WTTV/WXIN | WIBC-HD2/WLHK | |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Jacksonville, Florida | TIAA Bank Field | WJAX-TV/WFOX | WJXL-AM/WJXL-FM/WGNE-FM | |
| Tennessee Titans | Nashville, Tennessee | Nissan Stadium | WKRN-TV | WGFX | |
| West | Denver Broncos | Denver, Colorado | Empower Field at Mile High | KUSA/KTVD | KOA |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City, Missouri | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium | KSHB-TV/KMCI-TV | WDAF-FM, KFNZ-AM (English) KCTO (Spanish) | |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Paradise, Nevada | Allegiant Stadium | KVVU-TV | KOMP/KRLV (English) KENO (Spanish) | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Inglewood, California | SoFi Stadium | KCBS-TV (English) KRCA (Spanish) |
KYSR/KLAC/KLSD (English) KBUE/KBUA (Spanish) |
National Football Conference (NFC)[]
| Division | Team | Location | Stadium | Flagship TV station | Flagship radio station |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | Dallas Cowboys | Arlington, Texas | AT&T Stadium | KTVT | KRLD-FM/KRLD-AM (English) KMVK (Spanish) |
| New York Giants | East Rutherford, New Jersey | MetLife Stadium | WNYW | WFAN-AM/WFAN-FM | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Lincoln Financial Field | WCAU | WIP-FM (English) Tico Sports (Spanish) | |
| Washington Commanders | Landover, Maryland | Northwest Stadium | WUSA | WBIG-FM | |
| North | Chicago Bears | Chicago, Illinois | Soldier Field | WFLD-TV | WMVP (English) WRTO (Spanish) |
| Detroit Lions | Detroit, Michigan | Ford Field | WJBK | WXYT-FM | |
| Green Bay Packers | Green Bay, Wisconsin | Lambeau Field | WTMJ-TV/WGBA-TV | WRNW, WTAQ/WIXX | |
| Minnesota Vikings | Minneapolis, Minnesota | U.S. Bank Stadium | KMSP-TV | KFXN-FM (English) WREY Tico Sports (Spanish) | |
| South | Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta, Georgia | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | WAGA-TV | WZGC |
| Carolina Panthers | Charlotte, North Carolina | Bank of America Stadium | WJZY | WRFX (English) WGSP (Spanish) | |
| New Orleans Saints | New Orleans, Louisiana | Caesars Superdome | WVUE-TV | WWL-AM/WWL-FM (English) KGLA/WFNO (Spanish) | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tampa, Florida | Raymond James Stadium | WFLA-TV/WTTA | WXTB (English) WTMP-FM/WMGG (Spanish) | |
| West | Arizona Cardinals | Glendale, Arizona | State Farm Stadium | KPHO | KTAR-FM/KTAR-AM (English) KQMR/KHOV-FM (Spanish) |
| Los Angeles Rams | Inglewood, California | SoFi Stadium | KABC-TV (English) KFTR (Spanish) |
KSPN/KCBS-FM (English) KWKW (Spanish) | |
| San Francisco 49ers | Santa Clara, California | Levi's Stadium | KPIX-TV | KSAN-FM/KNBR-AM/KNBR-FM | |
| Seattle Seahawks | Seattle, Washington | Lumen Field | KING-TV/KONG | KIRO-AM/KIRO-FM |
National broadcasters[]
English (lead)[]
| Program | Lead Play-by-play | Lead analyst | Lead sideline reporter | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL on CBS | Jim Nantz | Tony Romo (color), Gene Steratore (rules) | Tracy Wolfson | CBS Paramount+ |
| NFL on Fox | Kevin Burkhardt | Greg Olsen (color), Mike Pereira (rules) | Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi | Fox |
| NFL on NBC (NBC Sunday Night Football) | Mike Tirico | Cris Collinsworth (color), Terry McAulay (rules) | Melissa Stark | NBC Peacock |
| ESPN/ABC (Monday Night Football) | Joe Buck | Troy Aikman (color), John Parry (rules) | Lisa Salters | ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPN+ Disney XD (Pro Bowl only) |
| Thursday Night Football | Al Michaels | Kirk Herbstreit (color), Terry McAulay (rules) | Kaylee Hartung | Amazon Prime Video |
| NFL Network Special | Kevin Kugler, Rich Eisen, Noah Eagle | Mark Sanchez, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner, Nate Burleson | Laura Okmin, Sara Walsh, Jamie Erdahl, Stacey Dales, Lindsay Czarniak, Tom Pelissero, Steve Wyche, Peter Schrager, Allison Williams | NFL Network |
| NFL on Westwood One Sports | Ian Eagle, Kevin Kugler, Spero Dedes, Ryan Radtke, Kevin Harlan, Tom McCarthy, John Sadak, Bill Rosinski | Tony Boselli, Jason McCourty, Ross Tucker, Ryan Harris, Ryan Leaf, Mike Golic, Mike Mayock, Brady Quinn, Ben Leber, Kurt Warner | Laura Okmin, Ross Tucker, Ed Werder, Aditi Kinkhabwala, Olivia Harlan | Westwood One |
| Football Sunday on ESPN Radio | Marc Kestecher, Steve Levy, Mike Couzens | Barrett Jones and Ben Hartsock | N/A | ESPN Radio |
English (other)[]
| Program | Play-by-play | Analyst | Sideline reporter | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL on CBS | Ian Eagle | Charles Davis (color), Gene Steratore (rules) | Evan Washburn | CBS Paramount+ |
No. 2 broadcast team |
| Kevin Harlan | Trent Green (color), Gene Steratore (rules) | Melanie Collins | No. 3 broadcast team | ||
| Greg Gumbel | Adam Archuleta (color), Gene Steratore (rules) | AJ Ross | No. 4 broadcast team | ||
| Andrew Catalon | James Lofton (color), Gene Steratore (rules) | Michael Grady or Amanda Renner | No. 5 broadcast team | ||
| Spero Dedes | Jay Feely (color), Gene Steratore (rules) | Aditi Kinkhabwala | No. 6 broadcast team | ||
| Tom McCarthy | Tiki Barber (color), Gene Steratore (rules) | N/A | No. 7 broadcast team | ||
| NFL on Fox | Joe Davis | Daryl Johnston (color), Mike Pereira or Dean Blandino (rules) | Pam Oliver | Fox | No. 2 broadcast team |
| Adam Amin | Mark Schlereth (color), Mike Pereira or Dean Blandino (rules) | Kristina Pink | No. 3 broadcast team | ||
| Kenny Albert | Jonathan Vilma (color), Mike Pereira or Dean Blandino (rules) | Shannon Spake | No. 4 broadcast team | ||
| Kevin Kugler | Mark Sanchez (color), Mike Pereira or Dean Blandino (rules) | Laura Okmin | No. 5 broadcast team | ||
| Chris Myers | Robert Smith (color), Mike Pereira or Dean Blandino (rules) | Jen Hale | No. 6 broadcast team | ||
| Brandon Gaudin | Brady Quinn (color), Mike Pereira or Dean Blandino (rules) | Megan Olivi | No. 7 broadcast team | ||
| Manningcast | Peyton Manning, Eli Manning | Various guests | N/A | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
Simulcast of ESPN/ABC coverage with alternate commentary |
| NFL on Nickelodeon | Noah Eagle | Nate Burleson, Gabrielle Nevaeh Green | Young Dylan | Nickelodeon | Simulcast of CBS coverage with alternate commentary |
| Thursday Night Football | Dude Perfect | Amazon Prime Video | Simulcast of Amazon Prime Video coverage with alternate commentary | ||
| Hannah Storm | Andrea Kremer | N/A | |||
Spanish[]
| Program | Lead play-by-play | Lead analyst | Lead sideline reporter | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL on CBS | Armando Quintero, Benny Ricardo, Alfredo Bejar, Nelson Fernández, Halim Zadat, José Antonio Melian, Jerry Olaya and Roberto Abramowitz | N/A | N/A | CBS (SAP) |
| NFL on Fox | Francisco X. Rivera, Jessi Losada, Adrian Garcia Marquez, Luis Rodríguez, Eduardo Blancas, Pepe Mantilla and Fernando González | N/A | N/A | Fox Deportes Fox (SAP) |
| Jorge Pérez-Navarro | Marco Martos | N/A | ||
| NBC Sunday Night Football | Miguel Gurwitz | Rolando Cantú | Ariana Figuera (select games) | Telemundo Universo |
| René Giraldo | Édgar López | NBC (SAP) | ||
| Monday Night Football | Eduardo Varela | Pablo Viruega | John Sutcliffe | ESPN Deportes |
| Thursday Night Football | Miguel Gurwitz or Adrian Garcia Marquez | Rolando Cantú | Mayra Gomez | Amazon Prime Video (SAP) |
International broadcasters[]
| Country | Network |
|---|---|
| The Americas | |
| Latin America (except Argentina and Mexico) | ESPN |
| Caribbean | ESPN, Rush Sports |
| Argentina | ESPN, Fox Sports |
| Brazil | ESPN Brasil, RedeTV! |
| Canada | CTV, TSN, RDS |
| Mexico | ESPN, Fox Sports, TV Azteca, TelevisaUnivision |
| Europe | |
| Austria Germany Liechtenstein Switzerland |
DAZN, RTL, Nitro, RTL+ |
| Balkans | TV Arena Sport |
| Belgium Luxembourg Portugal |
DAZN |
| Bulgaria | Max Sport |
| Czech Republic Slovakia |
Nova Sport |
| Denmark | TV 2 Sport |
| Finland Sweden |
TV4 Media |
| France | W9, M6, beIN Sports |
| Greece | Cosmote Sport |
| Hungary | Arena4 |
| Iceland | Stöð 2 Sport |
| Ireland | Virgin Media, Sky Sports, Now, RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Italy | DAZN |
| Netherlands | ESPN |
| Norway | VG+ |
| Poland | DAZN, Polsat Sport |
| Spain Andorra |
Movistar+, #Vamos, Movistar Deportes |
| Turkey | S Sport |
| United Kingdom Ireland |
ITV, STV, Channel 5, Sky Sports, Now, BBC Radio 5 Live, Talksport |
| Africa | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | ESPN |
| Asia | |
| Indian subcontinent | Star Sports |
| Middle East and North Africa | Shahid |
| China | Tencent, BesTV, SMG Great Sports Channel, GDTV Sports Channel |
| Hong Kong | now Sports |
| Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Timor Leste |
Mola |
| Japan | Nippon TV Gtasu, DAZN |
| Philippines | Premier Sports |
| South Korea | Coupang Play |
| Taiwan | ELTA Sports |
| Thailand | TrueVisions |
| Vietnam | K+ |
| Oceania | |
| Australia | ESPN, Seven Network, SEN |
| New Zealand | TVNZ, ESPN |