National Football League
When was the NFL founded?
How many teams are in the NFL?
How many games are in a regular NFL season?
When does the NFL season start and end?
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National Football League (NFL), major American professional football organization, founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio, as the American Professional Football Association. Its first president was Jim Thorpe, an outstanding American athlete who was also a player in the league. The NFLβs present name was adopted in 1922.
History
The league began play in 1920 and comprised five teams from Ohio (Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, Columbus Panhandlers, and Dayton Triangles), four teams from Illinois (Chicago Tigers, Decatur Staleys, Racine Cardinals [the Cardinals were based in Chicago but took the name of a local street], and Rock Island Independents), two from Indiana (Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers), two from New York (Buffalo All-Americans and Rochester Jeffersons), and the Detroit Heralds from Michigan. Of these original franchises, only two remain: the Cardinals left Chicago for St. Louis after the 1959 season and relocated to Arizona in 1988; the Decatur Staleys moved to Chicago in 1921 and a year later changed their name to the Bears.
The NFL survived many years of instability and competition from rival organizations to became the strongest American professional football league. The most serious challenge to its leading role came from the American Football League (AFL) in the 1960s. The NFL and AFL completed a merger in 1970, creating a 26-team circuit under the name of the older NFL. Since then the league has expanded four times, adding six new franchises.
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For a more complete history of football and the NFL, see American football.
The leagueβs 32 teams are aligned as follows:
The league season culminates with an annual 14-team playoff tournament leading to the Super Bowl championship game. Some NFL teams also play regular-season games outside the United States; these games have been held in England, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, and Spain.
The NFL has headquarters in New York City and since 1963 has maintained the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
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Super Bowl results
Super Bowl results are provided in the table.
| season | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *NFL-AFL championship 1966β70. NFL championship from 1970β71 season onward. | |||||
| **The game was won in overtime. | |||||
| I | 1966β67 | Green Bay Packers (NFL) | 35 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | 10 |
| II | 1967β68 | Green Bay Packers (NFL) | 33 | Oakland Raiders (AFL) | 14 |
| III | 1968β69 | New York Jets (AFL) | 16 | Baltimore Colts (NFL) | 7 |
| IV | 1969β70 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | 23 | Minnesota Vikings (NFL) | 7 |
| V | 1970β71 | Baltimore Colts (AFC) | 16 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 13 |
| VI | 1971β72 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 24 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 3 |
| VII | 1972β73 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 14 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 7 |
| VIII | 1973β74 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 24 | Minnesota Vikings (NFC) | 7 |
| IX | 1974β75 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 16 | Minnesota Vikings (NFC) | 6 |
| X | 1975β76 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 21 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 17 |
| XI | 1976β77 | Oakland Raiders (AFC) | 32 | Minnesota Vikings (NFC) | 14 |
| XII | 1977β78 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 27 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 10 |
| XIII | 1978β79 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 35 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 31 |
| XIV | 1979β80 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 31 | Los Angeles Rams (NFC) | 19 |
| XV | 1980β81 | Oakland Raiders (AFC) | 27 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 10 |
| XVI | 1981β82 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 26 | Cincinnati Bengals (AFC) | 21 |
| XVII | 1982β83 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 27 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 17 |
| XVIII | 1983β84 | Los Angeles Raiders (AFC) | 38 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 9 |
| XIX | 1984β85 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 38 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 16 |
| XX | 1985β86 | Chicago Bears (NFC) | 46 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 10 |
| XXI | 1986β87 | New York Giants (NFC) | 39 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 20 |
| XXII | 1987β88 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 42 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 10 |
| XXIII | 1988β89 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 20 | Cincinnati Bengals (AFC) | 16 |
| XXIV | 1989β90 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 55 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 10 |
| XXV | 1990β91 | New York Giants (NFC) | 20 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 19 |
| XXVI | 1991β92 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 37 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 24 |
| XXVII | 1992β93 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 52 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 17 |
| XXVIII | 1993β94 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 30 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 13 |
| XXIX | 1994β95 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 49 | San Diego Chargers (AFC) | 26 |
| XXX | 1995β96 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 27 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 17 |
| XXXI | 1996β97 | Green Bay Packers (NFC) | 35 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 21 |
| XXXII | 1997β98 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 31 | Green Bay Packers (NFC) | 24 |
| XXXIII | 1998β99 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 34 | Atlanta Falcons (NFC) | 19 |
| XXXIV | 1999β2000 | St. Louis Rams (NFC) | 23 | Tennessee Titans (AFC) | 16 |
| XXXV | 2000β01 | Baltimore Ravens (AFC) | 34 | New York Giants (NFC) | 7 |
| XXXVI | 2001β02 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 20 | St. Louis Rams (NFC) | 17 |
| XXXVII | 2002β03 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC) | 48 | Oakland Raiders (AFC) | 21 |
| XXXVIII | 2003β04 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 32 | Carolina Panthers (NFC) | 29 |
| XXXIX | 2004β05 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 24 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 21 |
| XL | 2005β06 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 21 | Seattle Seahawks (NFC) | 10 |
| XLI | 2006β07 | Indianapolis Colts (AFC) | 29 | Chicago Bears (NFC) | 17 |
| XLII | 2007β08 | New York Giants (NFC) | 17 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 14 |
| XLIII | 2008β09 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 27 | Arizona Cardinals (NFC) | 23 |
| XLIV | 2009β10 | New Orleans Saints (NFC) | 31 | Indianapolis Colts (AFC) | 17 |
| XLV | 2010β11 | Green Bay Packers (NFC) | 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 25 |
| XLVI | 2011β12 | New York Giants (NFC) | 21 | New England Patriots(AFC) | 17 |
| XLVII | 2012β13 | Baltimore Ravens (AFC) | 34 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 31 |
| XLVIII | 2013β14 | Seattle Seahawks (NFC) | 43 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 8 |
| XLIX | 2014β15 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 28 | Seattle Seahawks (NFC) | 24 |
| 50 | 2015β16 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 24 | Carolina Panthers (NFC) | 10 |
| LI | 2016β17 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 34** | Atlanta Falcons (NFC) | 28 |
| LII | 2017β18 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 41 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 33 |
| LIII | 2018β19 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 13 | Los Angeles Rams (NFC) | 3 |
| LIV | 2019β20 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 31 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 20 |
| LV | 2020β21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC) | 31 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 9 |
| LVI | 2021β22 | Los Angeles Rams (NFC) | 23 | Cincinnati Bengals (AFC) | 20 |
| LVII | 2022β23 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 38 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 35 |
| LVIII | 2023β24 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 25** | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 22 |
| LIX | 2024β25 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 40 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 22 |
| LX | 2025β26 | Seattle Seahawks (NFC) | 29 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 13 |