Four downs
The offence has four downs to gain 10 yards. Fail, and the other team takes over. Teams often punt or try a field goal on fourth down instead of risking a turnover on downs.
Football · 2026
NFL, explained.
Thirty-two teams. Fourteen playoff clubs. One Super Bowl. Here’s the quick guide.
The NFL is the top professional football league in the United States: 32 clubs in two conferences, a 17-game regular season, and a January– February playoff that ends with the Super Bowl.
League contact
League-office details published by the NFL. For tickets, accounts, or a specific club, use that team’s site — not league headquarters.
- Headquarters
- National Football League
345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154 - Phone
- (212) 450-2000
- Canada office
- 401 Bay Street, Suite 1440, Toronto, ON M5H 2Y4
A short history
The league began as the American Professional Football Association on September 17, 1920, in Canton, Ohio. It took the name National Football League in 1922. The Super Bowl — still the championship — started after the 1966 season as a meeting of the NFL and the rival American Football League. The two leagues merged into one NFL with two conferences for the 1970 season.
The league has been 32 teams since the Houston Texans joined in 2002. The AFC and NFC each have four four-team divisions. The 2026 season is the NFL’s 107th.
The Super Bowl LX champion is the Seattle Seahawks. Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Current teams
Sixteen clubs in each conference, four per division. Open a team for scores, the next game, and news.
American Football Conference
National Football Conference
2026 schedule
The regular season runs September 9, 2026 to January 10, 2027. Each team plays 17 games over 18 weeks — 272 games in all — with one bye. Week 18 is all division games, January 9–10.
How the league works
Four downs, 11 players a side, and a points race that feeds a 14-team playoff.
Eleven players, 100-yard field
Each side plays 11. The field is 100 yards long and 53⅓ yards wide, with 10-yard end zones — shorter and narrower than a CFL field.
Four quarters
A game is 60 minutes: four 15-minute quarters. The clock stops more often than it does in college or the CFL, so a broadcast usually runs about three hours.
Scoring
A touchdown is six points. A kick convert is one; a two-point convert is a play from scrimmage. A field goal is three. A safety is two.
Overtime
Both teams get a chance to possess the ball. Regular-season overtime is one 10-minute period and can end in a tie. Playoff overtime uses 15-minute periods and continues until someone wins.
Conferences
The AFC and NFC each have East, North, South, and West divisions. Each division has four teams.
The season
Training camp in July, a short preseason, 17 regular-season games from September into January, then the playoffs through the Super Bowl in February.
How the playoffs work
Fourteen teams. Single-elimination. The Super Bowl is at a site chosen years in advance — not at either finalist’s stadium.
Who gets in
Seven teams from each conference: the four division winners, seeded 1–4 by record, plus three wild cards seeded 5–7. Only the No. 1 seed gets a first-round bye.
Wild Card, then Divisional
In each conference the 2 seed hosts the 7, the 3 hosts the 6, and the 4 hosts the 5. Winners join the top seeds on January 23–24. The No. 1 seed hosts the lowest remaining seed.
Conference titles, then Super Bowl
AFC and NFC Championship Games are Sunday, January 31. The winners meet February 14 in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Home field: Through the conference championship, the higher seed hosts. The Super Bowl is at a predetermined stadium. In 2027 that is SoFi Stadium. Wild Card Weekend for this season starts Saturday, January 16.
For the live table that feeds these seeds, see the NFL standings.
Office address, 2026 dates, and playoff rules checked September 24, 2026. Use the official NFL links if an address, number, or date changes.