This is a list of current and defunct leagues of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

and

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

Leagues in North America

Current professional leagues in North America

Professional outdoor leagues

''Major'' *

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL), 1920– ::Originally American Professional Football Conference, American Professional Football Association (1920–1921) ::

Merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

with the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(1960–69) *

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...

(CFL), 1958– (Grey Cup Canadian Football Championships since 1909) ::Formed from

Interprovincial Rugby Football Union The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues. T ...

(1909) and

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the West Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagu ...

(1936). ''Other'' * XFL, 2020; 2023– * Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), 2016– *

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

, 2022–

Professional arena/indoor leagues

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

, (14 teams) 2009– ::Formed from

United Indoor Football United Indoor Football (UIF) was an indoor football league in the United States that operated from 2005 to 2008. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion (the Dayton Warbirds, which never played a game in UIF) ...

and

Intense Football League The Intense Football League (IFL) was a professional indoor football minor league that began operations in 2004. Its focus was in Texas, but it was notable for being the first professional football league to place a franchise in Alaska. History ...

Champions Indoor Football Champions Indoor Football (CIF) is a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2014 out of the merger between the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) and Lone Star Football League (LSFL), plus one team fr ...

, (7 teams) 2015– ::Formed from

Champions Professional Indoor Football League The Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) was an indoor football minor league based along the Midwestern United States region. The league began play in February 2013. In August 2014, the CPIFL and Lone Star Football League (LSFL) ...

and

Lone Star Football League The Lone Star Football League (LSFL) was a regional professional indoor football minor league that played three seasons from 2012 to 2014. All of the LSFL's charter teams were based in the state of Texas, with five teams coming from the Southern ...

National Arena League The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States. Teams' typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, while players are paid $ ...

, (8 teams) 2017– * American West Football Conference, (4 teams) 2019– *

Fan Controlled Football Fan Controlled Football (FCF) is a professional 7-on-7 Indoor football league created in 2017 as the first sports league controlled by fans. All games are played at the Pullman Yards in Atlanta, Georgia and broadcast on Twitch, NBCLX, DAZN, Fu ...

, (8 teams) 2021– * American Indoor Football Alliance, (4 teams) 2022– *

Arena Football Association The Arena Football Association (AFA) is a professional indoor football league based in Texas, Kansas and Mississippi, United States. The league began operation in June 2021 with five teams, known that season as the Lone Star Series. The league ...

, (4 teams) 2022–

Current Developmental leagues

Gridiron Developmental Football League The Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL) is a low-level american football minor league based in Memphis, Tennessee, using the franchise model. , the league has 63 teams. The GDFL plays a playoff format similar to NCAA tournament, as 16 ...

, 2010– * Rivals Professional Football League, 2015–

Current semi-professional leagues

* Chicagoland Football League, 1917–1934, 2005– *

Northern Football Conference The Northern Football Conference (NFC) is a semi-professional Canadian football league with franchises based primarily in Ontario, Canada. The league consists of eight teams and runs from May until mid-August. It's the oldest running senior amat ...

, 1954– * Eastern Football League, 1961– *

Empire Football League The Empire Football League (EFL) is a semi-professional American football league with franchises based primarily in New York State. The league was established in 1969. Many franchises have come and gone including in locations such as Pennsylvania ...

, 1969– * Mason-Dixon Football League, 1978– *

Alberta Football League The Alberta Football League (AFL) is an amateur Canadian football league. The league's schedule runs from the start of June through to the end of September. The Alberta Football League was established in 1984 so that men over the age of 21 coul ...

, 1984– * The Minor Football League, 1993– *

New England Football League The New England Football League (NEFL) is a semi-professional american football league based in Salisbury, Massachusetts and owned by Thomas Torrisi. It is the largest semi-professional league in New England. The NEFL was founded in 1994 and was ...

, 1994– * National Public Safety Football League, 1997– *

Rocky Mountain Football League ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise, ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weather ...

, 1997– * MidStates Football League, 1999– *

Maritime Football League The Maritime Football League (MFL) is a men's Canadian football minor league in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. The season runs from April until the end of June. The league consists of former Canadian Football League, CFL, U Sports, and high scho ...

, 2001– *

The Pacific Coast Football League ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, 2006– *

Florida Football Alliance The Florida Football Alliance (FFA) is an American football minor league based out of Boynton Beach, Florida. Founded in May 2007, the league opened its first season of operation on January 19, 2008 and remains the oldest continuous operating orga ...

, 2007– *

Northern Elite Football League Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

, 2008– * Atlantic Coast Football Alliance, 2009– * Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League, 2012– * American 7s Football League, 2014– *

Puerto Rico American Football League The Puerto Rico American Football League (PRAFL) is a semi-pro American football league in Puerto Rico. The PRAFL is the highest level of competition in Puerto Rican American football league pyramid, a form of gridiron football closely related ...

, 2014– *

North Louisiana Football Alliance The North Louisiana Football Alliance (NLFA) is an nine-man football american football developmental league based in Bossier City, Louisiana. The league established itself as a single entity, owning all eight of its teams, and playing during s ...

, 2019–

Current Flag football leagues

National Gay Flag Football League National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) is a nonprofit LGBT flag football league, currently comprising 200 teams in 22 leagues in the United States and Canada. History The NGFFL was founded by Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler in 2002. Teams c ...

, 2002- *

DC Gay Flag Football League DC Gay Flag Football League (DCGFFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit LGBT flag football league consisting of 20 teams in Washington, D.C. It is a member of Team DC, which provides a network of sporting outlets for the LGBT community of the Washingto ...

, 2009- *

American Flag Football League The American Flag Football League is a semi-professional flag football league started in 2017. The league was founded by Jeff Lewis in May 2017. Lewis spent nine months building the league, getting investors, setting the rules, and finding players ...

, 2018-

Current Collegiate and amateur leagues

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

, 1906– *

National Federation of State High School Associations The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. NFHS's headquarters are located in White River State Park in Ind ...

, 1920– *

California Community College Athletic Association The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in 1929 as the Calif ...

, 1929– *

Collegiate Sprint Football League Sprint football, formerly called lightweight football, is a varsity sport played by United States colleges and universities, under standard American football rules. As of the 2022 season, the sport is governed by the Collegiate Sprint Football ...

, 1934– *

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

, 1938– *

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

, 1940– *

U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the ...

, 1961– *

Quebec Junior Football League The Quebec Junior Football League (QJFL) is a junior Canadian football competition held in Quebec, Canada since 1970, as a successor to the Quebec Juvenile Football League. It began competition as a conference of the Canadian Junior Football Leagu ...

, 1970– *

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

, 1974– * Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano, 1978– *

Atlantic Football League The Atlantic Football League (AFL) is an amateur club-level Canadian football league that features four teams based in Atlantic Canada. The league is for players aged 18–24 that either attend universities without U Sports football programs or f ...

, 2009– * Intercollegiate Club Football Federation, 2010– *

National Club Football Association The National Club Football Association (NCFA) is an association of collegiate American football teams. It is a member of CollClubSports and manages the NCFA National Championship. NCFA teams are typically operated by student sports clubs rather ...

, 2010– * Hohokam Junior College Athletic Conference, 2019–

Current women's leagues

Outdoor leagues

Women's Football Alliance The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a professional full-contact Women's American football tackle minor league that began play in 2009. It is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...

, 2009– * United States Women's Football League, 2010– *

Western Women's Canadian Football League The Western Women's Canadian Football League (WWCFL) is a full-contact women's Canadian football league which began play in the spring of 2011. The league plays an annual season in the spring or summer, and with eight teams it is the largest wome ...

, 2011– *

Utah Girls Tackle Football League The Utah Girls Tackle Football League (GFL) is the first all-girls youth American football league in the world, founded as a nonprofit in March 2015. The league is currently in its season. The GFL consists of three age divisions: elementary (gra ...

, 2015– *

Women's National Football Conference The Women's National Football Conference (WNFC) is an amateur full-contact Women's American football league in the United States. With teams across the United States, the WNFC had its first game in 2019 with fourteen regular teams and one exhib ...

, 2019– *

Central Canadian Women's Football League The Central Canadian Women's Football League (CCWFL) is a full-contact Canadian football league supported by Football Quebec and Football Ontario. Originally founded in 2014, the league played its first season in 2022. It thus became the third cr ...

, 2022–

Women's Indoor/Arena leagues

Legends Football League The Extreme Football League (X League) is an American women's semi-professional tackle football league. The league was originally founded in 2009 as the Lingerie Football League (LFL), and later rebranded as the Legends Football League in 2013. ...

, 2009– ::Operated as the Lingerie Football League from 2009 to 2012. *

Women's Arena Football League The Women's Arena Football League (WAFL) was an 8-on-8 full contact professional American football Sports league, league based out of Houston, Texas. Founded in 2011, games were played in the spring and summer months in arenas around the United ...

, 2012–

Planned leagues in North America

Women's Football League Association A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as " women's rights" to denote female humans regar ...

, 2021– *

Major League Football Major League Football (MLFB) is a proposed professional American football minor league consisting of teams that are all league-owned and Major League Football, Inc., is a publicly traded company. MLFB will operate on a strict budget, well und ...

(MLF), propose to begin in 2023 *

(MLFB), propose to begin in 2023 (cancelled seasons in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

) * American Spring Football League (ASFL), propose to begin in 2023. * National Gridiron League (UFL), TBA (proposed to begin in 2023) * American Patriot League (APL), TBA (proposed to begin in 2023)

Historical leagues in North America

Major outdoor leagues

* Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, 1892–1905⁶ *

, 1902 * Ohio Independent Championship (

Ohio League The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct pr ...

), 1903–1919⁶ *

, 1907–1959⁷ *

New York Pro Football League The New York Pro Football League (NYPFL) was a professional American football league, active in the 1910s, and based in upstate New York, primarily Western New York. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into the National Foo ...

, c. 1913–1920⁶ * American Football League,

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...

, 1936–1937, and 1940–1941 (all unrelated, three separate leagues) *

California Winter League California Winter League is a former baseball winter league. It was the first integrated league in the 20th century as players from Major League Baseball and Negro league baseball played each other in training games. The league was in existence f ...

, 1927–1928 *

, 1936–1960⁷ *

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

, 1946–1949¹ *

, 1960–1969² *

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the ...

, 1974–1975 *

, 1983–1985

Minor outdoor leagues

Wilmington Football League The Wilmington Football League, also known as the Wilmington Football Association (1930–1935, 1940–1941), was a semi-professional American football league that existed from 1929 to 1956. It was based in Wilmington, Delaware. From 1932 to 1935, ...

(1922–1925, 1929–1935, 1940–1941, 1946–1955) *

Anthracite League The Anthracite League, also referred to as the Anthracite Association, was a short-lived American football minor league comprising teams based in coal-mining towns in eastern Pennsylvania (hence the league name's reference to anthracite coal). Th ...

(1924) *

Ohio Valley League The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct pr ...

, 1925–1929 * Eastern League of Professional Football (1926) *

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

, 1926 * Eastern League of Professional Football, 1926–1927 *

, 1928–1929 * Eastern Football League, 1932–1933 :::Became Interstate Football League in 1933 * Greater New York League, 1934–1935 :::Originally the New Jersey Football Circuit (1934) *

, 1934 *

American Legion League The Pacific Coast Professional Football League (PCPFL), also known as the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL) and Pacific Coast League (PCL) was a professional American football minor league based in California. It operated from 1940 through 19 ...

, 1934–1935 * Northwest Football League, 1935–1938 * Midwest Football League, 1935–1937, became

American Professional Football Association The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

in 1938, American Football League in 1939 * Dixie League, 1936–1947 – originally South Atlantic Football Association *

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

1936–1941/ American Football League 1946–1950³ *

, 1936 *

Virginia-Carolina Football League The Virginia-Carolina Football League was a short lived professional American football minor league formed in 1937 by clubs from Virginia and one team from North Carolina. The VCFL was a regional minor league, that was formed behind the backbone o ...

, 1937 * California Football League, 1938 * Eastern Pennsylvania Football League, 1938 *

, 1938–1939⁴ *

Pacific Coast Professional Football League The Pacific Coast Professional Football League (PCPFL), also known as the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL) and Pacific Coast League (PCL) was a professional American football minor league based in California. It operated from 1940 through 194 ...

, 1940–1948 * Northeast Football League, 1940–1942 * Northwest War Industries Football League, 1942 * Eastern Football League, 1944 *

, 1944⁵ * Virginia Negro League, 1946 *

Central States Football League The Central States Football League (CSFL) was a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions were located in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona and competed only in football. The conference was established i ...

, 1948–1953 * Pacific Football Conference, 1957–1958 *

American Football Conference The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference ...

, 1959–1961 :Low-level fall league that was fully organized in September 1959 with five independent teams who played the other teams sporadically. The original teams were Duquesne Ironmen (Pennsylvania), Melvindale Redskins (Michigan),

Toledo Tornadoes Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Oru ...

, Dayton Triangles (Ohio) and Newark Rams (New Jersey). Players were from both pro and college teams. Teams also end up play in Sarnia, Zaneville (Ohio Colts), Port Huron and Detroit, while Toledo Tornadoes leave for the larger

United Football League (1961–1964) The United Football League was a professional american football minor league that operated between 1961 and 1964. It had eight teams, primarily based in the Midwestern United States. After the league folded following the 1964 season, the more amb ...

. * United Football League, 1961–1964 *

, 1962–1975 *

Atlantic Coast Football League The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional american football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid ...

, 1962–1971, 1973 * Midwest Football League, 1962–1978 *

Southern Football League The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English ...

, 1963–1965 *

North Pacific Football League The North Pacific Football League is the collaboration name for two separate but related minor American football leagues - the Pacific Football League and Northern California League - that operated in the Pacific Northwest region, between 1963 to ...

, 1963–1966 *

, 1964–1967 :::Renamed North Atlantic Football League in 1967 *

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to becom ...

, 1965–1969 *

North American Football League The North American Football League (NAFL) was a proposed american spring football minor league. In 2014, the league announced it was to begin play for the 2016 season; however, there have been no further announcements that the league has met an ...

, 1965–1966 *

Professional Football League of America The Professional Football League of America (PFLA) was an American football minor league that operated in the Midwest region of the United States from 1965 through 1967. With franchises based in the Midwest, the league played three seasons befor ...

, 1965–1967 * Texas Football League 1966–1968 *

United American Football League The United American Football League (UAFL) (also referred as ''United American Professional Football League (UAPFL)'') was a professional American football minor league that played in 1967. The league was an attempt by Hal Shapiro to revive profe ...

, 1967 *

South Carolina Football League South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

, 1967 * Trans-American Football League, 1970–1971 *

Midwest Professional Football League The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

, 1970–1972 *

Seaboard Football League The Seaboard Football League was an American football minor league that operated from 1971 to 1974.Bob Gill, with Steve Brainerd and Tod Maher, ''Minor League Football, 1960-85'' (McFarland and Co., 2002), pp84, 99-100 It folded during the 1974 ...

, 1971–1974 * Southwestern Football League, 1972–1973 * California Football League (1974–1982)California Football League, 1974–1982 * American Football Association, 1978–1983 * International Football League, 1984 (never played) *

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...

1991–1992/

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...

1995–2007 *

Professional Spring Football League The Professional Spring Football League (PSFL) was an outdoor american football minor league slated to begin in 1992. The league had a preview show on SportsChannel America in late 1991/early 1992, laying out the ten teams that would play. The l ...

, 1992 * Fan Ownership League, 1996 (never played) *

Regional Football League The Regional Football League (RFL) was an american football minor league formed to be the self-styled "major league of spring football." Established in 1997, the league played a single season, 1999, and then ceased operations. History The RFL se ...

, 1999 * International Football Federation, 2000 (never played) * Spring Football League, 2000 * XFL, 2001 *

, 2008–2010 * United Football League, 2009–2012 *

Hawaii Professional Football League The Hawaii Professional Football League, or HPFL, was a proposed professional-football league based in the U.S. state of Hawaii, aiming for an inaugural season to start in February 2011 with four teams. The four teams are to be divided into two t ...

, 2011 (never played) *

Stars Football League A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth mak ...

, 2011–2013 *

, 2014 (never played) *

Fall Experimental Football League The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) was a professional football minor league that played two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This league's stated goal was to become a professional feeder-system for the National Football League (NFL). The lea ...

, 2014–2015 *

The Spring League The Spring League was an American football developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional athletes but not paying a salary or expenses, the league's go ...

, 2017–2021 * Trinity Professional Spring Football League, 2018 (never played) * Your Call Football, 2018–2019 *

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan area ...

, 2019 *

Fútbol Americano de México The Mexican American Professional Football League ('', FAM'') was a professional american football minor league in Mexico, founded in 2018. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league was also known as FAM-YOX for the 2022 season. Starting with five ...

(FAM), 2019–2022 *¹: Three teams merged into the NFL *²: Agreed to merger with the NFL in 1966, with merger completed in 1970 *³: American Association suspended operations for duration of U.S. involvement in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

; in 1946 the AA was renamed American Football League *⁴: Known as the American Professional Football Association in 1938; renamed American Football League in 1939; dissolution after 1939 season caused by formation of 1940–1941 AFL major league *⁵: Merged with PCPFL in 1945 *⁶: Informal association of teams *⁷: Merged to form the CFL in 1958

Indoor leagues

World Series of Football The World Series of Soccer was a series of club games hosted by Major League Soccer from 2005 to 2007. It was used by MLS to provide its teams with opportunities to compete against top international teams. Previous uses of name The term, World S ...

, 1902–03 *

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

, 1987–2008, 2010–2019 *

Professional Indoor Football League The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was a professional indoor football league that played four seasons from 2012 to 2015. Like the Lone Star Football League, the PIFL was mainly composed of teams formerly part of Southern Indoor Foo ...

, 1998–2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001) *

, 1999–2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001;not related to the Indoor Football League that began play in 2009) *

Indoor Professional Football League The Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) was the new incarnation of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL), which started in 1998. Two of its teams (the Madison Mad Dogs and the Green Bay Bombers) left the league and their owner, ...

, 1999–2001 *

Arenafootball2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football ru ...

(af2), 2000–2009 (assets acquired in the same transaction as that noted above for Arena Football League) *

National Indoor Football League The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, ...

, 2001–2007 *

American Professional Football League The American Professional Football League (APFL) was an indoor football league that was founded in 2003. After the 2012 season, most of the teams left to start the Champions Professional Indoor Football League. The league consisted of profes ...

, 2003–2013 *

, 2004–2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League) *

, 2005–2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League) *

American Indoor Football American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...

, 2005–2010, 2012–2016 *

Continental Indoor Football League The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIF ...

, 2006–2014 * World Indoor Football League, 2007 *

Southern Indoor Football League The Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom ...

, 2008–2011 (teams divided into either the

, the

, or

) *

Ultimate Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012 ...

, 2011–2014 *

, 2012–2014 *

, 2012–2015 *

, 2013–2014 *

X-League Indoor Football X-League Indoor Football (X-League) was a professional indoor football minor league that began play in 2014. The league was co-chaired by Michael Mink and Kacee Smith. On September 19, 2015, the league announced a merger with the future "North ...

, 2014–2015

Collegiate and amateur leagues

Quebec Rugby Football Union The Quebec Rugby Football Union (QRFU) was a football league consisting of teams from Quebec and formed in 1883. Eastern Ontario teams like Ottawa City and Ottawa College joined in 1894. League formation and play The QRFU was formed officially ...

, 1883–1944 *

Ontario Rugby Football Union The Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883 and in 1903 became the first major competition to adopt th ...

, 1883–1960 * American Football Union, 1886–1895 *

Texas Sixman Football League The Texas Sixman Football League (TSFL) was a complex-based amateur six-man football league based in San Antonio, Texas. The league comprises eight teams, all of which played their games at one (usually parochial) school in the San Antonio area ...

, 1999–2012

Women's leagues

Women's Professional Football League The Women's Professional American Football League (WPFL) was a women's professional American football league in the United States. With teams across the United States, the WPFL had its first game in 1999 with just two original teams: the Lake M ...

, 1965–1973 * National Women's Football League, 1967–1982 *

, 1999–2007 * National Women's Football Association, 2000–2008 *

Women's American Football League The Women's American Football League (WAFL) was a women's American football league that was formed in 2001. After disbanding, the teams merged with the Women's Affiliated Football Conference (WAFC), the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL), W ...

, formed 2001, became the AFWL in 2002 *

American Football Women's League The American Football Women's League (AFWL) which debuted on May 15, 2002, was one of the first women's football leagues formed, originally using the name ''WAFL'', or ''Women's American Football League'' in 2001. The AFWL officially disbanded i ...

(AFWL), 2002 *

Women's Football Association The Women's Football Association (WFA) was the governing body of women's football in England. It was formed in 1969 and was disbanded in 1993, as responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the game of women's football in England passed to Th ...

, 2002–2003 * Women's Football League, 2002–2007

Leagues outside North America

Current professional leagues outside North America

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

–

European League of Football The European League of Football (ELF) is a professional American football league. The league (as of the 2023 season) consists of 17 teams located in Germany, Poland, Spain, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic and France, with p ...

(ELF), began play in June 2021 *

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

– X-League, began play in 1971

Current minor professional, semi professional and amateur leagues outside North America

Central and South America: * – CBFA Brasil Futebol Americano * – FECOFA Federación Colombiana de Football Americano * – LUF
Liga Uruguaya de Football Americano

: * – AFL

Austrian Football League The Austrian Football League (AFL) is the highest level of American football in Austria founded in 1984. The Austrian Football League (AFL) has always been considered among the best and strongest leagues in Europe. The league plays by rules based ...

* – BFL Belgian Football League * – HFL Hrvatska Football Liga * – CLAF Česká Liga Amerického Fotbalu * – NL

National Ligaen National Ligaen is the top American football league in Denmark founded in 1988. It is organized by the Danish American Football Federation. The league finale and the winning trophy is called Mermaid Bowl. The Copenhagen Towers won the 2022 fin ...

* – VL

Vaahteraliiga The Vaahteraliiga (Maple League) founded in 1980 is the highest level of American football in Finland played under American Football Association of Finland. The winner of the Vaahteraliiga is the Finnish champion. The Vaahteraliiga season is play ...

* – LEFA

Ligue Élite de Football Américain The Championnat Élite Division 1 () is the top-level American football league of France. The league was founded in 1982. History American football was introduced to France in the early 20th century, but for decades it remained an infrequent ac ...

* – GFL

German Football League The German Football League (GFL) is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA. In 1999, the league switched its name from ''American-Football-Bundesliga'' to ''German Foot ...

* – HFL Hungarian Football League * – IAFL

Irish American Football League American Football Ireland (AFI) is the National Governing Body for American football for Ireland and Northern Ireland. Founded in 1984 the AFI is entirely volunteer run and all American football played in Ireland is played at an amateur level. ...

* – FIDAF Prima Divisione FIDAF * – AFBN AFBN Division One * – PFL

Polish Football League The Polish Football League ( pl, Polska Futbol Liga, shortly PFL) is an American football league in Poland. Founded in 2021 after merge of the Topliga and the LFA which have been split in 2017. The league is played under the newly formed Po ...

* – LPFA

Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Americano Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Americano (LPFA) is the name of the top American football league which operates in Portugal. History Teams 2017–18 Former External links (in Portuguese)
{{European Football Leagues American football le ...

* – CNFA Campionatul Naţional de Fotbal American * – UAFR Russian American Football Championship * – SLAF Slovenská futbalová liga * – SNFL Slovenian Football League * – NLS Nacionalna Liga Srbije * – LNFA Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano * –

Superserien Superserien is the highest level of American football in Sweden, founded 1985 and became official in 1991. The number of teams in the top league has varied through the years, ranging from 4 to 10. Superserien teams (2022) Superserien seasons ...

* – NLA Nationalliga A * – NSFL Non Professional Swiss Romande American Football League * – TKFL Türkiye Korumalı Futbol Ligi * – ULAF Super League * – BAFANL

BAFA National Leagues The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) are the primary American football domestic League competition in Great Britain. The League is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales. ...

*///////// – CEFL

Central European Football League The Central European Football League (CEFL) is a European organization of American football which hosts two international competitions, CEFL Championship and CEFL Cup. The final game of the CEFL Championship playoffs is dubbed CEFL Bowl. Until t ...

*/// – EEAFC Eastern European American Football Cup */ – EESL Eastern European Super League

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

: * – IFL

Israel Football League The Israel Football League (IFL; he, ליגת הפוטבול הישראלית), also known as the Kraft Family Israel Football League for sponsorship reasons with the Kraft Family, is an amateur American football league consisting of eight team ...

* – Korea American Football Association * – ATFFP

Philippine–American Football League The Philippine–American Football League (PAFL) is an American Football league in the Philippines. Organized in 2016, it succeeded the now-defunct Philippine Tackle Football League. First season The inaugural season saw the participation of fiv ...

* – CNFL Chinese National Football League * – EFLI

Elite Football League of India The Elite Football League of India (EFLI) is a professional American football league based in India. It was founded with eight franchises in 2011, and now has 23 franchises throughout South Asia, among whom 20 located in India, two in Sri Lanka ...

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

: * –

Gridiron Australia Gridiron Australia is the governing body of American football in Australia. It is an approved sporting association under federal government regulations and is a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The organisatio ...

* –

Australian Gridiron League The Australian Gridiron League (AGL) is a gridiron competition that forms the highest level of American Football in Australia. The league consists of six state teams from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, The Australian Capital Territory, ...

* –

Ladies Gridiron League The Ladies Gridiron League (LGL) is an Australian-based non-for-profit company running a full contact, 7-a-side, women's American football league. It was created in March 2012 with an overall aim of developing American football upon Australian s ...

* – New Zealand American Football Association

Defunct minor leagues around the world

* – Australian American Football League 1984–1998 * –

Torneio Touchdown Touchdown Tournament was an American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with ...

2009–2015 *// –

, 1965–1969 *////

Intercontinental Football League The Intercontinental Football League (IFL) was a proposed semi-professional American football league in Europe in the early 1970s. The league was spearheaded by Bob Kap, Tex Schramm, and Al Davis, but failed to materialize. The proposed league is ...

– Intended to begin play in 1975, folded before first game * – BCAFL British Collegiate American Football League, 1985–2007 * – BAFL

British American Football League The British American Football League (BAFL) was the United Kingdom's primary American football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League (BSL) until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football Lea ...

, 1987–2010 * – ISAF Icelandic Society for American Football, 1988–1991 *///// International League of American Football – Intended to begin play in 1990, folded before first game *///// World League of American Football/NFL Europe/NFL Europa, 1991–1992, 1995–2007 */////

Football League of Europe The Football League of Europe (FLE) was a Europe American football league. It was founded in 1994, renamed 1995 in American Football League of Europe (AFLE) and dissolved after the 1995 season because of the ongoing financial problems. The trophy ...

, 1994–1995 * –

National Gridiron League of Australia American football, known locally as " gridiron", is a participation and spectator sport in Australia. The sport is represented by Gridiron Australia, a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), and also Gridiron Victori ...

1991–1995 * – BIG6

BIG6 European Football League The BIG6 European Football League (BIG6) was a European Cup style tournament for European American football teams. Originally organized by the EFAF (European Federation of American Football), the tournament had been run by the German Football ...

* – CL

IFAF Europe Champions League The IFAF Europe Champions League was a UEFA Champions League, European Cup-inspired tournament for European Gridiron football, Gridiron teams affiliated to IFAF Europe. It has been held annually between 2014 and 2016. History In 2014, the IFAF ...

* –

Philippine Tackle Football League The Philippine Tackle Football League (PTFL), formerly known as ArenaBall Philippines (ABP), was an American football league in the Philippines. The last champions were the Wolves which won their second title and the Bandits held the most titles, ...

Collegiate and amateur leagues

* –

List of Japanese collegiate American football programs This is a list of the schools in Japan that have Varsity team, varsity college football, football teams and are overseen by the Japan American Football Association. There are a total of eight leagues divided between East Japan (東日本) and West ...

* –

British Universities American Football League The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL), is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...

Notes

References

External links

*, Developmental Football USA news site * {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Leagues Of American And Canadian Football

American football leagues This is a list of current and defunct leagues of American football and Canadian football. Leagues in North America Current professional leagues in North America Professional outdoor leagues ''Major'' * National Football League (NFL), 192 ...

American footbal

Leagues in North America

Current professional leagues in North America

Professional outdoor leagues

Professional arena/indoor leagues

Current Developmental leagues

Current semi-professional leagues

Current Flag football leagues

Current Collegiate and amateur leagues

Current women's leagues

Outdoor leagues

Women's Indoor/Arena leagues

Planned leagues in North America

Historical leagues in North America

Major outdoor leagues

Minor outdoor leagues

Indoor leagues

Collegiate and amateur leagues

Women's leagues

Leagues outside North America

Current professional leagues outside North America

Current minor professional, semi professional and amateur leagues outside North America

Defunct minor leagues around the world

Collegiate and amateur leagues

See also

Notes

References

External links