Football finds its origins in rugby, which bears some general similarities to gridiron-style football. (Association football—or "soccer"—also split from rugby around the same time, albeit in a very different direction.) The first football games were played by the colleges of the Northeastern United States, with the first recognized football game taking place in 1869, soon followed by the establishment of a standard set of rules and intercollegiate play. The game closely resembled rugby, but as it evolved through the 1870s and 80s football began to break from its rugby roots, particularly with the innovation of the "line of scrimmage" and the "snap" (passing the ball backwards at the start of play). Walter Camp, then-captain of Yale's football team and now considered the "Father of American Football", was instrumental in securing rule changes that effectively created the modern sport of football.

Further innovations followed in the early decades of the 20th century, such as the establishment of the forward pass and the current point system and field dimensions. During this time, the collegiate leagues established a governing body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the tradition of annual postseason bowl games. The era also saw the rise of professional football, with the 1920 creation of the National Football League, which quickly established itself as the premier professional league, but nonetheless had to fight off rival claimants to major league status during almost all of its first five decades of existence. Eventually, the NFL would come to surpass the collegiate leagues in popularity, and by the late 1960s football was the most popular sport in the United States. 1960 saw the establishment of the American Football League, a rival professional league which soon proved fierce competition for playing talent with the NFL, though the rivalry quickly came to an end when the two leagues agreed to a merger in 1966, which instituted a championship game to be played between the champions of each league: the Super Bowl. The AFL–NFL rivalry arguably helped football surpass baseball in popularity and grow as a sport as the game went from 12 teams in 1959, only two of which played south of Washington, D.C. or west of Chicago (both in California), to 26 in 1970 upon completion of the merger. Both game attendance and TV ratings also grew very fast during that period of time.

Today, the NFL and the NCAA remain far and away the most popular football leagues in the world, with both having made attempts since the 1990s to promote football abroad, the most notable of which is the yearly NFL international series in London. The Super Bowl is the single most important game on the American sporting calendar, and perennially one of the most-watched television events every year, with hundreds of millions tuning in from around the world for the only football game they will watch until the following February.

Due to a number of rules that ensure competitiveness, such as the draft, the salary cap, or revenue sharing for TV revenue, the NFL is one of the most balanced professional sports leagues in the world and many teams have gone from championship contender to the bottom of their division or the other way round in just a few years. This makes "dynasties" of teams appearing in and winning multiple Super Bowls in a short span of time all the more impressive, as unlike in other sports, simply outspending opponents to get the best players is not a feasible tactic.

The following is a brief overview of the basics of American football, as played in the NFL (there are some small differences in the NCAA or high school matches):

Football is played by two teams of 11 players on the field who face off trying to advance an elongated ellipsoid ball (often described as looking like an egg) towards the end zone and its tall yellow goalpost, where points can be scored. The offense has four opportunities (called downs) to advance the ball 10 yards (9.1 metres). Each new down begins where the preceding down ended (i.e. where the ball carrying player was "marked down" or—in the case of an incomplete pass—at the previous spot). If the 10 yards have been achieved, a new set of four downs starts. If a net distance of 10 yards has not been achieved after four downs, the offense must turn the ball over to the other team. Oftentimes, a down is synonymous with a play but if a penalty is called on the defensive, the offensive may be given extra opportunities or even an all-new first down to start over after a particularly egregious defensive infraction.

In very few cases will the offense risk turning the ball over on downs when they are in a disadvantageous field position; instead, they almost always elect to punt on fourth down. Punting means kicking the ball away out of the hand towards the opposing team (much like a goalkeeper does in soccer). However, if the field position is good enough (usually within 35 yards of the end zone) a field goal will be attempted (see below). In rare cases, including cases where the offensive team is trailing by more than three points or only needs a couple yards to gain, the team may try to "go for it", i.e. convert the first down.

Each play starts with a snap, in which the ball is passed backwards to the quarterback, away from the line of scrimmage. The ball may then be advanced through passing with one forward pass (subject to some other preconditions as well) and unlimited backward passes (which are rarely used) permitted per play. Passing is almost exclusively the domain of the quarterback, who is usually the best paid and most prestigious player on the field. He is the de facto team captain and guides the other offensive players. If a forward pass is not caught before it hits the ground, the referee signals an incomplete pass, the play ends ("is blown dead") and the next play begins at the spot where the previous one started. The ball may also be advanced by running (carrying it forward) which is usually done by a running back. The other positions on the offense are the wide receivers, who catch forward passes; the offensive linemen, who try to clear a space for the running back to run through and are also responsible for protecting the quarterback; and the tight end (not always present), a larger receiver who may be called on to either catch passes or block, depending on the play call.

The defense tries to stop the offense's advance by tackling the player that carries the ball. There are three basic defensive positions. The defensive linemen try to prevent the offense from pushing the defense back and will try to reach the quarterback on passing plays. Linebackers, who play behind the defensive linemen, have perhaps the broadest role. Depending on what the offense does, they may rush the passer, cover a running back or tight end on a pass pattern, or try to chase down a running back. Defensive backs, divided into cornerbacks who play at the edges of the defense and safeties who play in the middle of the field, are usually assigned to a specific receiver or area and try to prevent the receivers from catching the ball or catch it themselves. If they catch it themselves, it is called an interception and possession of the football changes to the other team. If a player who had control of the ball drops the ball, or a backwards pass or snap is not caught, it is called a fumble. When the ball is fumbled, any player of either team may take the ball and advance it (for an exception to that rule, found only in the NFL, see Wikipedia's article on the "Holy Roller" play). Lost fumbles and interceptions are collectively referred to as turnovers, and one of the most important aspects in winning the game is to turn the ball over less than the opponent does. Typically a team that turns the ball over three or more times loses the game.

Scoring is done through one of three means. The most common and coveted is a touchdown: when a player enters the opponent's end zone with the ball, or catches the ball inside the opponent's end zone. Unlike in rugby, and despite its name, touching the ball to the ground is not required. A touchdown is worth six points, and further points may be earned by either a two-point conversion (another touchdown from the two-yard line) or a single point by touchdown kick (which is similar to a field goal). As the touchdown kick is by far the preferred option and has a success rate well over 90% (in the NFL at least; in youth and amateur leagues that rate may be considerably lower), touchdowns are often perceived to be worth seven points. Field goals are scored by kicking the ball through the yellow goalpost from a place kick, and are worth three points. A very rare drop kick can also be attempted instead of the place kick when attempting a field goal or one-point conversion, whereby the ball is dropped and immediately kicked through the goalposts on hitting the ground—only one has been successfully converted in NFL football since 1941. Least commonly, the defense can score a two-point safety if the opposing offense is brought down within their own end zone. Even more uncommon is a different type of two-point safety (also called a defensive conversion), scored if the defense forces a turnover (blocked kick, interception, fumble) on a conversion attempt and returns the ball to the opponent's end zone.

Fouls, or penalties, are signaled through yellow flags (orange in Canada) which are thrown onto the field by an official. Enforcing the penalty involves placing the ball some distance forward or back, to the detriment of the offending side. Common penalties include unnecessary roughness, any type of illegal motion prior to the snap (such as a false start or crossing the line of scrimmage) and holding (grabbing a player who doesn't have the ball).

Each game lasts for four quarters of 15 minutes each, although each team is allowed a limited number of timeouts to briefly stop the clock. As the clock stops or keeps running depending on what happened in the previous play, "clock management" is one of the most crucial and complicated aspects of tactics at the highest level, particularly in the last few minutes of a half. After the first two quarters, an extended break called half-time occurs where the two teams return to their locker rooms to recover. During this intermission, entertainment is provided for the fans, such as a cheerleading or a marching band performance, or a pop music concert in the case of major events. When the teams return from the break, the end zones are swapped for the second half of the game. During the regular season, if the scores are tied at the end of the fourth quarter, the game goes into a 10-minute overtime period, where the first team to score wins the game. If neither team manages to score by the end of overtime, the game ends in a tie. During the playoffs, each overtime period lasts for 15 minutes, and play continues even after a team has scored, and the team with more points at the end of overtime wins. If the scores are tied at the end of overtime, the game continues into as many overtime periods as necessary until a winner is determined.

As American football allows an unlimited number of substitutions, players tend to specialize in either offense or defense, and the entire team is usually substituted whenever there is a stoppage during or after a turnover. This means that touchdowns by defensive players are a rare event, and typically only occur if a pass by the offensive team is intercepted, or if a fumble by the offensive team is recovered by the defensive team in a good position. While even the NFL has a few players that play "both ways" (J. J. Watt is a commonly cited example), this is more common in youth or developmental leagues or outside North America, as some players so far outrank others in talent that the additional strain and less rest is not a deciding factor. It is more common for an otherwise defensive or offensive player to play on special teams, often in a role broadly similar to his role on scrimmage downs.

Tailgating is a social event that's strongly associated with football games. A tailgate party usually means grilling some food, drinking beer, playing lawn games like catch or cornhole, and of course discussing the upcoming game and football in general. Some teams have now formalized this with "official" tailgating parties at least for important games. Tailgaters may either have a close group of friends who are sharing their food or they could open up their space to anyone who wanders by to talk football and eat snacks. Some will even act like unlicensed food vendors, selling bottled water or freshly-grilled food. For attendees like casual fans, the event is the tailgate and some may not even enter the stadium for the show if they are having a good time listening to music and playing games.

• Buffalo Bills, 42.774-78.7871 Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York – The Bills are noted for two things: one, undyingly loyal fans and two, their record run of four straight AFC Championships in the early 1990s (and the also-record four straight Super Bowl losses). A horrifying playoff drought of 17 seasons finally ended in 2017 when they earned a postseason berth by the skin of their teeth. (Their first post-drought playoff win, however, wouldn't happen until January 2021.) The Bills' stadium can get bitterly cold and covered in snow during winter months, but the tailgating atmosphere is second to none. Ground has been broken for a new open-air stadium across the street, with completion planned for 2026.
• Miami Dolphins, 25.958056-80.2388892 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida – Once a prolific team, having made it to the Super Bowl several times, they have entered a slump since the 1990s and usually play second fiddle in their division to the dominant Patriots, and are sometimes even surpassed by the Jets or the Bills. They are to date the only NFL team ever to achieve a "perfect season" while playing in the NFL in the 1972 season, which they culminated with a win in Super Bowl VII.
• New England Patriots, 42.090944-71.2643443 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts – The most successful NFL team of the 21st century (after decades of irrelevance), the Patriots have enjoyed an unprecedented level of success under quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, making regular Super Bowl appearances and winning six before Brady left for Tampa Bay and Belichick later left the team. Their success has earned them both a widespread fan base and many detractors willing to root for practically any team as long as it plays the Patriots in an important game. A highlight of home games is the End Zone Militia, a group of men in Revolutionary War dress who fire a salute from the end zone when the Patriots score.
• New York Jets, 40.813611-74.0744444 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey – Despite playing in the New York City area, the Jets tend to take a backseat to the more famous New York Giants, with which they share a stadium. They were the first AFL team and to date the biggest underdog (by Las Vegas point spread) to win a Super Bowl, upsetting the then-Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. However, this has so far proven their only Super Bowl win. MetLife is one of the newest stadiums in the NFL and the second-largest, able to host over 80,000 attendees.

• Baltimore Ravens, 39.277881-76.6226395 M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (in South Baltimore) – Named for Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem, the Ravens have enjoyed great success during their time in Baltimore, becoming a regular fixture in the playoffs. They are the product of a controversial and curious relocation of the Cleveland Browns in 1996, with the Ravens officially entering the league as an expansion team, despite them continuing with almost all their players and coaches as well as the same owner from their days in Cleveland.
• Cincinnati Bengals, 39.095444-84.5160396 Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati – After years of frustration, the Bengals found new fire in the 2010s, and after another down period later that decade, reached the Super Bowl in 2021 (though losing), much to the delight of their fans. Cincinnati fans are noted for their "Who Dey!" chant, more specifically, "Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals? ...Nobody!" Before finally getting a corporate name in 2022, their stadium was known as Paul Brown Stadium, after the namesake of the Cleveland Browns, who was instrumental in the history of both Ohio teams.
• Cleveland Browns, 41.506111-81.6994447 Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland (in Downtown Cleveland) – Despite a storied history, the Browns have had very little success to speak of in the last few decades (bottoming out in 2017, when they played only the second winless season in NFL history). Even the first signs of a resurgence in 2020 (which saw them earn their first playoff win in more than 20 years) haven't done much to mitigate the bitterness that Clevelanders still feel about the controversial relocation of the previous Browns franchise to Baltimore in 1995 and the three inactive seasons that followed. By necessity, Browns supporters are notoriously loyal: a curiosity of the fanbase is the "Dawg Pound" section behind the end zone, where fans often wear canine-related masks and costumes.
• Pittsburgh Steelers, 40.446667-80.0158338 Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh (in the North Side) – The oldest franchise of the AFC (one of the three that moved from the NFL after the merger), the Steelers share the record for most Super Bowl victories, with six, and their wide-reaching and devoted fanbase makes them one of the most recognized teams in the NFL. Expect to view a sea of yellow and black terrible towels waving in the air whenever a play goes their way.

• Houston Texans, 29.684722-95.4108339 NRG Stadium, Houston (in the South Inner Loop area) – The newest franchise in the NFL, dating back only to 2002. Due in part to their short history, they are one of three AFC teams to have never played in a Super Bowl. They are also the only team that has never played in a conference championship game. In spite of this, they have had several competitive seasons in the 2010s.
• Indianapolis Colts, 39.760056-86.16380610 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis – The Colts have proved fierce competitors in the 21st century, making regular playoff appearances. Once an NFL team from Baltimore, they first moved to the AFC upon the AFL–NFL merger and later controversially relocated to Indianapolis "overnight". Peyton Manning used to play here until 2011 and is both credited with spurring the construction of their stadium ("the house that Peyton built") and the team's enduring success which continued under successor quarterback Andrew Luck until his unexpected retirement just before the 2019 season.
• Jacksonville Jaguars, 30.323889-81.637511 EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville – The less successful of the 1995 expansion teams (and one of the three AFC teams to never make it to a Super Bowl), they are struggling on and off the field, having trouble selling out their stadium. As they play at least one "home" game per season in London, where their owner also owns a soccer team, relocation speculations had been rampant, but subsided after the team added a gigantic video board to its stadium and took out a few thousand seats (increasing fan comfort in the process).
• Tennessee Titans, 36.166389-86.77138912 Nissan Stadium, Nashville – Formerly the Houston Oilers, they were the last team to have relocated prior to the Rams' and Chargers' sequential moves back to LA. The Titans have made it to the Super Bowl once since playing in Tennessee, famously losing one yard short of overtime in 2000 against the St. Louis Rams. A new stadium (which will also be known as Nissan Stadium) is being built across the street from the existing one, set to open in 2027.

• Denver Broncos, 39.743889-105.0213 Empower Field at Mile High, Denver – The Broncos are among the most successful NFL teams, making frequent playoff runs and winning three Super Bowls, most recently in the 2015 season. They have had a number of famous quarterbacks, most notably John Elway, who won two Super Bowls as the Broncos quarterback in his final two seasons as a player and now manages the franchise; and Peyton Manning, who played his final four seasons in Denver after being let go by Indianapolis, with the Broncos' most recent Super Bowl win coming in his last game.
• Kansas City Chiefs, 39.048889-94.48388914 Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City – The Chiefs enjoy one of the most rabid fanbases in football, and home crowds are noted for such antics as shouting "Chiefs!" as the final word of the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the intimidating chant of "We're gonna beat the hell outta you... you... you, you, you, you!" You may want to bring earplugs along; fans of the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks (see NFC West section) from time to time try to set new world records for measured crowd noise at outdoor venues. The Chiefs hold the record for now at 142.2 decibels, beyond the threshold of human pain. The last few years have seen the Chiefs become the standard bearers of the AFC West under Patrick Mahomes, who has won the team three Super Bowls, including the two most recent in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, since his career began in 2017.
• Las Vegas Raiders, 36.09075-115.18372215 Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas (outside the city limits, just west of the Strip) – The Raiders ended their second stint in Oakland in the 2019 season, and started play in a new domed stadium in 2020. Among the most recognizable football teams, the Raiders are noted for their intensely passionate fans, the most visible of whom show up at games wearing intimidating costumes as members of the "Raider Nation". A very successful team for most of their history in Oakland, Los Angeles, and then Oakland again, they entered a severe decline in the 2000s, which they had started to climb out of in their final years in Oakland. The team's merchandise is iconic and widespread and can be found far away from Las Vegas or Oakland.
• Los Angeles Chargers, 33.95345-118.339216 SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California – After 56 seasons in San Diego, the Chargers returned to their original home of Los Angeles (where they played their first season in the old AFL) in 2017. After three seasons at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, the Chargers moved into their permanent home of SoFi Stadium in 2020, which they share with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFC West. Though the Chargers have won the AFL championship once (prior to the merger and thus the Super Bowl), they have never won the Super Bowl, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in their sole appearance.

• Dallas Cowboys, 32.747778-97.09277817 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas – A widely-known team with a national following, the Cowboys are among the most successful NFL teams. They play in a lavish domed stadium, which includes one of the world's largest video displays hanging over the field. The Cowboys like to call themselves "America's team" and as such are either ardently loved or hated by most people who care for football, with fans often accused of jumping on the bandwagon in the Cowboys' successful times. A special feature of the Cowboys' schedule is their annual Thanksgiving game (in late November, frequently against Washington, for a "Cowboys and Indians" theme).
• New York Giants, 40.813611-74.07444418 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey – One of the oldest and most successful franchises in the NFL, the Giants are based in the New York City area and share a stadium with the Jets of the AFC. Since Peyton's little brother Eli Manning became their quarterback in 2004, they haven't made the playoffs very often, but when they have they've been hugely successful, upsetting New England twice in the Super Bowl in the 2000s.
• Philadelphia Eagles, 39.900833-75.167519 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia (in South Philly) – Sports-crazy Philadelphia is extremely loyal to its football team, which is noted for its heated rivalry with the Giants. The Eagles were the only NFC East team that hadn't won a Super Bowl until 2018 (2017 season), when they scored an upset victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
• Washington Commanders, 38.907778-76.86444420 Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland – The team formerly known as the "Redskins" has had its glory days, most recently in 1991 with their latest of three Super Bowl wins. Increasing pressure to change their former name, which is seen as blatantly racist and offensive by many indigenous Americans, finally culminated with the announcement that the moniker would be retired in 2020, replaced with "Commanders" in 2022. They find themselves at the bottom of the NFC East more times than not.

• Chicago Bears, 41.8625-87.61666721 Soldier Field, Chicago (in Near South) – One of the oldest NFL franchises in the oldest stadium, "Da Bears" are among the most recognized and successful teams in the NFL, and have a long-standing rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. Like a handful of the northernmost teams, expect some brutally cold games with the wind whipping off Lake Michigan in this open-air stadium. The Bears are planning a new stadium, but haven't settled on a site. The team first bought the property of the now-closed Arlington Park horse track in the northwest suburb of Arlington Heights for a new stadium, but has since pivoted to a lakefront site near Soldier Field.
• Detroit Lions, 42.34-83.04555622 Ford Field, Detroit (in Downtown Detroit) – While the Lions can claim four pre-merger NFL championships (the last dating from 1957), they haven't made it to the Super Bowl ever, the only NFC team with that distinction. Furthermore, they are the only team to have multiple seasons with no wins. Lions fans have a lot of heart to stick with the team. As with the Cowboys, the Lions have an annual game on Thanksgiving.
• Green Bay Packers, 44.501-88.06223 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin – The last of the small town teams from the founding of the NFL, the Packers have a powerful connection with their city and are the only community-owned major sports franchise in the USA. Packers fans also feel a strong connection to Vince Lombardi, who coached Green Bay to victory in the first two Super Bowls (hence why the Super Bowl trophy today bears his name). Despite being based in a small city, the Packers have a large and devoted following, who are often referred to as "cheeseheads" owing to their practice of wearing foam cheese-shaped hats. The team's success in the early years of the NFL as well as their championship "three-peat" in the 1960s (a feat that no other team in professional football has accomplished since) have made Green Bay one of the most storied franchises in football. Come dressed cozy, as this is another open-air stadium that gets extremely chilly.
• Minnesota Vikings, 44.973889-93.25805624 U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis (in Downtown Minneapolis) – Vikings fans are noted for their practice of often wearing "Helga hats", purple Viking helmets with blond braids. A highlight of home games is the blowing of a loud viking horn to announce the arrival of the home team or celebrating a touchdown, which is often answered by the fans with horns of their own. They moved into a new stadium built on the site of their former stadium, the Metrodome, in 2016. The new stadium is loaded with all of the latest bells and whistles, including a largely transparent fixed roof and the closest seats to the field in any NFL stadium.

• Atlanta Falcons, 33.755361-84.40119225 Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta (in Downtown Atlanta) – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a mixed soccer and football facility, opened for the 2017 season as the replacement for the nearby Georgia Dome (which has since been demolished). While the South as a whole is crazy about all forms of football (from high school to the NFL) and Georgia is no exception to this rule, the Falcons are often regarded as an afterthought in national sports media. The team has made it to two Super Bowls but lost both, most recently in dramatic fashion in overtime, giving up the biggest lead ever overcome in the Super Bowl in the process.
• Carolina Panthers, 35.225833-80.85277826 Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina (in Uptown Charlotte) – The other 1995 expansion team, they have enjoyed more success than the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars and are among the top playoff contenders nearly every year, most recently losing to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
• New Orleans Saints, 29.950833-90.08111127 Caesars Superdome, New Orleans (in the CBD) – When the Saints go marching in, you can bet on New Orleans fans to cheer them on. The Saints are strongly identified with the city and have proved to be competitors since the mid-2000s. Their reemergence after Hurricane Katrina, as well as their Super Bowl win after years of abysmal performance that earned them the moniker of "Ain'ts", have often been cited as influencing the culture of the city deeply and giving locals hope in difficult times.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27.975833-82.50333328 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa – Have most recently enjoyed success under former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, winning the Super Bowl in his first season (2020), but he would retire for good after the 2022 season (he had briefly retired a year earlier). The Bucs' stadium is noted for its replica pirate ship, which besides being a great prop has cannons which fire confetti and even mini footballs into the crowd below. Although the Buccaneers are rarely contenders, they put on a fun show. Make sure to bring sunscreen as you will spend several hours in the sunlight at this open-air venue.

• Arizona Cardinals, 33.5275-112.262529 State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona – The oldest continuously run professional football team, having played in Chicago and St. Louis prior to their move to the Phoenix area, the "Bird Gang" have had some playoff success, but also hold the longest championship drought in football, with their last championship won in 1947.
• Los Angeles Rams, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California – The Rams won their first title in their L.A. history in their current stadium, the newest in the league, after the 2021 season. They also played in and lost the Super Bowl in 2018, before the new stadium opened in 2020 but after having returned from St. Louis in 2016. Before this current run of success, the Rams' last major successes were during their incredible runs in St. Louis with Kurt Warner at quarterback in the late 90s and early 2000s, which earned them two Super Bowl appearances and one title, as well as the nickname "greatest show on turf" for the offense of those years. The Rams actually started their life in Cleveland, and became the first NFL team on the West Coast in 1946. The Rams moved from their previous home of the L.A. Coliseum to the suburb of Inglewood in 2020, playing in a new stadium that they share with the Chargers. The most expensive stadium in history, costing about $5 billion, it's a unique combination of open-air and covered stadium, with a roof covering the entire field and seating area but still open to the elements.
• San Francisco 49ers, 37.403-121.9730 Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California – Based in the Bay Area, the 'Niners are among the most successful teams in the NFL, with a string of Super Bowl victories in the 1980s. Before losing to the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, they had five Super Bowl wins with no losses, the longest streak of unbeaten appearances in the Super Bowl to date. In 2014, the team moved out of San Francisco proper to play in the suburb of Santa Clara; the stadium is next to the team's headquarters.
• Seattle Seahawks, 47.5952-122.331631 Lumen Field, Seattle (in Sodo) – The Seahawks have had considerable success in the 2010s (winning Super Bowl XLVIII and appearing in XLIX), with a passionate (and loud, owing to the stadium's design) fanbase that is collectively referred to as the "12th Man", who are honored with a giant #12 flag raised at the start of each home game.

Even though gridiron football is strongly associated with North America, the NFL has long had ambitions to make the sport a worldwide phenomenon, starting with a short-lived European league in the 1990s and early 2000s. The NFL International Series is a set of regular season games that take place outside the United States, the only NFL matches that do so. The International Series premiered in 2007 and has been regularly held in North London's 51.555833-0.27972232 Wembley Stadium. Originally a once-a-year event, the series has since expanded to three games a season (extending to stadiums beyond just Wembley), and further expanded to four for 2017. Only three games were played in 2018, but the series returned to four games in 2019. Though the quality of the teams playing in London hasn't always been top-notch (usually it's been teams that are unlikely to contend for the playoffs that take part), nearly every game of the International Series has sold out and the NFL tries to attract fan and media attention by hosting events throughout the game weekend, often including former or current NFL superstars. All NFL teams have competed in the series, with the Green Bay Packers having been the last to do so in 2022. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a particularly strong following in the UK, in no small part because that team's owner also owns a soccer club in London.

Once the schedule for each season is set, as per the North American convention, the designated "home" team will be mentioned second. Games are being held in the following venues in London:

• One game will be at Wembley Stadium in each season from 2022 to 2024.
• At least two games each season at 51.60475-0.06641733 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the new home of Tottenham Hotspur (aka Spurs) of soccer's Premier League, from 2019–2027. The stadium had originally been set to open in time for the 2018 NFL season, but due to construction delays only one NFL game was scheduled there for that season, and that game was ultimately moved to Wembley. The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings will each "host" a game at this stadium in 2024.

The 2024 London games are:

• New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings – 6 October, Spurs
• Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears – 13 October, Spurs
• New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – 20 October, Wembley

Germany was added to the list of countries hosting International Series games starting in 2022, with at least one game in each season through 2025. 48.21888911.62472234 Allianz Arena in Munich and 50.0680568.64580635 Deutsche Bank Park (aka Waldstadion) in Frankfurt are hosting games, with Munich hosting the first game in 2022, Frankfurt hosting two games in 2023, and Munich again in 2024 (with the Carolina Panthers "hosting" the New York Giants on 10 November).

Concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic led to the NFL canceling all international games in 2020, with the games moved back to the United States. The league had already announced that the Jacksonville Jaguars would "host" two of the 2020 games, and the Miami Dolphins would "host" one. London returned to the schedule in 2021 with two games, with three following in 2022.

The NFL added an International Series game in Brazil in 2024, with Spain to follow in 2025. The Brazil venue is -23.54525-46.47427836 Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, and the Spanish venue will be 40.453056-3.68833337 Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, home to legendary soccer club Real Madrid. The first Brazil game was on 6 September 2024, with the Philadelphia Eagles "hosting" and defeating the Green Bay Packers.

Some exhibition and regular season NFL games have been held in Canada, Mexico or other places outside of the US in the past, but this is no longer being done. However, a game between the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders (the designated home team) was held at Mexico City's 19.302994-99.15049238 Estadio Azteca on November 21, 2016. With that game selling out, the NFL announced that it would return to Mexico City in 2017, with the Raiders hosting the New England Patriots on 19 November at Estadio Azteca. That game also sold out, and the NFL announced it would hold at least one Mexico City game each season through 2021. The 2018 game, however, was moved to Los Angeles on less than a week's notice due to issues with the playing field.

The Arizona Cardinals were set to be the "home" team for the 2020 Mexico City game, with the date and opponent unannounced. That game was also moved to the United States due to COVID-19, and the only games held outside the US in 2021 were in London. The Mexico City game returned in 2022 with the Cardinals as the "home" team, but is now on a temporary hiatus due to the Azteca. the country's only stadium that meets NFL standards, being renovated for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Super Bowl, the NFL championship game that pits the AFC champion against the best of the NFC, is the biggest single-day event in sports and one of the most watched TV programs worldwide every year. Many fans dream of seeing a Super Bowl live once in their lifetime, but tickets sell out extremely quickly and unless you have luck, patience, a lot of money, or know the right people getting tickets is extremely hard, if not impossible.

The Super Bowl is a major annual event in the United States and has even become something of an unofficial holiday, drawing the attention even of people who don't typically follow football. There has been a media obsession with Super Bowl commercials, due to the exceptionally high cost of airtime during the Super Bowl television broadcast and the increasingly theatrical nature of these advertisements. Super Bowl Sunday is also one of the busiest days for food delivery of any kind—tip accordingly—and high amounts of fast food are eaten.

Even if you can't make it to the game, being in the city of the Super Bowl during Super Bowl weekend can be a worthwhile reason for travel all by itself. The highlight of Super Bowl festivities is the NFL Experience, a fan festival that takes place the week prior to the game in the host city and has lots of games, vendors, a giant souvenir/collectibles store and autograph opportunities. You can get free gear, participate in virtual reality football games, go zip-lining, and generally be in the center of the action without actually attending the game itself. Wherever the Super Bowl is held, expect packed hotels, more expensive flights (or bus/train tickets if and where applicable) and a general state far from normalcy in and around the host city.

Venues are chosen and announced years ahead and the date has shifted from being in January for several years to being held on the second full weekend in February. (The most recent change was due to the NFL expanding its regular season from 16 to 17 games in 2021.) The next events are scheduled to be:

• Super Bowl LIX, February 9, 2025 / Caesars Superdome, New Orleans (in the Central Business District)
• Super Bowl LX, February 8, 2026 / Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara (in the San Francisco Bay Area)
• Super Bowl LXI, February 14, 2027 / SoFi Stadium, Inglewood (near Los Angeles International Airport)

Finally, the Pro Bowl is an all-star match played a week before the Super Bowl. For several years, this one-off game was played in Hawaii, but has since moved to the US mainland, most recently to Las Vegas in 2022 and 2023. The Pro Bowl is a more low-key event than the Super Bowl—e.g., the NFL does not allow players from the Super Bowl teams to play in the Pro Bowl, to avoid injuries and focus on the big game. Starting with the 2023 edition (2022 season), the event is now known as the Pro Bowl Games, with various skills competitions leading up to a series of three non-contact flag football games. But for someone who is even a casual fan, the Pro Bowl is a unique experience to see several of the game's greatest players having fun. Events will frequently include older stars who have retired and may be honored at the proceedings.

As mentioned before, college football is separated into different levels of play. However, the most prominent college football programs belong to the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), part of Division I. Within the FBS are the "power conferences" (Atlantic Coast Conference [ACC], Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference [SEC]; the Pac-12 Conference had been part of this group through 2023), which (in addition to independent Notre Dame, an ACC member for non-football sports) represent the highest standard of play in collegiate football. Below is a selection of the most prominent college football teams in the United States, sorted by region:

There are numerous college football conferences in the United States. Teams play both in-conference and out-of-conference games. If you are interested in seeing a college football game somewhere where you are visiting, look at the websites of local colleges for schedule and other useful information. The atmosphere at college games is very different from what you would experience at an NFL game, with a lot more cheerleading (cheerleaders are those pretty women in flashy uniforms, often partnered with muscular men in slightly less flashy uniforms, who chant things and do dance and sometimes acrobatic moves) and performances by the college's pep band (a marching band) and dance team (more pretty women in flashy uniforms, but they only dance and don't do acrobatics) during halftime and other breaks in the action. There are myriad local rivalries; some teams located close to an opponent (e.g. Michigan and Michigan State or Texas and Texas A&M) may have a crowd made up of even contingents for both squads, although this normally happens only when the game is held at a neutral site within easy reach of both fanbases (e.g. Oklahoma–Texas, held in Dallas, and Florida–Georgia, held in Jacksonville). Outright hooliganism or violence is rare, but emotions can run high and these can result in especially rowdy audiences.

For several decades, there was no championship tournament in Division I college football, unlike the NFL's Super Bowl or the NCAA's Final Four in basketball, but the post-season has been restructured into a unique tournament style. After the regular season, starting before Christmas and going until January, there are numerous bowl games. These games are heavily advertised and extremely profitable for the schools whose teams are picked to play in them, and also for the TV networks that offer live coverage. Some have long traditions, while others are much newer. The most famous is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which takes place every New Year's Day and is ushered in with a parade, but the Sugar Bowl (in the New Orleans Saints' stadium), the Cotton Bowl (in the Cowboys' stadium in Arlington), and the Orange Bowl (in the Miami Dolphins' stadium) are also famous and take place around New Year's. Since the 2014 season, these four bowls, along with the Fiesta Bowl (in the Arizona Cardinals' stadium near Phoenix) and Peach Bowl (in the Atlanta Falcons' stadium), are part of the College Football Playoff (CFP), the de facto national championship for major college football. Through the 2023 season, two of the six previously mentioned bowl games rotate as hosts of CFP semifinal games, while slots in the other four games are filled by other top teams. The winners of the two semifinals advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, whose host is determined by open bidding several years in advance. Sites for the championship game have been announced through the 2025 season (with the title game being played early in the next calendar year).

Also of note is the Celebration Bowl, the only FCS bowl game and the de facto championship game for HBCU football. It features the champions of the two HBCU conferences, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference (the three HBCUs that are in other FCS conferences are left out). Played in the Falcons' stadium in Atlanta, it takes place on the Saturday after FBS conference champpionship games—the same day as the Army–Navy Game, although the Celebration Bowl kicks off at noon and Army–Navy at 3 pm.

Starting with the 2024 season, the CFP will expand to 12 teams: the top five conference champions in the CFP rankings will automatically participate, but no conference will receive an automatic bid. The other seven slots will be selected by the same committee that ranks teams and invites playoff participants. The four top-ranked conference champions receive first-round byes; the remaining eight teams will play at the home stadiums of the higher seeds in each matchup (the higher seed can also designate an off-campus site). The quarterfinals and semifinals will be hosted by the current "New Year's Six" bowl games (Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose, Sugar), with each bowl hosting two quarterfinals and one semifinal in a three-year cycle. As before, the CFP National Championship will be held at a predetermined site.

• 2025: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia (home of the Atlanta Falcons), 20 January
• 2026: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida (home of the Miami Dolphins), 19 January

Bowl games are huge events, so tickets may be expensive and hard to come by, especially for the major bowls listed above.

The lower divisions of college football each play a traditional single-elimination tournament, just like the majority of NCAA sports (with baseball and softball as the most notable exceptions).

From time to time colleges hold games outside the USA, while some of these are exhibition games of either sub-par American colleges or against local teams that don't stand much of a chance, there are sometimes regular games of two American college teams against each other in order to raise awareness for the sport and boost revenue for teams that have trouble selling out their home games. An additional enticement for teams is that an NCAA rule allows teams that play a game outside the continental U.S. (including the University of Hawaii and all of its home opponents) to schedule 13 regular-season games instead of the normal limit of 12; the extra game is invariably played at home.

College football has been played in Mexico since the 1920s. Teams play under the auspices of ONEFA (Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano), which functions in a role similar to that of the NCAA. There are four conferences in the ONEFA with a total of 33 teams. The oldest team is the Pumas from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, who have been playing since 1927. Mexico City is the most popular area for college football in Mexico with 6 teams in the city itself and several more in the State of Mexico and other nearby cities and states.

• Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 43.252572-79.83024739 Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton – Playing in one of the smallest markets in North America and close to Canada's largest city, the Tiger-Cats are the result of a merger of two teams shortly after World War II. Their style of play is as resilient and plucky as their franchise history. If you want to blend in with the locals, paint some whiskers onto your face (and even if you're from out of town, that's okay—Hamilton prides itself on having a huge percentage of non-native fans). A final source of local pride is that the Ticats are the only CFL team to defeat an American one in exhibition play, besting the Buffalo Bills in 1961. (This may be a sore spot as the NFL hasn't extended the offer for cross-league play since!) Unfortunately for their fans, they're the only team that has failed to lift the Grey Cup in the 21st century, having last won it in 1999. (The Ticats lost three Grey Cup finals in the 2010s, and also lost the 2021 final.)
• Montreal Alouettes, 45.510083-73.58066740 Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (Stade Percival-Molson), Montreal (in Downtown Montreal) – The reigning (2023) Grey Cup champions, the Alouettes are true survivors, having folded and been revived twice in their history (most recently in 1996, when the aforementioned Baltimore Stallions were the last U.S. CFL team to throw in the towel and move north of the border). Brush up a little on your French and try to catch a Labour Day Classic against rival Ottawa RedBlacks on the Thursday or Friday prior to the holiday. (And in case you're wondering: alouette means "lark", and is also the title of a famous French-Canadian folk song.)
• Ottawa REDBLACKS, 45.398178-75.6836541 TD Place Stadium, Ottawa – They are the newest addition to the league, having first taken the field in 2014. Ottawa's original team, the Rough Riders, was a founding member of the CFL and played for 120 seasons. (The new franchise is named after color scheme of the Rough Riders, but did not take up the old name due to its similarity to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Division. And yes, both the team and CFL render the nickname in all caps.) In only their third season, they were the CFL champions. Their historic field, which has been in operation for a variety of sports events since the 1870s, hosted the 105th Grey Cup in 2017 in a special ceremony recognizing 150 years of Canadian confederation. They're also notable for featuring separate co-ed cheerleading and dance teams, with both the co-ed nature and distinction between cheer and dance being rare features in major North American sports. (In US college sports, separate cheer and dance teams are standard, but only the cheer teams are typically co-ed.)
• Toronto Argonauts, 43.632778-79.41861142 BMO Field, Toronto (in Harbourfront) – Founded in 1873, the Argonauts have racked up a record 18 championships, most recently the 109th Grey Cup in 2022. This legacy also includes two rivalries lasting over a century with Hamilton- and Ottawa-based teams. You also can't miss the "Argonotes" — a volunteer group of musicians that play classic rock tunes and fight songs in a marching band style.

• BC Lions, 49.276667-123.11194443 BC Place, Vancouver (in Yaletown) – Since the 1990s, they have been one of the CFL's most consistent teams, playing in 20 consecutive playoffs. Their gorgeous BC Place stadium is nestled on the water of False Creek.
• Calgary Stampeders, 51.070328-114.12138944 McMahon Stadium, Calgary (in Northwest Calgary) – One quirk of this long-standing franchise is that their fans bring horses (real ones) into hotels on the day of the Grey Cup, whether or not their team makes it to the end of the postseason. This bizarre tradition, now covered by Canadian national media as part of Grey Cup festivities, dates back more than 70 years. If you see a home game of theirs in McMahon Stadium, make sure to take in some of the surrounding University of Calgary campus. They also have the distinction of the only perfect season in CFL history, from 1948—which incidentally was the first year of the aforementioned equine tradition.
• Edmonton Elks, 53.559722-113.47611145 Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton (in Central Edmonton) – Possibly the most successful team in CFL history, the former "Eskimos" have lost some of their competitiveness, but have still racked up 14 Grey Cups, including an unprecedented streak of five in the 1980s. (The moniker became the Elks in 2021.) Matches against their rivals the Stampeders are particularly electrifying. Games are typically packed, as EE usually has the largest average attendance of a CFL team. Make sure that you watch the cheerleading squad as it's one of the few co-ed ones in major league sports.
• Saskatchewan Roughriders, 50.450478-104.63321746 Mosaic Stadium, Regina – The Roughriders are community-owned and a staple of this comparatively tiny market, having been founded in 1910. Fans are so loyal that matches against their rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers usually sell out before the season even starts. Due to the colours of their uniforms, Roughriders fans will adorn themselves with helmets carved from watermelon and oftentimes a flag of the team's logo tied as a cape.
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 49.807778-97.14305647 Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg – The Blue Bombers had a long Grey Cup drought, now emphatically ended, and substantial administrative turnover for the past 30 years but have maintained one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports with the Roughriders. If you attend a home game, enjoy their new stadium and take a look at the walk of fame which recognizes a long history of contenders from years gone by — the Bombers have had down times, but they're never out for good. The Bombers won back-to-back Grey Cups in 2019 and 2021 (no 2020 season was held thanks to COVID), and lost in the final to Toronto in 2022 and Montreal in 2023.

As football is very popular in the United States, there are minor leagues to serve cities without a NFL franchise. These leagues aren't officially recognized by the NFL or any other governing body, and thus tend to make their own rules, sometimes with "gimmicky" innovations to attract viewers. Unlike baseball, the overwhelming majority of NFL players come directly from college leagues and very few players from minor leagues ever make it to the NFL. Due to the lower public interest and revenue, minor leagues are rather volatile with teams frequently folding, relocating, or switching leagues. Many minor leagues have had to cease operations in their entirety and even the Arena Football League had to cancel one season on short notice due to economic problems. Some minor leagues play a spring schedule to avoid competition with the NFL's fall schedule.

Indoor football

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The most successful minor league had been the indoor Arena Football League, which played on a shorter field with modified rules to adapt to the indoor environment. In both attendance and quality of play, the Arena Football League was the most "major" of the minor leagues and some players (notably Kurt Warner) managed to make an NFL roster after having previously played arena football. By comparison with NFL games, which tend to pack in sellout crowds of mostly casual fans, the fans at arena football games were fewer in number but more diehard. There's also less pageantry incorporated into the games, but concession and merchandise were much more affordable. If you are in the front lines of any game played under indoor rules, regardless of the league, you will be immediately next to the field of play as well. An indoor league game may be a cheaper and more exciting option for someone who isn't accustomed to gridiron football.

The AFL had enjoyed significant success in the 1990s and the first years of the 21st century, but by the end of the decade ran into financial trouble, folding after its 2007 season. However, the AFL had a flourishing minor league at the time, and several teams from that league bought the original AFL's assets in a bankruptcy auction, relaunching the AFL in 2009. After a few years, the revived league ran into its own financial problems, ceasing all operations and also filing for bankruptcy liquidation after the 2019 season. The AFL assets were bought over by new investors, who relaunched the league in 2024.

However, this latest version of the AFL provided an example of how not to run a professional sports league. The front office was accused of not paying bills on time, forcing players and coaches to pay expenses out of their own pockets. Half of the 16 teams that started the 2024 season folded during the season, several games had last-minute venue changes, and players and coaches walked out of a few games hours before kickoff. The original commissioner was fired by the remaining owners in midseason and replaced by a team owner (and former longtime NFL head coach) in an attempt to salvage the season.

The eight teams that made it to the end of the season then reorganized as the new Arena Football One, which plans to have 16 teams in its first season in 2025.

Though not professional play, high school football is extremely popular in many towns and small cities across North America, particularly in the American South and the Midwest, where local followings can rival the passion of even college and NFL team fans. High school games typically take place on Friday nights, and like college games usually have cheerleading squads, marching bands, and mascots to entertain fans. As an event, in many small towns and rural regions of the States, a high school football game serves as a huge communal event that brings together different generations and classes who may not otherwise mix. In many of these places, businesses will close for the game and some (e.g. restaurants) will have extended hours afterward. With very few exceptions, high school games will be played in open air and that includes during some sweltering August games in Texas as well as frigid December matches in Montana.