Current professional leagues in North America Professional outdoor leagues Major: •
National Football League (NFL), 1920– ::Originally
American Professional Football Association (1920–1921) ::Merged with the
All-America Football Conference (1946-1949)
and with the
American Football League (1960–69) •
Canadian Football League (CFL), 1958– ::Formed from
Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (1909) and
Western Interprovincial Football Union (1936). ::
Grey Cup Canadian Football Championships since 1909
Minor: •
Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), 2016– •
United Football League (UFL), 2024– ::Formed from merger of
XFL (2020) and
United States Football League (2022)
Professional arena/indoor leagues •
Indoor Football League (IFL), 2009– ::Formed from
Intense Football League (2004) and
United Indoor Football (2005) •
American Indoor Football (AIF), 2011–2016, 2024– •
National Arena League (NAL), 2017– •
American Arena League (AAL), 2018–2021, 2026– • American Arena League 2 (AAL2), 2023– • United Indoor Football Association (UIFA), 2023– ::Originally
United Indoor Football League (2023) •
The Arena League (The AL or TAL), 2024– •
Arena Football One (2025) (AF1), 2025– • International Arena League (IAL), 2026–
Current developmental leagues •
Gridiron Developmental Football League, 2015–
Current semi-pro/amateur leagues •
Chicagoland Football League, 1917–1934, 2005– •
Northern Football Conference, 1954– •
Eastern Football League, 1961– •
Empire Football League, 1969– •
Mason-Dixon Football League, 1978– •
Alberta Football League, 1984– •
The Minor Football League, 1993– •
New England Football League, 1994– •
National Public Safety Football League, 1997– •
Rocky Mountain Football League, 1997– •
MidStates Football League, 1999– •
Maritime Football League, 2001– •
The Pacific Coast Football League, 2006– •
Florida Football Alliance, 2007– •
East Coast Football Association, 2007– •
Northern Elite Football League, 2008– •
Atlantic Coast Football Alliance, 2009– •
Texas United Football Association, 2010– •
Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League, 2012– •
Central Midwest Football League, 2014– •
American 7s Football League, 2014– •
Puerto Rico American Football League, 2014– •
Atlantic Football Association, 2014– •
Florida Champion Football League, 2017– •
Cactus Football League, 2018– •
North Louisiana Football Alliance, 2019– •
Southern Elite Football League, 2021– •
Mid-West United Football league, 2021– •
Heartland Football Association, 2022–
Current flag football leagues Pro •
American Flag Football League, 2018–
Other •
National Gay Flag Football League, 2002– •
DC Gay Flag Football League, 2009–
Current collegiate or junior leagues •
National Collegiate Athletic Association, 1906– •
National Federation of State High School Associations, 1920– •
California Community College Athletic Association, 1929– •
Collegiate Sprint Football League, 1934– •
National Junior College Athletic Association, 1938– •
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, 1940– •
U Sports, 1961– •
Quebec Junior Football League, 1970– •
Canadian Junior Football League, 1974– •
Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano, 1978– •
Atlantic Football League, 2009– •
Intercollegiate Club Football Federation, 2010– •
National Club Football Association, 2010– •
Hohokam Junior College Athletic Conference, 2019– •
Great Plains Athletic Conference, 1969-
Current women's leagues Outdoor leagues •
Women's Football Alliance, 2009– •
United States Women's Football League, 2010– •
Western Women's Canadian Football League, 2011– •
Utah Girls Tackle Football League, 2015– •
Women's National Football Conference, 2019– •
Central Canadian Women's Football League, 2022–
Women's Indoor/Arena leagues •
National Football Confederacy, 2024– •
X League, 2009– ::Operated as the
Lingerie Football League from 2009 to 2012 and then as the
Legends Football League from 2013 to 2019. •
Women's Arena Football League, 2012–
Planned leagues in North America •
Continental Football League (CoFL), 2026 •
Professional Independent Football League (PIFL), 2026 •
ApexPro Football League (APFL), 2027 •
Zenith Gridiron Football League (ZGFL), 2028 •
Major League Football (MLF), TBD (proposed to begin in September 2025) •
Major League Football (MLFB), TBD (cancelled seasons in
2016 and
2022)
Historical leagues in North America Major outdoor leagues The following leagues partly or fully merged with
NFL: •
All-America Football Conference, 1946–1949 •
American Football League, 1960–1969 Other major outdoor leagues: •
Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, 1892–1905 •
National Football League, 1902 • Ohio Independent Championship (
Ohio League), 1903–1919 •
Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, 1907–1959 •
New York Pro Football League, c. 1913–1920 • American Football League,
1926,
1936–1937, and
1940–1941 (all unrelated, three separate leagues) •
California Winter League, 1927–1928 •
Western Interprovincial Football Union, 1936–1960 •
United States Football League, 1945 (Never played) •
Trans-America Football League, 1945 (Never played) •
Universal Football League, 1974 (Never played) •
World Football League, 1974–1975 •
United States Football League, 1983–1985
Minor outdoor leagues •
Wilmington Football League (1922–1925, 1929–1935, 1940–1941, 1946–1955) •
Anthracite League (1924) •
Ohio Valley League, 1925–1929 •
Eastern League of Professional Football (1926) •
Pacific Coast League, 1926 •
Eastern League of Professional Football, 1926–1927 •
Anthracite League, 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) •
American Football League, 1934 •
American Legion League, 1934–1935 •
Northwest Football League, 1935–1938 •
Midwest Football League, 1935–1937, became
American Professional Football Association in 1938, American Football League in 1939 •
Dixie League, 1936–1947 – originally South Atlantic Football Association •
American Association 1936–1941/
American Football League 1946–1950 •
New England Football League, 1936 •
Virginia-Carolina Football League, 1937 •
California Football League, 1938 •
Eastern Pennsylvania Football League, 1938 •
American Football League, 1938–1939 •
Pacific Coast Professional Football League, 1940–1948 •
Northeast Football League, 1940–1942 •
Northwest War Industries Football League, 1942 •
Eastern Football League, 1944 •
American Football League, 1944 •
Virginia Negro League, 1946 •
Central States Football League, 1948–1953 •
Pacific Football Conference, 1957–1958 •
American 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, 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). •
United Football League, 1961–1964 •
Central States Football League, 1962–1975 •
Atlantic Coast Football League, 1962–1971, 1973 •
Midwest Football League, 1962–1978 •
Southern Football League, 1963–1965 •
North Pacific Football League, 1963–1966 •
New England Football League, 1964–1967 :::Renamed
North Atlantic Football League in 1967 •
Continental Football League, 1965–1969 •
North American Football League, 1965–1966 •
Professional Football League of America, 1965–1967 •
Texas Football League 1966–1968 •
United American Football League, 1967 •
South Carolina Football League, 1967 •
Trans-American Football League, 1970–1971 •
Midwest Professional Football League, 1970–1972 •
Seaboard Football League, 1971–1974 •
Southwestern Football League, 1972–1973 •
California Football League, 1974–1982 •
American Football Association, 1978–1983 •
International Football League, 1984 (never played) •
World League of American Football 1991–1992/
NFL Europe 1995–2007 •
Professional Spring Football League, 1992 •
Fan Ownership League, 1996 (never played) •
Regional Football League, 1999 •
XFL, 2001 •
World Football League, 2008–2010 •
United Football League, 2009–2012 •
Hawaii Professional Football League, 2011 (never played) •
Stars Football League, 2011–2013 •
North American Football League, 2014 (never played) •
Fall Experimental Football League, 2014–2015 •
The Spring League, 2017–2021 • Trinity Professional Spring Football League, 2018 (never played) •
Your Call Football, 2018–2019 •
Freedom Football League (FFL), 2019 (never played) •
Alliance of American Football (AAF), 2019 •
Fútbol Americano de México (FAM), 2019–2022 •
XFL, 2020; 2023 •
United States Football League (USFL), 2022–2023
Indoor leagues •
World Series of Football, 1902–03 •
Arena Football League, 1987–2008, 2010–2019 •
Professional Indoor Football League, 1998–2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001) •
Indoor Football League, 1999–2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001;not related to the Indoor Football League that began play in 2009) •
Indoor Professional Football League, 1999–2001 •
Arenafootball2 (af2), 2000–2009 (assets acquired in the same transaction as that noted above for Arena Football League) •
National Indoor Football League, 2001–2007 •
American Professional Football League, 2003–2013 •
Intense Football League, 2004–2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League) •
United Indoor Football, 2005–2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League) •
Continental Indoor Football League, 2006–2014 •
World Indoor Football League, 2007 •
Southern Indoor Football League, 2008–2011 (teams divided into either the
Lone Star Football League, the
Professional Indoor Football League, or
American Indoor Football) •
Ultimate Indoor Football League, 2011–2014 •
Lone Star Football League, 2012–2014 •
Professional Indoor Football League, 2012–2015 •
Champions Professional Indoor Football League, 2013–2014 •
X-League Indoor Football, 2014–2015 •
Champions Indoor Football, 2015-2023 •
American West Football Conference, 2019–2023 •
National Gridiron League/United Football League, 2019-2023 (never played) •
Arena Football Association, 2021-2022 •
Fan Controlled Football, 2021-2022 •
American Indoor Football Alliance, 2022–2023 •
Arena Football League (AFL), 2024 •
Great Lakes Arena Football (GLAF), 2023–2024 ::Originally
Great Lakes Arena Alliance (2023)
Collegiate and amateur leagues •
Quebec Rugby Football Union, 1883–1944 •
Ontario Rugby Football Union, 1883–1960 •
American Football Union, 1886–1895 •
Texas Sixman Football League, 1999–2012
Women's leagues •
Women's Professional Football League, 1965–1973 •
National Women's Football League, 1974–1982 •
Women's Professional Football League, 1999–2007 •
National Women's Football Association, 2000–2008 •
Women's American Football League, formed 2001, became the AFWL in 2002 •
American Football Women's League (AFWL), 2002 •
Women's Football Association, 2002–2003 • Women's Football League, 2002–2007 •
Women's Football League Association, 2021 (never played) == Leagues outside North America ==