Football NFL Conferences
There are 32 teams who participate in the National Football League (NFL). The teams are split into two conferences, the NFC and AFC. Each conference consists of four divisions (North, East, West, and South), with four teams in each division. The teams with the best win-loss record in their division automatically advance to the playoffs. The winner of each conference in the playoffs will move on to play in the Super Bowl.
National Football Conference (NFC)
The NFC, also known as the National Football Conference, consists of 16 teams split into four divisions.
The NFC West consists of the:
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
The NFC North consists of the:
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Minnesota Vikings
- Green Bay Packers
The NFC East consists of the:
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
The NFC South consists of the:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
American Football Conference (AFC)
The AFC, also known as the American Football Conference, consists of 16 teams split into four divisions.
The AFC West consists of the:
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Chargers
The AFC North consists of the:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cleveland Browns
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
The AFC East consists of the:
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
The AFC South consists of the:
- Indianapolis Colts
- Houston Texans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
History
After the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the NFL decided to make two separate conferences named the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference (NFC and AFC). At first, the league was very uneven, with divisions having a different number of teams than other divisions in the league. In 2002, when the Houston Texans joined the NFL, the league was finally able to have a balanced conference and division setup, where each division consisted of four teams, allowing an equal number of teams in each conference.
What Are the Differences?
The two conferences are pretty similar. Every year, teams in the same division will play teams from an opposing division and conference. For example, in one year, the NFC West teams will play all of the teams in the AFC North. Then the next year, it will rotate so that the NFC West teams will then play teams in the AFC East. Each team will play two games at home and two games on the road. In the Super Bowl era, the NFC has won 29 Super Bowl championships compared to 27 wins by the AFC.
FAQ
How many conferences are there in the NFL?
There are two conferences in the NFL. These two conferences are known as the AFC (American Football Conference) and NFC (National Football Conference). Each conference features four divisions, with four teams in each division. This means each conference has 16 teams.
What is the difference between a conference and a division in the NFL?
In the NFL, the 32 total teams are divided into two kinds of groups: conferences and divisions. The conferences are the two large groupings of teams in the league, each of which has half of the NFL teams in it. These are the NFC and the AFC, which both have 16 teams. Meanwhile, divisions are smaller subgroups within the two conferences. Each conference has four divisions (North, South, East, and West), and each division has four teams in it.
Which NFL conference and division has won the most Super Bowls?
The NFL conference with the most Super Bowl wins is the NFC, which has won 29 of the 56 Super Bowls, compared to the 27 Super Bowls won by the AFC. Of the eight divisions in the NFL, the NFC East currently has the most Super Bowl wins, with 13. Of these 13 victories, five belong to the Dallas Cowboys, while four were won by the New York Giants, three by the Washington Commanders, and one by the Philadelphia Eagles.