This is a list of current and defunct leagues of American football and Canadian football.
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Current professional leagues in North America
Professional arena/indoor leagues
- Formed from Intense Football League (2004) and United Indoor Football (2005)
- Originally Great Lakes Arena Alliance (2023)
- United Indoor Football Association (UIFA), 2023–
- Originally United Indoor Football League (2023)
Current Developmental leagues
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,[6] 2009–
- Texas United Football Association, 2010–
- Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League,[2][7] 2012–
- American 7s Football League,[8] 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 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–
Current women's leagues
Women's Indoor/Arena leagues
- National Football Confederacy, 2024–[9]
- X League, 2009–
- Operated as the Lingerie Football League from 2009 to 2012 and then as the Legends Football League from 2013 to 2019.
Planned leagues in North America
Historical leagues in North America
Major outdoor leagues
The following leagues partly or fully merged with NFL:
Other notable major outdoor leagues:
- Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, 1892–1905[19]
- National Football League, 1902
- Ohio Independent Championship (Ohio League), 1903–1919[20]
- Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, 1907–1959[21]
- New York Pro Football League, c. 1913–1920[22]
- American Football League, 1926, 1936–1937, and 1940–1941 (all unrelated, three separate leagues)
- California Winter League,[23] 1927–1928
- Western Interprovincial Football Union, 1936–1960[24]
- United States Football League, 1945 (Never played)
- Trans-America Football League , 1945 (Never played)
- World Football League, 1974–1975
- United States Football League, 1983–1985
Minor outdoor leagues
- 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[25]
- New England Football League, 1936
- Virginia-Carolina Football League, 1937
- California Football League, 1938
- Eastern Pennsylvania Football League, 1938
- American Football League, 1938–1939[26]
- 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[27]
- 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.[28] Teams also end up play in Sarnia, Zaneville (Ohio Colts), Port Huron and Detroit,[29] while Toledo Tornadoes leave for the larger United Football League (1961–1964).[30]
- 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)[31]
- World League of American Football 1991–1992[lower-alpha 1]/NFL Europe 1995–2007
- Professional Spring Football League, 1992
- Fan Ownership League,[32] 1996 (never played)
- Regional Football League, 1999[33][30]
- International Football Federation, 2000 (never played)
- Spring Football League, 2000[34]
- 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,[35] 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[36]
- XFL, 2020; 2023[37]
- United States Football League (USFL), 2022–2023[38]
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)
- American Indoor Football (AIF), 2005–2010, 2012–2016, 2024
- 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–
Collegiate and amateur leagues
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,[39][40] 2021 (never played)
Current professional leagues outside North America
Defunct minor leagues around the world
Collegiate and amateur leagues
The league was in hiatus and re-branded as the NFL Europe League in 1995.
Three teams merged into the NFL
Founded with the aim, to force merger with NFL, which was agreed in 1966, the merger was completed in 1970.
Informal association of teams
Informal association of teams
Merged to form the CFL in 1958
Informal association of teams
Merged to form the CFL in 1958
American Association suspended operations for duration of U.S. involvement in World War II; in 1946 the AA was renamed American Football League
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
Merged with PCPFL in 1945
Reformatted as the International Football Alliance in 2024
Merged with the USFL to form the UFL in 2024
Merged to with the XFL form the UFL in 2024