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:
- Originally American Professional Football Association (1920–1921)
- Merged with the All-America Football Conference (1946-1949) and with the American Football League (1960–69)
- Formed from Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (1909) and Western Interprovincial Football Union (1936).
- Grey Cup Canadian Football Championships since 1909
Minor:
- Formed from merger of XFL (2020) and United States Football League (2022)
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–
Pro
Other
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
Outdoor 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
![United States](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png)
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
![United States](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png)
![Canada](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png)
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]
![United States](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png)
![Canada](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png)
World League of American Football 1991–1992[a]/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)
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
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)
Leagues outside North America
Current professional leagues outside North America
Current minor professional, semi professional and amateur leagues outside North America
Central and South America:
Europe:
Asia:
Oceania:
Defunct minor leagues around the world
Collegiate and amateur leagues