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: 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, 2010– Rivals Professional Football League, 2015–
Current semi-pro/amateur leagues Chicagoland Football League, 1917–1934, 2005– Northern Football Conference, 1954– Eastern Football League, 1961– 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– 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– 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 Independent Professional Football League (IPFL), 2028 Major League Football (MLF), TBD (proposed to begin in 2027) 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, 1946–1949Three teams merged into the NFL American Football League, 1960–1969Founded with the aim, to force merger with NFL, which was agreed in 1966, the merger was completed in 1970.
Other major outdoor leagues: Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, 1892–1905Informal association of teams National Football League, 1902 Ohio Independent Championship (Ohio League), 1903–1919Informal association of teams Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, 1907–1959Merged to form the CFL in 1958 New York Pro Football League, c. 1913–1920Informal association of teams American Football League, 1926, 1936–1937, and 1940–1941 (all unrelated, three separate leagues) California Winter League, 1927–1928 Western Interprovincial Football Union, 1936–1960Merged to form the CFL in 1958 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 American Association suspended operations for duration of U.S. involvement in World War II; in 1946 the AA was renamed American Football League New England Football League, 1936 Virginia-Carolina Football League, 1937 California Football League, 1938 Eastern Pennsylvania Football League, 1938 American Football League, 1938–1939Known 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 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, 1944Merged with PCPFL in 1945 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 International Football Federation, 2000 (never played) Spring Football League, 2000 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), 2019–2022Reformatted as the International Football Alliance in 2024 XFL, 2020; 2023Merged with the USFL to form the UFL in 2024 United States Football League (USFL), 2022–2023Merged to with the XFL form the UFL in 2024
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)