NFL
AFC or NFC: How the NFL's 32 Teams Actually Split
Two conferences, eight divisions, thirty-two teams. People pick a side long before they can name the structure — so here is the whole thing, division by division.
The PROTEAM KIT teamSeptember 20266 min read
AFCNFC
NFCVSTwo conferencesAlmost nobody becomes an NFL fan by learning the league structure. It happens the other way round: you watch a game, a team sticks, and then somebody mentions the AFC and you nod as if you knew.
So here is the whole structure, in the order it actually helps to know it. The NFL is 32 teams split into two conferences, and each conference is split into four divisions of four teams. That is the entire shape of the league, and everything else — the playoff seeding, the schedule, the rivalries — falls out of it.
AFC and NFC: what the split actually means
The AFC is the American Football Conference and the NFC is the National Football Conference. They were separate leagues until the merger, and the two-conference structure is what survived. Both play under identical rules, use the same jersey builds and the same sizing, and a team in one conference is not 'better' or 'worse' than a team in the other by virtue of being there.
What it changes is the road to the final. Each conference crowns its own champion, and the two winners meet in the Super Bowl. That is why a division rival matters more than a team across the country that you might play once every four years.
AFC North
NFC EastThe eight divisions, in plain language
Each conference holds four divisions, named for the compass direction and the conference. AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West. Then the same four for the NFC. Four teams each, thirty-two in total, and the divisional round is settled between those four.
If you are buying a jersey, this is the level of structure that is actually useful: knowing which division a team sits in tells you who they play twice a year, which is usually why somebody supports them in the first place.
All 32 teams, division by division
This is the part worth bookmarking. Eight divisions of four teams each, and once you know which division a team sits in, you know who they play twice a season.
| Division | The four teams |
|---|---|
| AFC East | Buffalo Bills · Miami Dolphins · New England Patriots · New York Jets |
| AFC North | Baltimore Ravens · Cincinnati Bengals · Cleveland Browns · Pittsburgh Steelers |
| AFC South | Houston Texans · Indianapolis Colts · Jacksonville Jaguars · Tennessee Titans |
| AFC West | Denver Broncos · Kansas City Chiefs · Las Vegas Raiders · Los Angeles Chargers |
| NFC East | Dallas Cowboys · New York Giants · Philadelphia Eagles · Washington Commanders |
| NFC North | Chicago Bears · Detroit Lions · Green Bay Packers · Minnesota Vikings |
| NFC South | Atlanta Falcons · Carolina Panthers · New Orleans Saints · Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| NFC West | Arizona Cardinals · Los Angeles Rams · San Francisco 49ers · Seattle Seahawks |
Front
BackA note on conference kit
There is no such thing as an AFC jersey or an NFC jersey. The conference does not appear on the garment. What you buy is a team jersey, in that team's colours, and the conference is only relevant to who they play.
Which is the useful thing to take from all of this. If you are buying for a fan, ask which team, not which conference. The conference follows from the team, every time.
Kansas City Chiefs Dante Hall Red Retired Player Game JerseyAn NFC side
Green Bay Packers LeRoy Butler Green Retired Player Game JerseyAcross the league
Dallas Cowboys Deion Sanders Navy Team Retired Player Game JerseyThree directions, all in stock. Sizes and colourways vary by team.
What is the difference between the AFC and the NFC?
They are the two conferences the NFL's 32 teams are divided into, 16 teams each. The rules, jersey builds and sizing are identical across both. The difference is who plays whom, and which conference final a team is trying to reach.
How many teams are in the NFL?
32 teams, split into the AFC and the NFC, and each conference holds four divisions of four teams. That gives eight divisions in total: four in the AFC and four in the NFC. Our store stocks all 32.
How many divisions are in each conference?
Four. The AFC runs East, North, South and West, and the NFC uses the same four directions. Each division holds four teams, which is what makes the divisional rivalries so repeatable — they play each other twice every season.
Is an AFC jersey different from an NFC jersey?
No. Conference is not part of the garment. A jersey is built for a team, and the same builds — Game, Limited, Elite — are available across all 32 teams in both conferences.
The one thing worth remembering from all of it: the conference explains the schedule and the playoffs, and nothing about the jersey itself. Team colours, build tier and size are the three decisions you will actually make.
