The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the other being the National Football Conference (NFC).
The AFC consists of sixteen teams divided into four divisions: North, South, East, and West. Each division is made up of four teams, creating a balanced structure for scheduling and competition. Teams compete within their divisions and across the league to pursue a place in the playoffs, culminating in the prestigious AFC Championship Game. The winner of the AFC title earns a place in the Super Bowl to face the champion of the NFL's other conference, the National Football Conference.
The conference operates under the umbrella of the NFL, with central leadership that governs league-wide rules, policies, and revenue sharing. Each team within the AFC has its own ownership, management, and organizational setup.
The AFC's history is closely linked to the former American Football League (AFL), a rival league to the NFL that was founded in 1960. The AFL introduced innovative rules, dynamic players, and an exciting style of play that captivated the imagination of football fans across the country. Its competition with the established NFL sparked a fierce rivalry, eventually leading to the historic AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
As part of the merger, the ten AFL teams joined three NFL teams (the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Colts) to form the AFC. This blending of AFL and NFL teams created a conference with a distinctive identity rooted in the legacy of the AFL. The merger also established the modern Super Bowl, where the AFC and NFC champions face off for NFL supremacy.
The AFC logo symbolizes the conference's heritage and role within the NFL. The logo features a bold red letter "A" adorned with stars, representing the ten original AFL teams that formed the foundation of the AFC. The stars also symbolize excellence and ambition, core attributes of the conference's teams and athletes. The color red, prominent in the logo, evokes energy and passion, reflecting the excitement of AFC matchups and the spirit of the game.
The East Division of the AFC includes the Buffalo Bills, who play their home games at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York; the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The North Division has the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland; the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycore Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio; and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In the South Division are the Houston Texans, who play home games at NFG Stadium in Houston, Texas; the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana; the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida; and the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
The West Division includes the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado; the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri; the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegian Stadium in Paradise, Nevada; and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Topics relating to the American Football Conference, its divisions, or teams are appropriate topics for this category.
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Headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland, the Ravens play their home games at M&T Stadium in Baltimore. The franchise was created in 1996 after the then-owner of the Cleveland Browns announced plans in 1995 to relocate the franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore. As part of a settlement between the league and Cleveland, he was forced to leave the team's history, colors, and records behind and form an expansion team in Baltimore. Photos, video, audio, and schedules are posted.
https://www.baltimoreravens.com/
The Bills play their home games at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, and they are based in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. Established in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League, the team joined the NFL in 1970 following the AFL-NFL merger. The Bills are a member of the American Football Conference East Division. A team roster, depth chart, coaches, stats, injury reports, transactions, standings, and a media guide are featured, along with ticket options and sales.
https://www.buffalobills.com/
The Bengals were established in 1967 as a franchise in the American Football League, at the time when the merger of the AFL and NFL was in process, becoming part of the NFL when the merger was completed in 1970. The Cincinnati replaced a former team by that name, which had moved to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Ravens. Team rosters, statistics, standings, drafts, and ticket options are featured on the team website, along with schedules and a fan shop offering branded apparel and other items.
https://www.bengals.com/
Formed in 1944, the Browns played its first season in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the NFL. In 1995, owner Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced plans to move the team to Baltimore. After threats of legal action, Modell was allowed to establish the Baltimore Ravens as a new franchise while retaining the contracts of Browns personnel. The Browns resumed play in 1999.
https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/
The professional football team began as a charter member of the American Football League, joining the NFL as part of the 1970 merger. Since 2001, the Broncos have played their regular season home games at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. League schedules are available online, in print format, and as wallpapers. Other resources include team rosters, coaches, staff members, statistics, injury reports, standings, transactions, videos, photos, and podcasts.
https://www.denverbroncos.com/
Established in 1999, the Texans replaced Houston's previous NFL franchise, the Houston Oilers, who moved to Nashville to become the Tennessee Titans. Beginning play in 2002, the team's home games are at NRG Stadium. The team's schedules, team roster, front office, and "Ring of Honor" are featured on its website, which includes statistics, transactions, injury reports, an unofficial depth chart, a history of the team, and a fan store with branded merchandise and other items.
https://www.houstontexans.com/
The Colts compete in the NFL as a member of the American Football Conference South Division, playing home games at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The franchise was founded in Baltimore in 1953. Known as the Baltimore Colts, it competed in the NFL. After the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the team became part of the American Football Conference and relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. Schedules, team rosters, news, videos, audio, and photographs are featured.
https://www.colts.com/
Founded along with the Carolina Panthers in 1995 as an expansion team, the Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional football team playing in the NFL's American Football Conference South Division, playing its home games at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Team rosters, standings, transactions, and a team history are noted on the official team website, along with game schedules, off-season schedules, and a fan shop offering branded apparel and other merchandise.
https://www.jaguars.com/
The KC Chiefs are a professional football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They compete in the National Football League as part of the American Football Conference West Division. The franchise was established in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League, initially playing as the Dallas Texans. It adopted its current name when it moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became part of the NFL with the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Schedules, ticket options, and rosters are posted.
https://www.chiefs.com/
The professional NFL football team plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, a northern suburb of Miami, Florida. Formed in 1965, the Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida and one of the first professional football teams in the Southeast. League schedules, packages, and ticket options are featured on the team's official website, along with team rosters, standings, statistics, injury reports, transactions, and front-office data.
https://www.miamidolphins.com/
Playing home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in the Greater Boston area, the Patriots are a professional football team playing in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference East Division. founded as the Boston Patriots in 1959, the team was a charter member of the American Football League before joining the NFL through the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Photographs, videos, podcasts, and live audio are available on the team's website.
https://www.patriots.com/
Headquartered at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, New Jersey, the Jets play their home games at MetLife Stadium, which they share with the NY Giants, located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford. The professional football team competes as part of the NFL's American Football Conference East Division. Founded in 1959 as the Titans of New York, a charter member of the American Football League, the franchise joined the NFL through the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
https://www.newyorkjets.com/
Originally based in Oakland, California, the Raiders were founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League, moving to the NFL with the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The team left Oakland to play in Los Angeles from 1982 through 1994, returning to Oakland in 1995, and, in 2020, they moved to the Las Vegas, Nevada area, where they play their home games at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, while being headquartered in the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Cednter in Henderson.
https://www.raiders.com/
Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the seventh-oldest franchise in the National Football League and the oldest in the American Football Conference. The team's history might be traced to a regional pro team established in the early 1920s, joining the NFL as the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933, taking its original name from the baseball team of the same name. Team rosters, coaches, front-office, and training partners are defined. Other resources include a team yearbook, Gameday Magazine, and schedules.
https://www.steelers.com/
The Chargers were founded in Los Angeles in 1959 and began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. After one season, they relocated to San Diego in 1961 to become the San Diego Chargers, joining the NFL due to the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. In 2017, the team moved back to the Los Angeles region, where they play their home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which it shares with the Los Angeles Rams. Team rosters, schedules, ticket options, and a Pro Shop are featured.
https://www.chargers.com/
The Tennessee Titans play their home games at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, although they are slotted to move to a new stadium expected to be completed in 2027. Originally known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 in Houston, Texas, as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), becoming part of the National Football League (NFL) as part of the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. In 1997, the Oilers relocated to Nashville. Ticket options and schedules are noted.
https://www.tennesseetitans.com/
