The popularity of American football in Korea has been historically low, but with the visit of Hines Ward (a Korean born NFL football star with the Pittsburgh Steelers) in 2006, the sport received a modest level of increased appeal.

Traditional football leagues within Korea is divided between university and senior (KNFL) teams.

Three championship bowl games of special note occur at the end of the season.

The top two seeds of each division played in a four-team semifinal playoff.

Starting in 2016, the KNFL changed to a full league format, with each of the seven teams playing one another.