After initially determining champions through end-of-season standings, a playoff system was implemented in 1933 that culminated with the NFL Championship Game.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference (four division winners and three wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Super Bowl, which is contested in February and is played between the AFC and NFC conference champions.
Following an agreement to merge the NFL with AFL, the Super Bowl was first held at the conclusion of the 1966 season to determine a champion between the best teams from the two leagues.
[70] Listed below is the current schedule of division match-ups for the next few upcoming regular seasons, based on the three-year intra-conference and four-year inter-conference rotations in place since 2021.
The league stated in 2017 that it was using "inventory management" to wait until current agreements expire before potentially expanding the series, particularly into Germany.
[129] On December 13, 2023, the league announced that an additional international game in 2024 will be held at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil.