Once the divisional matches have been played, the latter stages of the league become a knockout competition for the top teams in each division.

The NFL has traditionally played second fiddle to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, with most counties using it as preparation for that event.

This was not helped by the fact that the league was initially played in winter (usually November–March), while the Championship had the more attractive summer dates and knockout structure.

Mayo dominated the early NFL, winning seven titles in eight seasons until the tournament was suspended during the Second World War.

Kerry is the most successful team in the competition, having played in the final on twenty-nine occasions and won twenty-three of these.

Kerry also is the team to have most often achieved the "double", by winning both the league title and the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

From 2002, National League fixtures were played during the early months of the calendar year, preceding the SFC, which remained in the traditional mid-year position.