In the sports world today, there exist several sports and tournaments that bring out the best teams and players from different parts of the world. Sports play an important role in many peopleโs lives. Many people even decide to pursue their career in whichever sport they like.
Sports provide humans with many things. It provides a source of entertainment to its viewers. It also provides various sportsmen with an opportunity to showcase their talents and skill sets to the world. There are several other benefits of sports as well.
Several sports have various tournaments that are held at different levels and stages. These tournaments are arranged by different authorities depending on the level of the tournament. Football alone has several tournaments that are held at several stages and levels.
Many teams and players from different parts of the world participate in these tournaments. Two such renowned tournaments are 1. NFL or National Football League, and 2. AAF or Alliance of American Football.
Key Takeaways
- The NFL is a professional American football league with 32 teams, whereas the AAF was a professional football league that operated for one season in 2019 before ceasing operations.
- The NFL has a much larger audience and generates more revenue than the AAF, which struggled to attract viewers and sponsors.
- NFL players are paid significantly more than AAF players, with the minimum salary for an NFL player being around $600,000, whereas AAF players earn a maximum of $70,000 for the entire season.
NFL vs AAF
The NFL is the oldest and most established professional football league in the United States. It consists of 32 teams that are divided into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC. The AAF was a professional football league that operated for one season in 2019. It consisted of eight teams and played a 10-week regular season.

The NFL, or the National Football League, is one of the most renowned leagues in the world of American football. The total number of teams that participate and play in the National Football League is 32.
The league was founded on 17 September 1920. The commissioner of the league was Roger Goodell, and the league was founded in Canton, Ohio, USA. The headquarters of the league is located in New York, USA.
The Alliance of American Football, or the AAF, was also one of the American football leagues. The Alliance of American Football was founded on 20 March 2018, but it ceased on 17 April 2019.
The total number of teams that played in the Alliance of American Football was 8. The headquarters of the league was located in San Francisco, California, USA. It was founded by Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian.ย
Comparison Table
Parameters of Comparison | NFL | AAF |
---|---|---|
Full-Form | National Football League | Alliance of American Football |
Founded on | 17 September 1920 | 20 March 2018 |
Ceased on | Not Ceased | 17 April 2019 |
Headquarters | New York, USA | San Francisco, California, USA |
Total Number of Teams | 32 | 8 |
What is NFL?
The NFL, or the National Football League, is one of the most renowned tournaments in the world of football. It is a professional football tournament among the four tournaments from North America.
Each team in the league gets to play 17 games, and the tournament takes place from early September to early January. The total number of teams that participate and play in the National Football League is 32. The league was founded on 17 September 1920.
The commissioner of the league was Roger Goodell, and the league was founded in Canton, Ohio, USA. The headquarters of the league is located in New York, USA. It is considered one of the most important leagues in the world of American football.
Most titles in the tournaments are won by the Green Bay Packers. The inaugural season of the league took place in the year 1920. Various rules and regulations have been implemented in the league ever since it was established. For example, the playoff policy was executed in the year 1933.
The 32 teams that play in the National Football League are owned by two clubs, and each club has 16 teams. These teams include Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks etc.
Various players participate through these teams and play as per the game format. These players try their best to make their respective teams proud by gaining victory.

What is AAF?
The AAF, or the Alliance of American Football, was of the renowned football leagues that got ceased due to bankruptcy. It was also one of the professional American football leagues.
Seven out of the eight teams that participated and played in the Alliance of American Football were from the cosmopolitan areas of the western and southern United States of America.
The Alliance of American Football was founded on 20 March 2018, but it ceased on 17 April 2019. The total number of teams that played in the Alliance of American Football was 8.
The headquarters of the league was located in San Francisco, California, USA. Charlie Eberson and Bill Polian were the founders of the league. The league inauguration took place with its first game that took place on 9 February 2019.
A season was scheduled consisting of 10 weeks, and the final game was scheduled on 27 April 2019. However, on 2 April 2019, the operations of the league were suspended by Thomas Dundon two weeks prior to the final game.
The total number of teams that participated and played in the league was eight. These teams included Atlanta Legends, Birmingham Iron, Memphis Express, Orlando Apollos, Arizona Hotshots, Salt Lake Stallions, San Antionio Commanders, San Diego Fleet etc.
These teamโs weโre divided into two conferences, namely the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

Main Differences Between NFL and AAF
- The National Football League, or the NFL, is not ceased. On the other hand, the AAF ceased due to bankruptcy.
- The total number of teams in the National Football League (NFL) is 32. On the other hand, the total number of teams in the AAF is 8.
- The National Football League (NFL) was founded on 17 September 1920. On the other hand, the AAF was founded on 20 March 2018.
- The National Football League (NFL) Is not ceased. On the other hand, on 17 April 2019, the AAF was ceased.
- The headquarters of the National Football League is located in New York, USA. On the other hand, the headquarters of the Alliance of American Football is located in San Francisco, California, USA.

- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1099-1468(200003)21:2%3C63::AID-MDE964%3E3.0.CO;2-O
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0227750

Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.