<P> The AFL--NFL merger was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It paved the way for the combined league, which retained the "National Football League" name and logo, to become one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States . The merger was announced on the evening of June 8, 1966 . Under the merger agreement, the leagues maintained separate regular - season schedules for the next four seasons--from 1966 through 1969--and then officially merged before the 1970 season to form one league with two conferences . </P> <P> Since its inception in 1920, the NFL fended off several rival leagues . Before 1960, the most important rival was the All - America Football Conference (AAFC), which began play in 1946 . The AAFC differed from the NFL in several ways, and the AAFC's perennial champions--the Cleveland Browns--were considered to be one of the best teams in professional football during that time . </P>

When did the afl merge with the nfl