etc sports icon

NFL Football

Purchase NFL Tickets


The schedule is out for this year’s NFL season, and tickets are now available for all NFL games and events. From the NFL preseason to the Super Bowl and every game in between, Event Tickets Center has NFL tickets that can get you into the action. With fans eager to get back in the stands to watch their favorite teams, games are sure to sell out quickly.

But don’t worry, Event Tickets Center has you covered. ETC is the best place to buy NFL tickets from trusted secondary market sellers all season long, so you don’t have to miss a game. Want preseason tickets, single game tickets, or even season tickets? Find them all at Event Tickets Center.

The Live Game Experience


As most football fans will tell you, the electric environment of a National Football League game is what makes the live atmosphere so special. Hearing the roar of the crowd, joining a sea of fans rooting for their home team, and witnessing the speed and energy of the game in person is a truly unique and awesome experience. Fans can even get in on the action by making noise while the opposing team has the ball to disrupt their offensive play-calling. The noise level gets so loud in the Seattle Seahawks’ stadium, Lumen Field, that their fans are known as “12s”, a reference to their fanatic contribution feeling like a 12th player on the field.

Most NFL games take around three hours from kickoff to the final whistle (longer if there’s overtime). However, pregame events and tailgate parties are popular at many NFL stadiums, like the Packers’ Lambeau Field in Green Bay and the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. If you want, you can turn the gameday experience into an all-day occasion.

NFL Schedule: Regular Season and Playoffs


The new, expanded schedule (introduced in 2021) for each of the NFL’s 32 teams consists of three preseason games, followed by 17 regular season games over 18 weeks, with one “bye” week off. That’s 96 preseason games and 272 regular season games of live football action available!

At the end of the season, 14 qualifying teams (seven from the National Football Conference and seven from the American Football Conference) participate in the postseason, playing a total of 12 playoff games that culminate in the ultimate American sporting event, the Super Bowl.

When Should I Buy NFL Tickets?


Unlike initial-sale tickets, secondary market prices tend to fluctuate over time. Knowing when ticket demand is the highest and ticket prices are the lowest can help you determine the right time to get the best deal on your NFL tickets. So, when is the right time to buy? Should NFL football fans look to score tickets early or wait until gameday?

When it comes to buying football tickets on the secondary market, patience is key. It may be hard to do, but fans that wait until a week before the game to buy their single game tickets save nearly $40 per ticket on their purchase. In fact, on average, the lowest-priced tickets were sold the same day as the game. That may sound nerve-racking to some who want to make sure they don’t miss their favorite team. If it feels too risky to hold off until the last minute, fans that buy their tickets one or two days before the game still save an average of 20% per ticket compared to those who bought them months in advance. The average price of a resale NFL ticket during the 2022-2023 season was $203.

How Do I Get NFL Tickets?


The best place to buy tickets on the secondary market is Event Tickets Center. Football tickets sell out fast, but when resellers have a change of plans or season ticket holders can’t make the game, you can find their tickets for sale on ETC. As a resale marketplace, the average ticket price is often above face value, and similar to other ticket resale sites, industry-standard service fees may affect ticket prices. In addition, because ETC is a secondary market facilitating sales between sellers and customers, all ticket sales are final. However, event ticket protection is available for purchase and will reimburse you the cost of the ticket if you can’t attend the event due to illness or other covered emergency (find out more on ETC's ticket terms & conditions). But when you just HAVE to catch that sold-out game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New Orleans Saints at the Super Dome, or that Sunday night matchup between Brady's Tampa Bay Bucs and Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs, Event Tickets Center has the tickets you’re looking for.

What’s the History of the National Football League?


From its humble formation in Ohio in 1920, the NFL (formally the American Professional Football Association) has grown to make professional football the most popular sport in America. A series of rule changes, including narrowing the hash marks in 1972, moving the goalposts from the goal line to the back of the end zone in 1974, and imposing stricter penalties for roughing the passer and pass interference, opened up the field and increased teams’ offensive capabilities, making the game more exciting and popular.

Major technological advancements over the past few decades have boosted television ratings, and the availability of smartphones and the popularity of fantasy football leagues and sports betting have made football even more accessible to fans.

In addition, revolutionary concepts like equal revenue sharing from television and sponsorship contracts and strict league-wide salary caps created widespread parity in the league. Because of this, no matter where you live and who your favorite team is, they have an equal chance of winning the Super Bowl any given year. This spirit of fair competition, both on the field and in organizations’ bank accounts, has led football to become the most popular American sport in every corner of the country.

FAQs about NFL Football

When does the NFL season start?

Each year, the first game of the NFL season is on the first Thursday after Labor Day. In 2023, the start of the season is on September 7, when the Detroit Lions take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.


When is the NFL Draft?

The NFL Draft occurs on the last weekend of April over a 3 day period from Thursday - Saturday.


How many rounds are in the NFL draft.

There are 7 rounds in the NFL draft for a total of 224 picks.


When is the NFL schedule released?

The NFL Schedule is released in May, usually in the second week of the month.


How many NFL teams are there?

There are 32 NFL teams. There are 16 teams in each conference and 4 teams in each division.


What are the NFL divisions?

In total there are 8 divisions. There are 2 conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each Conference has 4 divisions associated with it. These divisions are:

  • AFC East
  • AFC North
  • AFC South
  • AFC West
  • NFC East
  • NFC North
  • NFC South
  • NFC West


How many teams make the NFL playoffs?

In the NFL, the winner of each division makes it into the playoffs. In each conference, the 3 best teams that did not win their respective division also make it into the playoffs as a wildcard. This means a total of 14 teams make the NFL playoffs.


When does NFL preseason start?

NFL preseason starts with the Hall of Fame Game in early August. In 2023, that game occurred on August 3 when the Jets faced off against the Browns.


When is NFL free agency?

Free Agency usually lasts from July until Week 10 of the NFL season. In 2023, it is from July 24 until November 14.


When is the NFL trade deadline?

The trade deadline in the NFL occurs at 4:00 PM EST on the Tuesday following week 8. In 2023 this will be on October 31st.


How many games are in the NFL season?

There are 18 weeks in the NFL regular season. Each team plays a game in 17 of those weeks and also has a bye one week out of the 18 weeks. In total there are 272 games in the NFL regular season.