10 Most Popular NFL Teams

You’re here because you want to know who the most popular NFL teams are. Is it because you’re insecure about your own team? Perhaps you need some ammo against your friends? Or maybe you’ve got nothing better to do.

We live in an era unrecognizable by your grandparents, where loyalties are less about the region you live in and about your favorite stacked team on Madden, or the roster your favorite players on. 

Most Popular NFL Teams

There’s 32 teams in the NFL hailing from 23 different states around the U.S. We worked out the most popular of them by factoring in followers on X, Google searches and the relevancy of each franchise. Here’s our list of the 10 most popular NFL teams:

10. New York Giants

The New York Giants have gone through years of mediocrity but that’s okay, because they’re our tenth most popular NFL team. Benefiting from the largest TV market in America the Giants have a valuation in excess of over $7 billion.

In their history the Giants have won four Super Bowls – 1987, 1991, 2008 and 2012, and it was the latter two that won the franchise a legion of fans as they beat the much hated Patriots on both occasions as underdogs.

17-14, fellas. One touchdown, we are world champions. Believe it, and it will happen. 17-14’s the final. Let’s go.

Michael Strahan before the Giant’s game-winning Super Bowl XLII drive.

9. Seattle Seahawks

You know a team’s popular when they raise a “12th Man” flag and retired the number 12 in honor of their fans. Seahawks fans are affectionately known as the “12th Man” and they’re arguably the rowdiest fans in the NFL.

Three Super Bowl appearances and a championship win has helped the franchise to over 2.5 million X followers. The Seahawks are without doubt the undisputed team of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Fun Fact: Following a Marshawn Lynch 67-yard game clinching touchdown run in the 2010-11 NFL playoffs, Seahawks fans caused a 2.0-magnitute earthquake and reached a volume of 136.6 decibels in an event known as “Beast Quake”.

8. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have sold out every home game since 1973, the same year the United States exited the Vietnam War. And, Pro Football Hall of Famers John Elway and Peyton Manning were both a must-watch which won over many fans. 

Are the Broncos the real “America’s Team”?

Denver has had the on-the-field success to match a passionate fanbase with three wins from eight Super Bowl appearances. In a 2014 poll they were even voted the most popular team on the back of Emmanuel Sanders and Manning. 

7. Green Bay Packers

Despite Green Bay being the smallest market team in American major sports the Packers are still one of the most popular NFL teams. Insanely, Green Bay’s sellout streak goes back to the year Alaska and Hawaii became American states.

Here’s why you don’t mess with Green Bay: 

• 84% of adults in Green Bay are Packers fans.
• Lambeau Field seats over 81,000 fans. 
• Green Bay itself has a population of just over 100,000.
• The last game at Lambeau Field that was not a sellout was on November 22, 1959.
• Four-time Super Bowl champions. 
• Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. 
• Cheddar, American, Mozzarella, Brick, Muenster and Limburger.

Fun Fact: More than a quarter of all cheese in America is made in Wisconsin. No wonder they’re called Cheeseheads!

6. San Francisco 49ers

The much beloved 49ers have won five Super Bowls, with their relentless pursuit for greatness attracting many fans.

Superstars like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young have all helped the franchise explode in popularity, and 49ers fans are the most actively engaged on social media at 2.96% per sidelines.io. 

We haven’t seen the 49ers dominate like they did so in the 80’s and 90’s but their regular appearances in the playoffs has kept the fandom passing on through the generations.

“Playing football in San Francisco was almost a transcendental experience.”

Steve Young

5. Kansas City Chiefs

Historically the Kansas City Chiefs fanbase has been concentrated closer to home and hasn’t gained the widespread support that other teams have enjoyed.

Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes changed all that by winning Super Bowls in 2020, 2023 and 2024. 

The Chiefs fandom went to another level when Travis Kelce started dating Taylor Swift. It then went into the stratosphere on September 24, 2023 when Swift attended her first game. The marriage between “Swifties” and Chiefs fans has rocketed Kansas City into one of the most popular NFL teams.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

“The City of Brotherly Love” is far from that if you get on the wrong side of Philly fans. Ben Simmons anyone? Despite the unforgiving nature of Philadelphia fans they’re extremely passionate about their teams and they’ll let you know it too.

The popularity of the Eagles is deep rooted in family tradition with loyalties passed down the generations like a family heirloom.

Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl championship in 2017 saw a boost in popularity for the franchise, and they currently have more than 3.8 million followers on X alone.

Add into the mix superstars Reggie White, Donovan McNabb and Brian Dawkins who have all worn the famous midnight green and you can see why the Eagles are so popular.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s not as long as Lambeau Field’s ongoing sellout streak but Pittsburgh has sold out every home game since 1972. The Steelers are so popular that fans at away games often outnumber home fans.

How? 

Pittsburgh was the eighth largest city in America in 1910. By 2020 it ranked as the 68th largest. The collapse of the local steel industry forced a mass exodus of Steelers fans to relocate all around America, and they’re waving yellow “terrible towels” at a stadium near you.

We’re now left with “Steeler Nation” who will remind you at every opportunity that they’ve won the most Super Bowls with six. They’ll also remind you about the “Steel Curtain” of the 1970s which brought home four championships in six seasons.

2. New England Patriots

The Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era brought about one of the greatest sports dynasties in history to New England. The consistency of the Patriots during Brady’s time brought about six Super Bowl championships and the sustained success helped Robert Kraft’s franchise to become the second most popular team in the NFL.

Here’s a few of the Patriots’ greatest achievements: 

• Most Super Bowl wins – tied with 6 alongside the Steelers
• Most Super Bowl appearances – 11 in total
• Tom Brady win percentage at the Patriots – .768 
• Most followed NFL team on X: 4.6 million

Fun Fact: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady combined for six Super Bowl championships. After Brady’s departure in 2019 Belichick could only manage a 82-98 record before parting ways in 2024.

1. Dallas Cowboys

What’s the most popular NFL team? The Dallas Cowboys. 

The Cowboys are the most searched NFL team on Google, they have the biggest fanbase in America, and they’ve been known as “America’s Team” since the late 70’s. Some of the most polarizing players in history have starred for the Cowboys including:

• Roger Staubach
• Emmitt Smith
• Troy Aikman
• Michael Irvin

Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium (and Texas Stadium previously) have been a sellout since 2002, and with over 4.4 million followers on X, there’s a huge legion of fans cheering on for the Cowboys and hoping that they can add to their five Super Bowl championships.