World League of American Football The World League of American Football ( WLAF ) was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America , Europe and later possibly Asia . This came after the NFL had played popular American Bowl s in London ' s Wembley Stadium and elsewhere since 1986 . The WLAF played two seasons with 10 teams in the spring of 1991 and 1992 , with the World Bowl as championship games . Rules unique to WLAF included assigning increasing point value to field goals based on distance , and a requirement that at least one player of non - US nationality participate in at least every other series of downs . New ideas were successfully tested , like using the two - point conversion rule also on the professional field before adopting it in the NFL in 1994 . Other minor tweaks in gameplay , such as a shorter kickoff tee , were also first used in the WLAF . Several technical innovations , such as helmet mounted cameras and one - way radios , enabling coaches to tell plays directly to quarterbacks , were also developed . In 1995 , games in Europe were resumed as the World League of American Football ( WLAF ) | World League , in 1998 as NFL Europe and in 2006 as NFL Europa . The league ceased operations on 29 June 2007 . WLAF history . The original WLAF was a spring developmental American football league which had 10 teams playing a 10 - game regular season . Two additional franchises were initially proposed in Paris and Mexico City . Teams were aligned in three divisions : The playoff format consisted of four teams : the three divisional champions , plus a wild card with the best overall non - division winning record . The two teams emerging from the World League of American Football semifinal playoffs met at the end of the season in the World Bowl . The first two World Bowl games were held at predetermined locations much like the modern Super Bowl . The original WLAF was less than popular in the United States . This might also have been caused by the surprising domination of the three Europe - based teams in 1991 , which had a combined 24 - 6 record , while no North American team managed to be better than 5 - 5 . The Raleigh – Durham Skyhawks even lost all 10 games as well as their franchise , which was moved to Ohio for 1992 . In 1992 , fortunes changed and the European teams all had losing seasons . Despite this , the European fans remained loyal , but operations of the WLAF were suspended after the 1992 season as the league lost money and the involved NFL owners were not willing to invest more . However , the National Football League still liked the idea of a spring developmental league — and they needed another pro Football league to help their cause in the antitrust and free agency lawsuit with the National Football League Players ' Association . The Sacramento and San Antonio franchises left the WLAF and were set to join the Canadian Football League in 1993 . San Antonio folded prior to the season but the Sacramento Gold Miners did play in the CFL for three years , starting the CFL USA initiative created in the wake of the WLAF ' s suspension . 1995 comeback . After revamping itself into an exclusively European circuit , the WLAF re - launched in 1995 . The league consisted of the three existing European teams from the original format as well as three new teams in Amsterdam , Düsseldorf and Edinburgh ( who would compete as Scotland ) . By the end of the 1997 season , there were growing concerns that their markets , except Germany , were not living up to their potential . Radical changes were made to the two British teams . The London Monarchs would become the England Monarchs , and play their home games in London , Birmingham and Bristol . Also , the Scottish Claymores would divide their schedule between Edinburgh and Glasgow . Then , at a press conference in San Diego during Super Bowl XXXII weekend , the league announced it too would be changing : the league would be rebranded as " NFL Europe " . Television coverage . USA Network carried most of the WLAF games on Saturday and Monday nights in the 1991 season and again on Saturday nights for the 1992 season . As mentioned , it premiered the helmet cam to TV audiences . ABC Sports broadcast some games in both seasons , mostly on Sunday afternoons . ABC showed the 1991 World Bowl , while USA carried the game in 1992 .