How Many Championships Do the Atlanta Falcons Have?

If you live in Atlanta or are visiting for a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, you’ll hear plenty of talk about the Falcons’ history, heartbreaks, and big moments. One question comes up a lot:

How many championships do the Atlanta Falcons have?

Quick Answer: Falcons Championships at a Glance

Here’s the fast breakdown of major championships for the Atlanta Falcons:

Level of TitleNumber WonNotes
Super Bowl championships0Falcons have appeared in 2 Super Bowls, won none.
NFC Conference championships21998 season, 2016 season.
NFC South division titles42004, 2010, 2012, 2016.
NFC West division titles21980, 1998 (before realignment).

So if you’re asking strictly, “How many Super Bowl championships do the Atlanta Falcons have?”
➡️ The answer is zero.

If you mean major football titles overall, the Falcons have:

  • 2 NFC Conference championships
  • 6 division championships (4 NFC South, 2 NFC West)

Understanding What “Championships” Means in Atlanta Football Talk

When Atlantans talk about “championships,” they might mean different things:

  • Super Bowl championships – the ultimate NFL title
  • Conference championships – winning the NFC to reach the Super Bowl
  • Division titles – winning your division in the regular season

In national conversations, “How many championships?” usually means Super Bowl wins. Locally, fans often brag (or vent) about conference titles and deep playoff runs too, because those seasons shaped Atlanta sports culture.

The Falcons’ Super Bowl History

If you’re new to Atlanta or introducing someone to the team, these are the two seasons everyone brings up.

Super Bowl XXXIII (1998 Season)

  • Result: Falcons lost to the Denver Broncos
  • Significance for Atlanta:
    • First-ever Super Bowl appearance for the franchise
    • The “Dirty Bird” era – a big part of Atlanta football identity
    • The city rallied around a team that surprised the league

Even today, long-time Atlantans will talk about that 1998 run as a turning point in the city’s football culture.

Super Bowl LI (2016 Season)

  • Result: Falcons lost to the New England Patriots
  • Why it’s unforgettable in Atlanta:
    • The team built a 28–3 lead before suffering a dramatic comeback loss
    • It’s one of the most frequently mentioned games in NFL history
    • Locally, it’s both a point of pride (for the run) and pain (for the outcome)

If you go to a bar in Downtown, Midtown, or near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on game day, you’ll still hear people reference “28–3.” It’s become part of Atlanta’s sports vocabulary.

Conference Championships: Where the Falcons Have Succeeded

Even without a Super Bowl win, the Falcons have gone further than many franchises.

NFC Championships (2)

The Falcons have 2 NFC Conference titles, which means they were the best team in the NFC in those seasons:

  1. 1998 NFC Champions
  2. 2016 NFC Champions

For fans in Atlanta, these seasons stand out as high points. If you tour the stadium or visit team stores around the city, you’ll often see merchandise and displays celebrating these runs.

Division Titles: Falcons’ Regional Dominance

Before thinking about the Super Bowl, NFL teams compete in their divisions. The Falcons have had some strong years here too.

NFC South and NFC West Titles

The Falcons have 6 division championships:

  • NFC South (4)

    • 2004
    • 2010
    • 2012
    • 2016
  • NFC West (2) – prior to 2002 realignment

    • 1980
    • 1998

If you’re talking to long-time Atlanta residents, you’ll hear about older NFC West rivalries, while younger fans tend to focus on NFC South opponents like the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

How This Feels in Atlanta as a Sports City

Atlanta is a passionate but often long-suffering sports town, and the Falcons are central to that story.

  • No Super Bowl trophies yet, despite some extremely talented rosters
  • Two near-miss seasons (1998 and 2016) that still shape fan emotions
  • A strong game-day culture around Downtown Atlanta, the Home Depot Backyard, and the bars and restaurants within walking distance of Mercedes-Benz Stadium

If you move to Atlanta or visit on an NFL Sunday, you’ll quickly notice that:

  • Many locals proudly support the Falcons despite the lack of a Super Bowl win.
  • The team is a big point of connection among residents from all parts of the metro area: Decatur, Smyrna, College Park, and beyond.

In other words, the championship count is 0 for Super Bowls, but the emotional investment is massive.

Where to Experience Falcons History in Atlanta

If you’re curious to go beyond the numbers and actually feel the history in person, Atlanta offers several ways to connect with the team’s past and present.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

  • Location: 1 AMB Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
  • What you can do:
    • Attend a Falcons home game and experience the atmosphere that’s built around chasing that first Super Bowl
    • Take a stadium tour on non-game days to see locker rooms, field level, and historical displays
    • Check out team imagery and references to notable seasons like 1998 and 2016

Falcons Team Store & Game-Day Areas

Around the stadium on game days, and in certain retail locations in the Atlanta area, you can:

  • Find Falcons gear celebrating conference titles and playoff runs
  • See how the city embraces the team despite the limited trophy case

For an out-of-town visitor, this is often the easiest way to get a feel for how deeply the Falcons are woven into Atlanta’s identity.

How Falcons Championships Compare to Other Atlanta Teams

If you’re trying to understand Atlanta sports as a whole, it helps to place the Falcons in context:

  • Atlanta Braves (MLB) – multiple World Series championships
  • Atlanta Hawks (NBA) – 1 NBA championship (from the franchise’s earlier era before relocation to Atlanta)
  • Atlanta United FC (MLS) – 1 MLS Cup (2018), which gave many local fans a long-awaited modern championship moment

Because of this, many Atlantans are especially eager for the Falcons to finally win a Super Bowl and “join” the city’s list of modern champions.

Key Takeaways for Fans and Visitors in Atlanta

If you’re talking specifically about Super Bowl wins:

  • The Atlanta Falcons have 0 Super Bowl championships.

If you’re counting major football titles overall:

  • 🏈 2 NFC Conference championships (1998, 2016)
  • 🏆 6 division championships (2 NFC West, 4 NFC South)

For people in Atlanta, the Falcons’ story is less about the trophies they already have and more about the ongoing chase for that first Lombardi Trophy. Whether you’re heading to a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium or debating sports with locals, knowing this history will help you understand why that first Super Bowl win would mean so much to the city.