In what year did the NFL expand to 32 teams?

The NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002.

The expansion came when the Houston Texans began play as the league's 32nd franchise. NFL owners awarded Houston the franchise in 1999, and the Texans joined the league for the 2002 season. Their arrival ended the period in which the NFL had an odd number of teams and required at least one club to receive a weekly bye.

The league used the expansion to reorganize its structure. The previous six-division arrangement was replaced by eight divisions: four in the American Football Conference and four in the National Football Conference, with four teams in each division. The realignment also created the AFC South and NFC South and moved the Seattle Seahawks from the AFC to the NFC.

The year 2002 is sometimes confused with 1999 because that was when Houston was awarded the franchise. It is also distinct from the 2002 expansion draft, held on February 18, 2002, which allowed the Texans to select players from existing teams before their inaugural season.