List of NAIA national football championship series appearances by team

The following is a list of current National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools that have participated in the playoffs (also known as the championship series) leading to the NAIA football national championship since 1956. The playoffs featured two teams in 1956, four teams from 1958, eight teams from 1978, sixteen teams from 1987, and twenty teams from 2023 until the present. A separate NAIA Division II football national championship was also held between 1970 and 1996, with the same number of teams competing in its annual playoffs.

Many of the teams who participated in past editions of the playoffs have subsequently joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or disbanded their programs.

Qualified teams

 * Teams in bold participated in the 2023 playoffs.
 * Updated through the 2023 national championship game, held on December 18, 2023

Not yet qualified

 * Appalachian Athletic Conference (3) – Bluefield, Kentucky Christian, St. Andrews
 * Great Plains Athletic Conference (3) – Briar Cliff, Mount Marty, Waldorf
 * Heart of America Athletic Conference (4) – Clarke, Culver–Stockton, Missouri Baptist, William Woods
 * Independents (1) – Simpson
 * Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (1) – Saint Mary
 * Mid-States Football Association (5) – Defiance, Judson, Lawrence Tech, Madonna, Siena Heights
 * North Star Athletic Association (2) – Dakota State, Mayville State
 * Sooner Athletic Conference (6) – Arkansas Baptist, North American, SAGU, Texas College, Texas Wesleyan, Wayland Baptist
 * Sun Conference (5) – Ave Maria, Florida Memorial, Thomas, Warner, Webber International