Three downs
The offence has three downs to gain 10 yards. Fail, and the other team takes over. That is why CFL teams pass more and often punt or attempt a field goal on third down.
Canadian football · 2026
CFL, explained.
Nine teams. Three downs. One Grey Cup. Here’s the quick guide.
The CFL is Canada’s professional football league: nine clubs in an East Division and a West Division, an 18-game regular season, and a November championship called the Grey Cup. The game looks like the NFL from a distance and plays differently up close — three downs, 12 players a side, and a wider, longer field.
League contact
Head office details published by the CFL. For club-specific questions or tryouts, use the team, not the league office.
- Office
- Canadian Football League
50 Wellington Street East, 3rd Floor
Toronto, ON M5E 1C8
Canada - Phone
- (416) 322-9650Fax (416) 322-9651
- contact@cfl.ca
A short history
Canadian football grew out of rugby in the late 1800s. The Grey Cup — still the league championship — was donated in 1909 by Governor General Earl Grey. The modern CFL’s two divisions come from two older unions: the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union in the East (1907) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (1936).
Those unions merged at meetings in Winnipeg from January 17 to 19, 1958, and the Canadian Football Council took the name Canadian Football League. The Grey Cup became the exclusive championship of the professional clubs. Several of today’s teams predate the 1958 merger; the Ottawa Redblacks (2014) are the newest current franchise.
The league has nine teams in 2026. The 113th Grey Cup is scheduled for November 15 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
Current teams
Five clubs in the West, four in the East. Open a team for scores, the next game, and news.
2026 schedule
The regular season runs June 4 to October 24, 2026. Each team plays 18 games. Division semi-finals are October 31, division finals November 7, and the Grey Cup November 15 in Calgary.
How the league works
Same sport family as the NFL, different geometry and clock.
Twelve players, bigger field
Each side plays 12. The field is 110 yards long and 65 yards wide, with 20-yard end zones — longer, wider, and deeper than an NFL field.
Motion and the waggle
Backs can be moving toward the line of scrimmage before the snap. Combined with the extra receiver, that motion (the waggle) is what makes CFL offences look so open.
Scoring
A touchdown is six points. A convert is one (kick) or two (play from scrimmage). A field goal is three. A safety is two.
The rouge
A kicked ball that goes into the end zone and is not returned into the field of play is a single — one point. That play does not exist in the NFL.
East and West
The four eastern clubs and five western clubs play a national schedule, then seed the playoffs by division.
The season
Training camp and a short preseason in the spring, 18 regular season games from June into late October, playoffs in November.
How the playoffs work
2026 is the last season of the six-team, two-division format. In 2027 the CFL expands the postseason to eight teams.
Six teams qualify
The top three finishers in each division make the playoffs. Division winners get a bye to the division final.
Semi-finals, then finals
The second-place team hosts the third-place team (or a crossover) on October 31. Winners visit the division champion on November 7.
Grey Cup
The East and West winners meet in the Grey Cup. In 2026 that is Sunday, November 15, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
The crossover: If the fourth-place team in one division finishes with more points — not a tie — than the third-place team in the other division, it takes that third-place spot and plays the opposite division’s second-place team on the road. A crossover can send a western club into the East bracket, or the other way around.
For the live standings that feed these seeds, see the CFL standings.
Contact details, 2026 dates, and playoff rules checked September 24, 2026. Use the official CFL links if a number, address, or date changes.