CFL
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Canadian Football League (CFL) or League de Football Canadien (LCF) was formed in 1958, with the merger of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union or "Big Four" (founded in 1907) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) (started in March 1936). The Big Four was renamed the Eastern Football Conference in 1960, while the WIFU was renamed the Western Football Conference in 1961.
It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division and is the highest professional level of Canadian football. Teams allocate players in the annual CFL Draft to select eligible Canadian players, typically from the ranks of collegiate football either from the U Sports football (Canadian Football) or NCAA college football (American College Football).
It traces its history back to the 1880s and remains the only Football League in North America that has its teams solely based in Canada, having briefly hosted USA teams from 1993-1995.
The league features a 21-week regular season in which each team plays 18 games with three bye weeks. The regular season traditionally runs from mid-June to late October. After the regular season, six teams compete in the playoffs, which culminate in the Grey Cup championship game in late November. The Grey Cup is one of Canada's largest annual sports and television events.
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CFL Champions
Archive
This is a an historical archive of the league logo used since 1958.
2016
2002
CFL-USA
1969
1955
Teams
The CFL consists of 9 teams, split into two divisions, made up of 5 in the West and 4 in the east. It most recently expanded with the introduction of the Ottawa Redblacks in 2014.
For a brief time, there were teams based in the USA from 1993-1995 before returning to Canadian-based teams for the 1996 season with the return of the Montreal Alouettes.
Select a division below to view its dedicated page, including team logos, colours, and full profile details:
Visit the CFL Teams page with each division including its own Archive.
Recent changes
These are the changes since the 2014 CFL season:
| Team | Division in 2013 | Division in 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Redblacks | N/A | East Division |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | East Division | West Division |
In 2020, the Edmonton Eskimos dropped their name as it was deemed offensive and temporarily replaced with Edmonton Football Team/EE Football Team between 2020–2021 before switching to their current name Edmonton Elks in 2022.
History
Since its formation, the CFL has expanded through new franchises, realignments, and structural changes that shaped the modern 9‑team, two‑division league. These developments include new expansion clubs, reactivations, divisional adjustments over time and a brief US expansion era.
| Season | Team |
|---|---|
| 1954 |
BC Lions (E) First major post‑war expansion; WIFU grows westward. |
| 1958 | BC Lions (FM) Calgary Stampeders (FM) Edmonton Eskimos (FM) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (FM) Montreal Alouettes (FM) Ottawa Rough Riders (FM) Saskatchewan Roughriders (FM) Toronto Argonauts (FM) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (FM) Founding (FM) members of the combined CFL. |
| 1961 |
Hamilton Tiger‑Cats absorb remnants of the ORFU. Structural consolidation. |
| 1974 | Montreal Alouettes (E) Reactivated after 1970s instability. |
| 1980 |
Montreal Concordes (E) Replace folded Alouettes |
| 1982 | Montreal Alouettes (F) Franchise ceased operations before the season. |
| 1986 | Montreal Alouettes Montreal Concordes rebrand as the Montreal Alouettes. |
| 1993 | Sacramento Gold Miners
Beginning of CFL U.S. expansion. |
| 1994 | Baltimore CFLers / Stallions Las Vegas Posse Shreveport Pirates Stallions were the only U.S. team to win the Grey Cup (1995) and joined the CFL with the Las Vegas Posse and Shreveport Pirates. |
| 1995 | Birmingham Barracudas Memphis Mad Dogs Joined the U.S. expansion with the introduction of the North/South CFL alignment. |
| 1996 | Baltimore Stallions (D/R) Moved to Montreal to become the new Alouettes and all other US teams folded as the CFL returned to all-Canadian teams. |
| Ottawa Rough Riders (D) Ottawa Rough Riders folded after having played since 1896. |
|
| 2002 | Ottawa Renegades (E) Ottawa returns after Rough Riders folded in 1996. |
| 2005 | Ottawa Renegades (D) Renegades folded and never played in the playoffs. |
| 2014 | Ottawa Redblacks (E) Ottawa Redblacks joined after Renegades folded in 2006. |
| 2021 | Edmonton Eskimos (NC) Rebranded as the Edmonton Elks following review. |
LEGEND
E = Expansion
D = Defunct
NC = Name Change
R = Relocated
Rules
The CFL uses a unique code similar to American Football with distinct differences including system of downs, number of players and size of the field which makes it uniquely Canadian.
From 2027, major rule changes include the field being reduced from 110 yards to 100 yards, end zones reduced from 20 yards to 15 yards and the goal posts moved from the front of the end zone to the back of the end zone with the aim to increase touchdowns.
Visit the CFL Rules page.
Seasons
Since 2022, the CFL season has included:
- A two-game, three-week exhibition season (or pre-season) in late May to early June
- An 18-game, 21-week regular season running from early June to late October, followed by the playoffs
The complete history of every CFL season's playoffs, from the league’s early years to today, can be found by visiting the CFL Seasons page.
Playoffs
The Playoffs feature a six-team, three-week single elimination tournament beginning in early November with teams competing for the Grey Cup championship in late November. Championship teams will play either two or three playoff games, including the Grey Cup game, depending on their standing at the end of the regular season. The division leaders at the end of the regular season receive byes in the first round of the playoff.
From the 2027 CFL season, a new playoff format will be used from 2027, similar to the "Final Eight" system used by the Australian Football League (AFL). This will involve the top two teams in each division facing off in the "division showdown" round, hosted by the first placed team in the division, with the losers of each match competing against the winners of the play-in round (consisting of the top four remaining teams in the standings) in the "elimination games". The winners of the division showdown games host the winners of the elimination games in the Grey Cup semi-finals for the right to compete in the Grey Cup game, now held on the first Sunday of November following the start of the season being pushed up to Victoria Day weekend from 22-24 May.
Visit the CFL Playoffs page.