Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Along with new field dimensions, the CFL will have a restructured playoff format in 2027.
On Tuesday, the league announced changes to the current postseason structure along with an earlier start to the regular season, as games will begin on Victoria Day weekend in May and will wrap up on Thanksgiving weekend in October.
That means playoff games will be contested earlier in the calendar as well, with the league saying, “more warm weather games deliver improved fan experience and better conditions for on-field performance.”
Currently, the top team in each division through the regular season receives a first-round playoff bye and hosts their divisional final, taking on the winner of the divisional semifinal between the second- and third-seeded teams. A fourth-place team can also crossover to the other division if they have more points than that division’s third-place team.
While that format remains for 2026, it will look different next year as the league is adding four new playoff games with the top two in each division guaranteed two playoff games.
The new format will see the top two teams in each division squaring off in the first round of the playoffs on Oct. 15-16, with the winner earning a bye to the third round and the right to host a Grey Cup semifinal.
Teams ranked five through eight in the regular season, regardless of division, will also face each other that weekend in “play-in games” with No. 5 hosting No. 8 and No. 6 hosting No. 7. The winners of those games will advance to the second round on Oct. 23, where they will face the losers of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 games. The ninth-place team in the league won’t be in playoff contention.
The winners of the second-round games will move on to the third round to face the winners of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 games, who will be coming off a bye. The winners of those semifinals, played on Oct. 30, will then clash in the Grey Cup.
The 2027 Grey Cup is set to be played in Regina on Nov. 7.
The earlier start to the season means training camps will start earlier next year as well, with the start date scheduled for Apr. 24, while this year’s camps begin on Victoria Day weekend. The CFL drafts will be held Apr. 13 and 14.
“All summer long, the CFL will be front and centre — exactly where it belongs,” CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said in a media release. “We’re establishing CFL Long Weekends, from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving, to create can’t-miss events for fans in the stadium and those watching at home.
“More games. More drama. More entertainment. That was the mission and that’s exactly what this format will deliver. We’re raising the stakes so every game carries real consequences — more teams in the hunt, right to the end.”
The CFL Players’ Association signed off on the changes, which were added to the existing collective bargaining agreement.
“The CFL’s proposed changes to the structure of the game triggered extensive and detailed negotiations,” CFLPA executive director David Mackie said in a release. “Our priority throughout this process was ensuring that any adjustment to the playoff format would directly benefit our membership.”
Along with the new playoff format in 2027, the CFL previously announced the goalposts will be moving to the back of the end zone, which will be shortened by five yards while the entire field will be shortened by 10 yards, eliminating the 55-yard line.
