Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
In the Canadian Football League, players can be classified under several different categories.
Whether you call them “Canadians,” “Non-imports” or “Nationals,” there’s always been homegrown talent in the CFL. The league also has many American players, who used to be called “Internationals” or “Imports.”
While the wording has changed over the years — to also include “Globals,” who are from someplace other than the U.S. or Canada — roster composition pretty much stayed intact when it came to tinkering with the ratio.
But in 2023, the league introduced Designated Americans, Designated Nationals and Designated Nationalized Americans to go with the Nationals, Americans and Globals.
It has since made depth charts much more complex as teams adapted to the new rules. It also made the fan experience more confusing as a backup player sometimes plays the first snap of the game before the starter comes onto the field.
CFL game rosters need to include at least 21 Nationals (including one Nationalized American) and no more than 19 Americans (not including quarterbacks or the Nationalized American). Teams also need at least one Global player and three quarterbacks for a total of a minimum of 44 players or a maximum 45 if teams roster two Globals or an additional National player.
When it comes to the CFL’s ratio, teams need to start at least eight National players among the 12 offensive and 12 defensive players. However, one of those eight can be a Nationalized American, which means there needs to be seven National starters.
Let’s attempt to explain what each of those mean:
Nationals
Formerly known as “Non-imports,” we often call these the “Canadian” players, but that can sometimes be misleading. To qualify to be a National, a player must be a Canadian citizen at the time of signing a contract, have been a resident of Canada for “an aggregate period of five years” prior to turning 18 years old or have a biological parent born in Canada, or a parent who is a naturalized Canadian citizen. A player needs to go through a process to meet eligibility requirements of a Canadian citizen.
An American or Global player can also quality if he has played a minimum of three years at a U Sports school and has graduated with a degree. Typically, the top Nationals are selected in the CFL draft, while others are signed via free agency.
During the game, an injured National player can only be replaced by a National, Global or Nationalized American.
Americans
Formerly known an “Internationals” or “Imports,” an American is any player who is a United States citizen and hasn’t been in the CFL long enough to qualify them for any other category.
Globals
In 2019, teams were first required to have on their rosters a minimum of one Global players. The league has since developed an annual Global draft after previously holding separate Mexican and European drafts when the initiative first started in 2019.
To qualify to be a Global, players need to have citizenship outside of Canada or the United States.
Designated American
A Designated American is a non-starting American player who can only replace another American on the field for offence or defence. There are no roster restrictions on special teams. Among the 20 Americans dressed on a game-day roster, four can be Designated Americans. If a club dresses 19 Americans, three can be Designated Americans.
Depth charts sometimes have starting DAs listed as backups. That lets a National play the first play of the game before letting the DA come on for the second play. While it’s a loophole in the ratio rules, this is part of the issue that’s confusing for the average fan.
Designated Nationalized Americans
To qualify to be a Designated Nationalized American, an American player must be with the same CFL team for three consecutive seasons or have spent five total years in the CFL.
These American players can replace National players for up to 25 snaps in a single game. (It was originally 49 per cent of plays, but the league changed the rule to make 25 the limit). The designated Nationalized Americans usually won’t start the game — he will typically be listed as a backup on the depth chart — but can come into the game after the first play on offence or defence.
There can only be one Designated Nationalized American on offence and only one on defence. While this player can replace a National for up to 25 plays, he can replace an American at any time for any number of plays.
The snap count is tracked by league personnel — typically a designated CFL official on the sidelines or in the booth — as well as the club to ensure the protocol is followed. Teams will be issued fines and can potentially lose draft picks if they violate the rule.
Designated National
Designated Nationals are the players who would be replaced by a Designated Nationalized American and would be listed on the depth chart with square brackets, different from the Designated American, which had round brackets and was noted with “DA.”
In 2025, some teams seem to have gone away from noting a Designated National on the depth chart and typically only have Designated Americans listed.
