\u00bb FAQ: New regular season and revamped playoff format starting 2027<\/a>
<\/a>\u00bb Tradition Meets Innovation: CFL announces major changes to the game<\/a>
\u00bb Buy Tickets to the 2026 CFL season<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Subscribe to the CFL\u2019s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CFLPlayoff_Bracket_16x9-EN.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The roar of the season reaches a crescendo with a major update to the postseason. Four additional playoff games amp up late-season intrigue as teams battle for all-important playoff positioning. Finishing Top-2 in the divisions guarantees at least two playoff games. Postseason re-seeding \u2013 regardless of division \u2013 and two victories being required to advance to the championship introduces the possibility of postseason rematches, and new playoff and Grey Cup clashes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore games. More drama. More entertainment. That was the mission and that\u2019s exactly what this format will deliver,\u201d added the Commissioner. \u201cWe\u2019re raising the stakes so every game carries real consequences \u2013 more teams in the hunt, right to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
The league worked closely with the CFLPA to integrate the new structure into the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proposal sparked important and productive discussions, with a clear focus on ensuring our members benefit from any changes,\u201d said CFLPA Executive Director David Mackie. \u201cIt represents a meaningful step forward that supports both player compensation and the continued growth and excitement of the league, while reinforcing a framework where players share in that growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
2027 KEY DATES <\/p>\n
CFL Invitational Combine | February 26
\nCFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness | Week of March 15
\nCFL Canadian Draft | April 13
\nCFL Global Draft | April 14
\nRookie Camp Opens | April 21
\nTraining Camp Opens | April 24
\nWeek 1 | Victoria Day Weekend
\nWeek 6 | Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day\/F\u00eate nationale du Qu\u00e9bec (Que.)
\nWeek 7 | Canada Day Weekend
\nWeek 11 | August Long Weekend (Civic Holiday)
\nWeek 16 | Labour Day Weekend
\nWeek 21 | Thanksgiving Weekend
\nPlayoffs<\/p>\n
Round One \u2013 Division Showdowns and Play-In Games | October 15-16
\nRound Two \u2013 Elimination Games | October 23
\nRound Three \u2013 Grey Cup Semi-Finals | October 30<\/p>\n
114th Grey Cup \u2013 November 7<\/p>\n
NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT<\/p>\n
ROUND ONE \u2013 TWO DIVISION SHOWDOWNS AND TWO PLAY-IN GAMES<\/p>\n
Division Showdown: The first- and second-place teams in each division face off. Winners earn a bye to Round Three (Grey Cup Semi-Finals) with home-field advantage; losers move on to Round Two (Elimination Games).
\nPlay-In Games: Teams finishing outside the Top-2 in each division are seeded Nos. 5-8, with No. 9 eliminated from playoff contention. The Play-In Games will see No. 5 host No. 8, and No. 6 host No. 7. Winnersadvance to Round Two, while losers are eliminated.<\/p>\n
ROUND TWO \u2013 ELIMINATION GAMES <\/p>\n
Division Showdown losers host Play-In Game winners with matchups based on regular-season records. Winners advance to Round Three (Grey Cup Semi-Finals) and losers are eliminated.<\/p>\n
ROUND THREE \u2013 GREY CUP SEMI-FINALS <\/p>\n
Division Showdown winners host Elimination Game winners with matchups based on regular-season record. Victors advance to the Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
GREY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 The Canadian Football League (CFL) has finalized updates to the season schedule and reached an agreement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634669,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-634668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}