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The Canadian Football League announced major changes that came to the gaming area for the next two years.
CFL, which plays on a 110-yard field and has a 20-yard final zone, will reduce its size, the league announced on Monday. The league said the field is changing with a few other changes is part of its efforts to make the game more exciting.
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Winnipeg Blue Bombers Defensive Back Jaiden Woodbey (26) Tackles Ottawa RedBlack’s wide receiver Justin Hardy (2) in Ottawa, Saturday 20th September 2025. (Spencer Colby/the Canadian press via AP)
CFL teams will be able to start closer to their opponents’ end zones, and the shift “encourages more aggressive play-calling on the third down with offenses that start, drives 10 meters closer to the opponent’s final zone and field dimensions only 5 meters longer despite the staggered target posts,” according to the league. The field’s 65-yard width remains the same.
CFL said it will still have the largest final zone in any Pro Football League and “retain the importance of the kick.”
The target posts move at the back of the end zone in the hope of removing obstacles to teams trying to score a touchdown. The league said it will be better for the TV presentation and for fans at the stadium.
These three changes are implemented in 2027.
BC Lions ‘Justin McInnis, second from the left, celebrates his touchdown during their fight against Calgary Stampeders’ in Calgary, Alberta, Friday 19. September 2025. (Jeff Mcintosh/the Canadian press via AP)
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CFL’s changes in Rogue will be implemented next season. Rogue is a one-point score assigned to certain plays in the league. From 2026, a single point is allocated when a return “cannot take a point, field goal or kickoff out of the final zone” or a return takes a knee. The league no longer assigns a point for unanswered field dimensions that go widely by the target posts or on punts or kickoffs going through the back or sides of the final zone without being touched.
The league also moves team benches to the opposite sides field as well as a 35-second game clock that starts when the previous game is over. These rules begin in 2026.
CFL claimed that the league will still be “very Canadian” despite the coming changes.
“These changes are about increasing entertainment while supporting and maintaining the traditions of our games, such as three downs, 12 players on the field, cradle and more. These changes make our games more exciting and more entertaining,” CFL said.
“The league has seen rule changes before. Before 1929, throwing the ball forward Illegal-Forest you when the league changed this rule. At one point, the East Division used to play two matches with the overall score that determined the winner while West Division played a best-of-three-series-Forest you that format today.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Kicker Marc Liegghio (33) celebrates with teammates after his winning field goal against Edmonton Elks in Hamilton, Ontario, Saturday 20 September 2025. (Peter Power/The Canadian Press via AP)
“CFL, like any other successful, long -lasting league, has continuously evolved and innovated over the years and will continue to do so for the benefit of fans and strengthen the future of Canadian football.”
CFL said no further major changes are planned.
