The Canadian Football League (CFL) has announced sweeping rule changes that will alter the way the game looks and plays over the next two seasons, with the goal of creating more scoring and making the product more entertaining for fans.
At a news conference on Monday, Saskatchewan Roughriders CEO Craig Reynolds said the changes are meant to generate more touchdowns and fewer field goals. “This is part of the league’s evolution and the commissioner’s vision to keep fans engaged,” Reynolds said.
The updates are being phased in gradually and include restricting the single-point rouge, introducing a 35-second automatic play clock reset, separating team benches on opposite sidelines, and eventually moving goalposts to the back of reconfigured end zones.
CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston called the changes “all about making our great game even more entertaining.” According to data provided by the league, moving the goalposts is expected to boost touchdown rates and increase completion percentages in the end zone.
Not everyone is convinced. Some longtime fans and coaches worry the changes push the CFL toward American-style football. Rod Pedersen, broadcaster and host of The Rod Pedersen Show, said the league should either fully adopt U.S. rules or preserve its unique format. “This is dipping your toe in,” he said. “But I do think removing the automatic rouge for missed field goals was necessary.”
Scott MacAulay, head coach of the Regina Thunder, expressed concern about the impact on amateur players, noting that shrinking end zones and changing field goal distances could make special teams much harder at lower levels. “To be honest, I thought it was an early April Fools’ joke,” he said.
What’s changing
Rouge restricted: Starting next season, missed field goals, punts, or kickoffs sailing through the end zone will not automatically count for a point. A single will only be awarded if the returner fields the ball and is tackled or kneels in the end zone.
Play clock reset: A 35-second play clock will begin automatically once a play ends.
Benches split: Beginning in 2026, team benches will be placed on opposite sidelines.
Field reconfigured: By 2027, fields will shrink to 100 yards (from 110), end zones will reduce to 15 yards (from 20), and goalposts will move to the back of the end zone.
Reynolds emphasized that the league’s uniquely Canadian features — such as three downs, 12 players per side, the wide field, and unlimited pre-snap motion — remain unchanged.
