New CFL Playoff Format & Schedule For 2027

The CFL will implement its new playoff format and schedule in 2027, with the primary intent of increasing fan engagement while improving the on-field product.

The changes will also impact CFL betting lines at the BetMGM sportsbook, as the top two teams in each division will be afforded a safety net in the playoffs.

How Will the CFL Playoff Format Change in 2027? 

The CFL will change its playoff format for the 2027 edition, with the alterations intended to provide a more competitive path to the Grey Cup and add four additional games. 

CFL AND CFLPA CHAMPION A NEW ERA OF PLAYOFF FOOTBALL IN 2027

Today, the CFL has announced a new regular season schedule, and that the CFLPA and the league have agreed to a new playoff format beginning in 2027. These changes are designed to create more meaningful games, better… pic.twitter.com/tx6Lcn32CC

— Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS) April 28, 2026

The main changes are: 

• The top two seeds from the Western and Eastern Divisions will battle in games being dubbed the Division Showdown. 
• The winner of the Western and Eastern Division Showdown earns a bye to the semifinals, while the loser of each faces the victor of the play-in game. 
• Below the top two spots in each division, seedings are division-less, based solely on a team’s overall record. 
• Those teams will be seeded five through nine, with the squad in last place (ninth) eliminated from playoff contention.
• The No. 5 seed and No. 8 seed will battle in one play-in game, and the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds will square off in the other play-in game. 
• The losers of the play-in games are eliminated. 
• The winners of the play-in games advance to face the losers of the Division Showdowns in Elimination Game 1 and Elimination Game 2.
• The winners of Elimination Game 1 and Elimination Game 2 advance to the semifinals, where they will face the winners of the Division Showdowns.
• The losers of the Elimination Games are eliminated. 
• The winners of the semifinal advance to the Grey Cup. 

There are some other key factors regarding the new playoff format, including: 

• Only the team finishing last (ninth overall) misses the playoffs.
• The top two teams in each division secure the advantage of having to lose two playoff games before elimination.
• The top two teams in the Western Division and Eastern Division could square off twice in the playoffs, once in the Division Showdown and once in the semifinal. 
• That would only occur if the losers of the Division Showdown subsequently win their respective Elimination Games. 
• The higher seed in each matchup, excluding the Grey Cup, earns home-field advantage, and home teams have won 80% of playoff games since 2021. 
• Even the winners of each Division Showdown must win a second playoff game, the semifinal, to advance to the Grey Cup. 
• As the seedings below the top two in each division are based on record and have no ties to division (division-less seedings), teams from different divisions can face each other in the play-in games. 
• If the No. 1 seed in each division wins the Division Showdown, it will earn a second home game in the semifinals. 

When Will the 2027 CFL Playoff Games Take Place? 

Round One, the two Division Showdowns and two play-in games, will take place on Oct. 15-16, 2027. 

The second round, Elimination Game 1 and Elimination Game 2, occur on Oct. 23, with the semifinals taking place the following week on Oct. 30. 

When Is the 2027 Grey Cup? 

The 114th edition of the Grey Cup will take place on Nov. 7, 2027, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. 

When Does the 2027 CFL Season Start? 

The 2027 CFL season will start on the Victoria Day long weekend, from May 22 to May 24. Previously, the season started two weeks later. The 2026 season started on Thursday, June 4. 

The CFL wants its season to more closely align with iconic Canadian holidays, creating more of a buzz for fans and media alike. Tentpole events will be created for each long weekend from the Victoria Day long weekend until Thanksgiving. 

The league also wants to increase its chances of having warmer weather for critical playoff games, including the Grey Cup, which will be played on Nov. 7, 2027, more than a week earlier than the earliest Grey Cup on record (Nov. 16, 2023). 

How Will the New Schedule Impact Combine and the Draft?

Marquee off-season events will also take place earlier, aligning with an earlier kickoff to the regular season. 

Here’s a list of when the off-season events will occur: 

• CFL Invitational Combine (Feb. 26, 2027)
• CFL Combine (week of March 15)
• CFL Canadian Draft (April 13)
• CFL Global Draft (April 14)
• Rooke camp opens (April 21) 
• Training camp opens (April 24)