What’s changing?

Field of play shortens from 110 to 100 yards, the end zones shorten to 15 yards deep, and the goalposts move to the back of the end zone.

• 100-yard field: A shorter end-to-end field means more possessions and more red-zone snaps per game.
• 15-yard end zones: Still the deepest end zones in professional football — more room for play-calling creativity in the red zone, not less.
• Goalposts at the back of the end zone: Cleaner passing lanes, a clearer view for fans in the stands, and a safer setup near the goal line.

What’s staying the same?

Everything that makes this Canadian football. The 65-yard width. Pre-snap motion. Twelve players on the field. 3 Downs, One-yard off the line of scrimmage between both teams. The Canadian player ratio. And still the largest end zones in professional football. Canadian football is modernizing.

What’s happening to the 55-yard line?

We’ll say it plainly: the 55 becomes the 50.
We know the 55-yard line means something to fans who grew up on it, and we’re not going to pretend it doesn’t. The field of play is 10 yards shorter, so the number painted at midfield changes. What doesn’t change is the exact center of Princess Auto Stadium — it’s exactly where it’s always been.

I’m a Season Ticket Member. What does this mean for me?

Your seat is your seat — for the vast majority of sections, nothing changes about where you sit or your relationship to the field. If your section is on grandfathered or loyalty pricing, that pricing carries forward — you’ll continue seeing the savings you already have relative to current pricing in your section.
2027 isn’t the last season of the old game. It’s the first chapter of the next one, and we want you there for it.

Does this change what game day feels like at Princess Auto Stadium?

No. Princess Auto Stadium isn’t the hardest building in the CFL to play in because of lines on the turf — it’s the hardest building because of Bomber Nation. Same rivalries, same traditions, same sellout atmosphere from tailgate to final whistle. That part of the equation isn’t changing.

Will Princess Auto Stadium still be able to host high school and U SPORTS games?

Yes — Princess Auto Stadium will still be able to host those games. The field is not limited to one permanent painted layout. Field markings can be painted and configured for a different football field layout when an event requires it, and the goalposts can also be configured for a different field setup. That means the stadium can continue to accommodate high school and U SPORTS football with the appropriate event-specific field configuration.

Have kick returns been taken out of the game?

Punt returns and kickoff returns remain part of the game, and field-goal returns can still happen when a field-goal attempt falls short and remains returnable in the end zone or field of play. Moving the goalposts to the back of the end zone changes the setup, but it does not eliminate return opportunities.

What about the 2027 Season and playoff format?

What’s actually changing for 2027?

1) The season now kicks off Victoria Day Weekend every year.
2) The playoffs expand from six teams to eight, with a new bracket structure.

Why is the season starting on Victoria Day Weekend? Consistency and better weather. Start dates have moved around for years, which confuses fans about when the season kicks off. Anchoring to Victoria Day gives the league — and us — a fixed, recognizable opening weekend, and pushes more of the schedule into warm-weather months for players and fans At Princess Auto Stadium

Does this change when the Bombers play at home? Yes, the season will move up but we will still have our great Thursday and Friday summer night football games and Banjo Bowl will stay be on the Saturday after Labour Day weekend.

How many teams make the playoffs now? Eight, up from six. That’s nine total postseason games (eight playoff games plus the Grey Cup) instead of five.

How does the new bracket actually work?
Three rounds before the Grey Cup:
• Round One — Division Showdowns & Play-In Games: The top two teams in each division play each other (Division Showdown) — winner gets a bye straight to Round Three with home field, loser drops to Round Two. Meanwhile, the next four best teams league-wide, regardless of division, are seeded 5–8 for Play-In Games: 5 hosts 8, 6 hosts 7. Losers are out.
• Round Two — Elimination Games: The two Division Showdown losers host the two Play-In winners, matched by regular-season record. Losers are out.
• Round Three — Grey Cup Semi-Finals: The two Division Showdown winners host the two Elimination Game winners. Winners go to the Grey Cup.

Do divisions still matter, or is it a free-for-all? Divisions still count. Finishing top-2 in your division is the reward — it’s the only way to get a Round One bye and guaranteed home field into the Semi-Finals. Everything after Round One is seeded on merit, not division, which opens the door to fresh matchups and possible rematches.

How many playoff wins does it take to reach the Grey Cup? To win it? Depends on your seed. A top-2 team needs 2 wins to reach the Grey Cup and 3 to win it. A team coming through the Play-In needs 3 wins just to reach the Grey Cup, and 4 to win it. Either way, it’s a harder road than before — the old format only required 2 wins for a top seed to become champion.

Doesn’t an 8-team field water down the regular season? The opposite, with more seeding on the line — byes, home games, division standing — there’s more to play for on both ends of the standings, not less. Since 2021, home teams have won 80% of CFL playoff games, so seeding is a real, tangible advantage worth fighting for every week.

Where and when is the 2027 Grey Cup? The 114th Grey Cup is in Regina, November 7 — the earliest Grey Cup ever played.

Does this affect offseason events like the Draft or Training Camp? Everything shifts a few weeks earlier to line up with the new kickoff: CFL Invitational Combine (Feb 26), National Combine (week of March 15), CFL Draft (April 13), Global Draft (April 14), Rookie Camp (April 21), Training Camp (April 24).