The CFL kicks off a new season — and a new era

The Canadian Football League begins a new chapter, in more ways than one, tonight as the 2026 regular season kicks off with the East Division champion Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Since taking over as commissioner in April of last year, former TSN president Stewart Johnson has introduced a series of major reforms. They'll roll out over the next two seasons in an apparent effort to make the CFL more attractive to broadcast partners, advertisers and casual viewers at a time when interest in the league has declined and the competition for eyeballs is more fierce than ever. They include an overhaul of the rulebook, an expanded playoff format and a lucrative new television- and streaming-rights deal.

Let's start with the rules changes, which Johnston accurately described last fall as "the most significant in decades" for the league. They begin this year with the elimination of the single point for the kicking team for missed field goals, punts or kickoffs that go through the back of the endzone, though the so-called "rouge" will still be awarded when the returner fails to get the ball out of the endzone or takes a knee. Also, to improve game flow, a 35-second play clock will automatically start when the previous play is blown dead — except in the final three minutes of each half, when a 20-second clock is manually initiated by an official once the ball is spotted.

The biggest rules changes arrive next year, when the length of the field will be reduced from 110 yards to 100 (same as the NFL), while the endzones tighten from 20 yards to 15. Also, the goalposts will move from the goal-line to the back of the reconfigured endzones.

These moves, especially the smaller field, angered some traditionalists.