page_title: Canadian Football League
section_title: Season structure
hierarchical_section_title: Canadian Football League / Season structure
caption_attribution_description: Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo holds the ball and looks down field during game action in the 93rd Grey Cup game against the Edmonton Eskimos, November 27, 2005, at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
context_page_description: The Canadian Football League is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a city in Canada. They are divided into two divisions: four teams in the East Division and five teams in the West Division.
  As of 2019, it features a 21-week regular season where each team plays 18 games with three bye weeks. This season traditionally runs from mid-June to early November. Following the regular season, six teams compete in the league's three-week divisional playoffs which culminate in the Grey Cup championship game in late November. The Grey Cup is one of Canada's largest annual sports and television events.
  The CFL was officially named on January 19, 1958, upon the merger between the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union or "Big Four" and the Western Interprovincial Football Union. Before the introduction of interlocking play in 1961, teams only competed against each other in pre-season and the Grey Cup Championship.
context_section_description: Since 2018, the CFL season has included:
  A two-game, three-week exhibition season (or pre-season) in mid-June
  An 18-game, 21-week regular season running from late June to early November
  A six-team, three-week single elimination playoff tournament beginning in November and culminating in the Grey Cup championship in late November. Championship teams will play either two or three playoff games, including the Grey Cup game, depending on their standing at the end of the regular season. The division leaders at the end of the regular season receive byes in the first round of the playoffs.
caption: Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo looks down field with the ball during the 2005 Grey Cup game against the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place
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