CFL rules committee proposes end to regular-season tie games

The CFL rules committee wants to eliminate tie games during the regular-season.

The committee is recommending, starting this year, games that are tied after overtime be decided by alternating plays from the opposition’s three-yard line until one team scores and the other doesn’t. CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston unveiled the proposal Wednesday during the league’s winter meetings in Calgary.

“It’s probably only happened a handful of times over the last many years … but no one likes a tie,” Johnston said during a video conference.

Only four CFL regular-season games have ended in a tie since 2016, but two occurred in 2024.

The proposal states if a regular-season game is tied after regulation time, the league’s current overtime format of a maximum of two possessions from the opponent’s 35-yard line will continue. But should the score remain even after that, the new proposal would be adopted to determine a winner.

Another committee proposal involves the timing for the final three minutes of a half. It recommends a 20-second play clock be implemented in place of the 35-second clock, which is being adopted this season.

“We’re going to encourage our officials to make sure that they are running those last few minutes as efficiently as possible when they blow in the clock,” Johnston said.

And a third is to have the ball come out to the 40-yard line, instead of the 30, if it’s kicked through the end zone or hits the upright. Those three recommendations require approval by the CFL’s board of governors.

There will be plenty of change already this year as no single point will be awarded for missed field goals, punts or kickoffs that go through the end zone — either in the air or via a bounce.

If a returner fields a missed field goal, punt or kickoff in the end zone and either kneels or is tackled before advancing the ball past the goal-line, a single will be awarded.

In addition to the time clock, each CFL stadium will have team benches on opposite sides of the field to facilitate substitutions.

The biggest moves come in 2027 when CFL fields will be modified. They’ll be reduced from 110 yards to 100 yards, end zones will go from 20 yards to 15 yard and goalposts will be moved from the goal-line to the back of the reconfigured end zones.

Johnston said there was also plenty of discussion regarding the CFL replay centre, the logistics of league players participating in the ’28 Olympic flag football competition and its playoff format. Johnston also set a self-imposed deadline of before the ’26 season to have a new broadcast agreement in place and added he’d “love to see a 10th team,” join the CFL by 2030.

The CFL’s broadcast deal with TSN is set to expired following the ’26 season.

Discussions regarding player compensation transparency and the league’s inclement weather policy were slated for later Wednesday.

Johnston said it’s important CFL officials rely less on the replay centre.

“We’re trying to balance, of course, getting the call right with gameflow and making sure the game is moving at pace,” Johnston said. “The expression we use is, ‘Clear and obvious,’ so if there’s an egregious error that’s clear and obvious, let’s have the replay centre step in.

“Otherwise it’s the job of the officials on the field to run the game … there are future rules committee meetings coming up in the next couple of months where we will discuss again.”

Talks will continue regarding the 2028 Los Angeles Games and the CFL allowing its players to represent Canada in flag football. Johnston said details must still be ironed out but added the league is “leaning” towards continuing its season during the Games.

Johnston said there was much talk regarding the CFL’s playoff format.

Currently the CFL splits its teams into the East and West Divisions, with the top-three qualifying for the playoffs. However, if a fourth-place team in one division has more points than the third-place squad in the other, the fourth-place club will cross over and become the opposing division’s third playoff seed.

The second-place teams host the third seeds in the division finals, with the winners visiting the respective first-place finishers in the conference finals. The victors then advance to the Grey Cup.

“One area we’re focused on is how do we have our single biggest championship where a team can possibly win only one game and make it to that championship,” Johnston said. “And can that be solved?

“We want to balance a playoff structure and format against making sure our regular season is meaningful. More to come on that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2026.