The Canadian Football League is finally ready to join the 21st century.
During his annual State of the League address on Friday, commissioner Stewart Johnston announced plans to overhaul the CFL’s digital footprint with new websites and the launch of a smartphone application.
“I’m thrilled to share today that the board of governors has made a historic commitment to modernize our digital platforms,” Johnston said. “We are overhauling our digital ecosystem with new league and team websites. On top of that, we are going to develop a brand new CFL app designed to connect fans like never before.”
The news comes after years of technological challenges that have marred the CFL’s online reputation. In 2023, a botched rollout of a new stats system led to persistent problems and outages. The website itself has been bogged down and buggy at times, interfering with fans’ ability to livestream content on CFL+ and crashing at key moments early in Johnston’s tenure.
“In today’s world, if you don’t have a modern, reliable digital offering, you won’t succeed,” he said. “On my third day on the job, during the CFL draft, our website went down. During the first preseason game of the year, it went down again. If we want to be considered a major professional sports league, this cannot happen.”
This is not the first time that the CFL has attempted to raise its digital profile. The league first launched an app, CFL Mobile, in November 2010, which allowed users to track live game results, view player statistics, and watch video content. However, the league last updated the interface in 2018 and quietly phased out the app during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it obsolete for those with new phone software.
Johnston believes that bringing back a downloadable app and improving their presence in the online space will make a meaningful difference for the league.
“This will have a significant impact on our business,” he said. “It will allow fans to access and consume more content efficiently, whether on a laptop, mobile device or tablet. It will allow us to better customize the digital experience based on what players and teams our fans follow. It will give current and future partners more sophisticated advertising opportunities, and it will help us connect with new fans and younger audiences in a meaningful way.”
In addition to the app and websites, the CFL is also planning to roll out a full season-long fantasy football format. The league has previously only offered weekly fantasy competitions, which saw a 30 percent increase in registrants this year.
“Fans will be able to host draft nights, build their own teams, trade players, and compete all season long in a traditional fantasy format,” Johnston said. “Season-long fantasy is a gateway to fandom. The uniqueness of football makes it the sport of choice for fantasy players, and this new offering is another example of how we are moving forward, engaging current fans, attracting new ones, and connecting with the next generation of CFL supporters.”
Johnston said that the development of the new digital offerings is a massive undertaking, but that work has already begun in anticipation of a 2026 launch. One partner that will not be a part of the process is Genius Sports, which has previously drawn the ire of fans for their stats and streaming gaffes.
“Their expertise is not in website development or app development, so no, they will not be involved in that going forward,” Johnston said.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (13-6) and Montreal Alouettes (12-8) will meet in the 112th Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday, November 16, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST.
The Alouettes defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final by a score of 19-16, while the Roughriders came back to defeat the B.C. Lions in the West Final by a score of 24-21. The teams split their two regular-season meetings, though Montreal franchise quarterback Davis Alexander missed both games due to a hamstring injury.
The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of two degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN, CTV, and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally.
This marks the fifth time the Grey Cup will be played in Winnipeg and the second time it will be hosted at Princess Auto Stadium. The venue’s first Grey Cup was held in 2015 when the Edmonton Football Team defeated the Ottawa Redblacks by a score of 26-20, and Michael Reilly was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
