Canada is a country full of rich sporting history, with a number of ongoing leagues that have been around for generations. One such case thatβs well followed in the North American country is the Canadian Football League, the highest level of football thatβs been a part of the countryβs sporting culture since 1958.
Whether youβve just started following the CFL or just want to brush up on your knowledge of its participants, this post will guide you through the teams that make up the league and how they stand up against each other in the upcoming campaign.
East Division
As with the NFL, the CFL is split into two divisions β East and West. The recognisable structure of regular season into playoffs applies here too, so you can place your bet here on who will eventually come out with the famed Grey Cup.
The East Division plays host to four teams β one less than the West. Itβs home to the oldest sporting franchise in North America that still uses its original name, the Toronto Argonauts, who were founded in 1873.
There is also the Hamilton Tiger Cats, who finished top of the East Division last year after accumulating the longest win streak of the season (6), making it to the 2019 playoff final game before losing out on the Grey Cup.
Two other teams that make up the East Division. One is the Montreal Alouettes, who scored the highest number of points in their division last season and have last yearβs most outstanding Canadian player β HΓ©noc Muamba.
The other, the Ottawa Redblacks, had a dire season last time out, finishing bottom of the division with only 3 wins out of their 18 total games. Itβs no doubt they will be hoping for a major bounce back in the 2020 season.
West Division
In the West, there are 5 teams that make up the division, meaning the competition to maintain a playoff position is slightly tougher.
Undoubtedly the most notable team in this division are the Edmonton Eskimos, who have won the CFL Grey Cup a total of 11 times more than any other team. They play at the Commonwealth Stadium, the countryβs biggest football venue with a capacity of over 56,000.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the current champions and holders of the Grey Cup, finished only 3rd in the division last time out, but performed excellently in the playoffs and were worthy winners in the final β making them one of the favourites this time out.
Thereβs also the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the oldest team in the West who finished top of the division last season before crashing out to Winnipeg in their first playoff game, and the Calgary Stampeders, who won the Grey Cup in 2018 but failed to make it two-in-two in 2019.
Lastly, there are the BC Lions, who finished bottom of the West Division last time out with only 10 points. Despite being a Vancouver-based franchise with the second-largest stadium, they havenβt won a Grey Cup since 2011.
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