What percentage of CFL players must be Canadian? Criteria for Canadian Football League explained

The 2024 Canadian Football League gets underway on Thursday. Nine teams from across the country will contest for the iconic Grey Cup, but notably, each team needs to have a certain number of homegrown Canadian players.

As per the CFL rules, each team must have at least 21 Canadian nationals, including one nationalized American, on their 45-man active rosters. That equates to just over 46% of CFL players who need to be Canadian.

Furthermore, a CFL team must have eight national starters (one of these Nationals may be a Nationalized American) on the field for a game. Before a game, teams need to decide how many Canadians will be playing in offense and defense, after which, the number cannot be changed.

A CFL team can include a maximum of 19 Americans, not including quarterbacks and the nationalized American in their squad as well. Each team has the option to finalize a 44-man or 45-man roster. If a team submits a 45-man roster, it needs to feature a minimum of one global player.

Here's a breakdown of the criteria for players on a Canadian Football team for a 45-man roster:

• Maximum of 3 QBs (no designation)
• Maximum of 19 American players
• Minimum of 21 National players
• Including one nationalized American
• Minimum of 1 Global player

Importantly, any injured national player on a team can be replaced by a nationalized American, national or global player during a CFL game.

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How many players are on the field during a Canadian Football League game?

The 2024 Canadian Football League will commence from June 6 onwards

In the Canadian Football League, a team is allowed to field up to 12 players during a play. Hence, including both teams, there will be a total of 24 players.

This is one area where the CFL is different from the NFL, which allows a team to field a maximum of 11 players during a game.