Football is one of the popular and favourite sports of many people. Many football tournaments are carried out every year around the world. NFL and CFL are two different football leagues conducted in different countries.
Key Takeaways
- NFL (National Football League) is an American professional football league, while CFL (Canadian Football League) is the top professional league in Canada.
- CFL has a larger playing field, 12 players per team, and three downs, as opposed to NFL’s 11 players and four downs.
- NFL has a larger fan base, higher player salaries, and more global recognition than the CFL.
NFL vs CFL
NFL field is 100 yards long and 53.3 yards wide, while the CFL field is longer and wider, measuring 110 yards long and 65 yards wide. This difference also contributes to a more open, high-scoring game in the CFL. NFL allows 53 players on the active roster, and the CFL allows 44 players.
NFL stands for National Football League. It is an American Football team. National Football Conference and American Football Conference are divided into 32 teams.
The National Football League is the fourth major league in North American Professional Sports. It is the highest professional sport in American games.
From September to January, an eighteen-week regular season of sport is conducted. It has seventeen games, with one bye week after every game.
CFL stands for Canadian Football League. It is a Canadian team. The CFL is a professional sport in Canada. East Division and West Division are the two divisions in Canadian Football League.
Canadian Football, The CFL, is a high-competition sport. By 2019, the sport will have 21-week regular season sports. Unlike NFL, the CFL has eighteen games with three bye weeks after each game.
From mid-June to November, the 21-week regular season sports happens.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | NFL | CFL |
|---|---|---|
| Ball size | NFL ball is smaller | CFL ball is larger |
| Number of downs | NFL has four downs | CFL has three downs |
| Time rules | In NFL, 25 seconds for an offensive team | In CFL, 20 seconds for an offensive team |
| Two-point Conversion attempts | NFL gives 2-yards | CFL give 3-yards |
| Placekick attempts | NFL gives 15-yard line for placekick attempt | CFL give 25-yard line for placekick attempt |
What is NFL?
NFL stands for National Football League. It is an American Football team. National Football Conference and American Football Conference are divided into 32 teams.
The National Football League is the fourth major league in North American Professional Sports. From September to January, an eighteen-week regular season of sport is conducted.
It has seventeen games, with one bye week after every game. This tournament is happening in the headquarters of the NFL, which is in New York.
American Professional Football Association (APFA) is the former name of the National Football League. Before announcing the winners, a playoff season is conducted. It was implemented in 1933. In 1967, a Super-bowl league was conducted.
The highest average attendance of 67,591 is recorded for the National Football League. The biggest event, Super-bowl is one among them. The National Football League has become a popular television show in the United States.
The National Football League is the wealthiest sport in the United States. It makes more amount of money. Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots were the two teams that had the most championship until it was created.
Roger Goodell is the commissioner of the National Football League. In the United States, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network, and Telemundo Deportes are the television partners.
What is CFL?
CFL stands for Canadian Football League. It is a Canadian team. The CFL is a professional sport in Canada. East Division and West Division are the two divisions in Canadian Football League.
Canadian Football, The CFL, is a high-competition sport. By 2019, the sport will have 21-week regular season sports.
Unlike NFL, the CFL has eighteen games with three bye weeks after each game. From mid-June to November, the 21-week regular season sports happens. The winner will get a grey championship cup.
In Canada, the Grey Cup event is a popular television show with high ratings. In 1958, The Canadian Football League got its official name.
The CFL is founded by merging the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and Western Interprovincial Football Union.
During earlier days of the sport, the east teams compete with the west teams for the cup. After the introduction of interlocking play, the game undergoes various changes. Many pre-seasons are conducted.
The inaugural season of the Canadian Football League happened in 1958. Randy Ambrosie is the commissioner of the Canadian Football League. The CFL has nine teams.
The headquarters of the CFL is located in Toronto. In Canada, TSN, RDS, and ESPN are the television partners of the Canadian Football League sport.
Main Differences Between NFL and CFL
- In NFL, only one offensive player is allowed to be in motion, whereas, in CFL, all the players are allowed to be offensive and to be in motion.
- The NFL is an American football team, whereas CFL is a Canadian football team.
- NFL stands for National Football League, and CFL stands for Canadian Football League.
- NFL allows a three-timeout in every half, whereas CFL allows only one timeout.
- The ball used in NFL has no stripes, whereas the ball used in CFL has white stripes.
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2968425
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ITmQ0EDjDsIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA19&dq=NFL+and+CFL&ots=gzsmpxhGjs&sig=cvD0kZ7uGB-SFNsUVB5xHqoyZ7w
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
It’s hard to believe that so much can be different between leagues. The more you know, the better you enjoy the games.
And the more you can argue about your favorite choice.
It made me rethink a lot of things about football. Now I’m going to watch a CFL game!
An excellent post to give a clearer understanding to football lovers.
This article provides all the information any fan out there might want to know. It has all the details one could want to know about the comparison between NFL and CFL.
It’s interesting to see all the differences between the two leagues. So much to learn.
I’ve never known there are so many differences between the two football leagues. It’s always very interesting to learn new things about sports.
Yes, I didn’t know about half of it. Great post.
It’s an informative post as it gives us lots of details about both leagues. Thanks for such a great article.