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It isn't difficult to imagine, but Canadians largely prefer the NFL over the CFL by a 44-36 percent margin, and younger males choose the NFL by a margin of 2-1/2 to 1. But while the NFL has focused its concentration on Mexico, England and Germany over the last several years, Canada hasn't hosted an NFL game since 2019 (exhibition). The last regular season NFL game in Canada took place in 2013.
A recent uptick in popularity of the NFL in Canada can be tied to the passage of Bill C-218 in June of 2021 that freed the local "provincial governments to determine when and how to conduct and manage single-event sports betting offerings within their borders", per blakes.com. Now, you can easily find Info about sports betting sites in Canada. Prior to the bill's passage, betting in Canada was limited to the parlay variety, dating back to the 1980's. Single sports event gambling became legal on August 27, 2021.
Betting on single sports events is now legal online and at retail sportsbooks in Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, Newfoundland, & Labrador. Residents of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon are not legally allowed to bet online.
The Buffalo Bills played annually at the Rogers Centre in Toronto between 2008 and 2013 with two exhibition games and six regular season contests. The Bills only managed a 1-5 record in games that mattered, but won both preseason contests.
Nonetheless, Buffalo ranks at the top of the Canadian list of favorite NFL teams, followed by Seattle and Kansas City, according to an article at leger360.com.
The Bills and Seahawks make perfect sense. Buffalo plays just across the border from Niagara Falls in the province of Ontario, while Seattle is the closest NFL franchise on the west coast.
Kansas City shows up strong on the list due to the scores of Canadians jumping on the bandwagon of the most successful franchise of the last 5 years. The Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowls to go with their 2019 season victory. In 2024, Kansas City will attempt to become the first three-peat Super Bowl Champion in that game's 59-year existence.
Canadians favorite NFL team changes by region of that country. Kansas City rules Quebec, while New England takes the far eastern provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and St. John's. Buffalo takes Ontario and, oddly enough, the Alaska-adjacent Yukon. The Seahawks get the nod in British Columbia and Alberta, and the Las Vegas Raiders take Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Three provinces give the NFL/CFL preferential nod to the CFL, all of which are considered the prairie provinces - Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan.
This year, the NFL will feature games in England for the 17th straight year, minus the 2020 season due to the worldwide Covid pandemic. The Brits will get three games, while Germany will host one and Brazil will get its first-ever NFL game.
The international schedule kicks off with a regular season opener in Sao Paolo, Brazil when the Green Bay Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
The first game this season in London will take place in week 5 when the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings collide on October 6 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham gets a second game on October 13 when the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Chicago Bears.
The third and final London game will match the New England Patriots and the Jaguars on October 20 at Wembley Stadium.
Germany gets the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers in Munich in Week 10. This will be the third straight season that an NFL game has been hosted by that country. The previous three games (two in 2023 and one in 2022) took place in Frankfurt.
There was a brief period of time when the CFL was making inroads into the USA. There were CFL teams in the USA from 1993 to 1995 which led to the Baltimore Stallions taking the 1995 Grey Cup. They remain the only US team to win the CFL Championship.
The Montreal Alouettes sent shockwaves through the NFL when they lured LA Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo northward in 1981, a year after he threw 30 touchdown passes in the NFL. Montreal offered Ferragamo $600,000 while the Rams were only willing to keep him for $250,000 after he had made just $47,500 in 1980.
The move backfired as Ferragamo never adjusted to the CFL style of play which calls for just three tries to make a first down instead of the four-down brand to which Americans are accustomed. He threw 7 TD passes and 25 interceptions before getting benched halfway through the season and Montreal finished the year with a 3-14 record.
The CFL struggled financially for years and even got a lift from the NFL in 1997 in the form of a $3 million interest-free loan. Recently, the league appears to be on more solid footing and currently consists of nine teams with four in the East Division and five in the West.
CFL East: Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
CFL West: British Columbia, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg
The 2024 CFL regular season began an 18-game schedule for each team on June 6. It will conclude with the 111th Grey Cup in November.