Here’s how the 2024 CFL playoffs are shaping up

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The Canadian Football League has nine teams divided into two divisions, with five in the West and four in the East.

After playing 18-game regular seasons and advancing through the playoffs, two surviving teams will meet in the 111th Grey Cup inside Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium on Nov. 17.

Here’s how they get there:

The top three teams in each division typically qualify for the playoffs, although there is the possibility of a fourth-place (crossover) team from one division replacing the other division’s third-place team if the crossover team has more points in the standings. No crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup.

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This year’s playoffs will not include a crossover team, ensuring the Grey Cup will again adhere to tradition with an East and a West representative.

All six playoff qualifiers have already been determined heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

In the East, the third-place Ottawa Redblacks (8-8-1) will visit the second-place Toronto Argonauts (10-7-0) in the division semifinal Nov. 2. The winner advances to the division final against the first-place Montreal Alouettes (12-4-1), the reigning Grey Cup champions, on Nov. 9. As the first-place finisher, Montreal earns hosting privileges and a bye into the division final.

In the West, the B.C. Lions (9-9-0) will place third and travel to play the division semifinal Nov. 2 against the second-place team.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-7-1) currently sit second in the West, but they move into first place if they win their regular-season finale Saturday against the last-place Calgary Stampeders (4-12-1) and, earlier in the day, the first-place Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-7-0) lose in Montreal. Without a Roughriders victory and Blue Bombers loss, B.C. visits second-place Saskatchewan for the semifinal and the winner advances to play first-place Winnipeg in the West final Nov. 9.

The two division winners advance to the championship game in Vancouver.

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