Survey finds there’s plenty of interest in Canada in both the CFL and NFL

The survey was conducted in collaboration with Angus Reid in December 2025 with a representative national sample of 1,500 people. Forty-nine per cent (731) were male while 51 per cent (769) were female, which mirrors the Canadian population.

According to the survey, last year seven per cent of participants said they were CFL-only fans while 10 per cent professed to be NFL-only supporters. But another 10 per cent stated they followed both leagues.

Seventeen per cent of respondents said they followed the CFL closely while 20 per cent added they followed the NFL closely.

Bibby notes that 27 per cent of Canadians following pro football is at the same level as major league baseball (27 per cent). It’s second only to the NHL (38 per cent), and well above that of the NBA (nine per cent).

A previous survey conducted by Bibby found approximately 10 per cent of Canadians followed the CFL only in 1990. Over that time, though, those following the NFL only has doubled from five per cent to about 10 per cent.

The slight decline in CFL-only fans has been offset by number of people following both leagues. Over that 35-year span, the number of Canadians following both the CFL and the NFL has doubled from about five per cent to 10 per cent.

Bibby points out CFL interest has persisted despite the popularity of the NFL and the exposure it gets in the Canadian media, and the negligible coverage the CFL gets in American media consumed by Canadians. He called it a “a cultural miracle.”

“Contrary to what many do believe, the increase in the popularity of the NFL has actually contributed to the popularity of the CFL,” he said. “The major change is not the abandonment of interest in the CFL but growing interest in both leagues.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Survey finds there’s plenty of interest in Canada in both the CFL and NFL

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