CFL to hold 2021 global draft in April

Photo courtesy: Gilson Junio

The CFL has set a date for its 2021 global draft.

Per sources, the league has scheduled its global draft for April 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Players from around the world will be eligible for selection to fill the CFL’s two mandatory global spots on each team’s active roster.

Photo courtesy: Gilson Junio

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL recently decided to hold its combine events virtually. This means national and global prospects will be providing their medical histories, conducting virtual interviews, and performing drills on video.

The league intended to hold a global draft in April 2020, though it was postponed due to the cancellation of the combine. It was supposed to be held just before CFL training camps opened, which never happened, resulting in the cancellation of the draft.

According to the league’s CBA, a player qualifies for global status as follows:

(a) Any player who does not hold Canadian or American citizenship and has not been physically resident in Canada for an aggregate period of five (5) years prior to attaining the age of eighteen (18) years, or who does not qualify as a National in any other way.

CFL teams were required to carry one global player on the active roster in 2019. This number increased to two for 2020 and 2021.

John Hodge
John Hodge is a Canadian football reporter based in Winnipeg.