It’s that time of year again. The biggest day in football — if you’re Canadian, that is.
The 107th Grey Cup will take place this Sunday and will surely attract Canadian eyeballs. Last year’s match-up had over three million viewers across the country, making it the most watched sports broadcast in the country.
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s “Super Bowl of Canada.”
What time is the 2019 Grey Cup?
The 2019 Grey Cup takes place at 6 p.m. EST / 4 p.m. MST / 3 p.m PST on Sunday, Nov. 24.
Who is playing in the 2019 Grey Cup?
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (16-3) will face off against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (13-7).
Where is the 2019 Grey Cup?
The Grey Cup will be hosted in Calgary outdoors at McMahon Stadium for the fifth time in history. It could’ve been a hometeam Grey Cup — the Calgary Stampeders were champions last year. However, this year they lost early in the playoffs to Winnipeg.
The city’s been holding a week-long festival, with a rodeo, fair and more.
There’s also a horse! On Thursday, Tuffy the Horse trotted into the Hilton Garden hotel in downtown Calgary as part of a 72-year-old tradition. Every year since 1948, Calgary fans have brought a horse into a hotel in the host city. This year, they didn’t have to go far.
Where can I watch the 2019 Grey Cup?
In Canada, you can watch on TSN for an English broadcast and RDS for French-language (check your local listing for the exact channel).
ESPN and its affiliated networks with broadcast the Grey Cup in the United States and around the world.
If you’re looking for an audio experience, you can also tune in to Sirius XM Radio and iHeartRadio for the broadcast.
Who is playing the halftime show?
Country star Keith Urban will take on halftime duties for the 2019 Grey Cup.
The four-time Grammy Award and multiple-Country Music Association Award winner describes himself as a “Canadian football novice” — this year’s Grey Cup is the first CFL game the New Zealand-born singer will attend.
Not much of a country music fan? He’s also Nicole Kidman’s husband. So, you know, an excuse to talk about Big Little Lies at your Grey Cup watch party.
What makes the CFL different than the NFL?
Well, it’s Canadian.
Besides that, the league’s a lot smaller, with only nine teams compared to the 32 in the NFL. But the season is longer, with 18 games rather 16 like the NFL.
The rules are a bit different, too. The CFL field is longer, spanning 110 yards compared to the standard 100 in the NFL. The end zone is bigger, and the goalposts — where field-goals are kicked through — are at the front of the end zone rather than the back.
There’s also only three downs compared to four in the NFL, and in the CFL there are 12 players for each team on the field compared to the NFL’s 11.
WATCH: The differences between the NFL and the CFL. Story continues below.
Players also have a chance to score only one point in the CFL through something called a “rouge,” which is when the kickoff goes through the end zone.
Those are the big differences, though there are lots of smaller ones too. Most of these differences derive from football’s roots in rugby — Canadian football is a lot more similar, while American football has undergone rule changes over the past century and a half to create what we know as the modern game.
The CFL even tried to expand into the U.S. in the ’90s, with teams in cities including Sacramento and Baltimore. All of them quickly shuttered or moved back to Canada — the Baltimore Stallions became what we now know as the Montreal Allouettes.
Another important distinction is pay. While NFL players can make big bucks — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins made $27.5 million this year — CFL players do not.
WATCH: How have NFL teams with the highest paid player fared? Story continues below.
The minimum salary in the CFL is $54,000 a year. The minimum in the NFL? Almost ten times that at around $480,000 a year.
Many CFL players go on to play in the NFL.
Give me some facts to sound smart at my watch party…
Here are three fun facts:
– Both teams have the longest droughts in CFL history without winning a Grey Cup. Winnipeg hasn’t won since 1990, while Hamilton hasn’t won since 1999.
– Winnipeg’s quarterback Zach Collaros has had a wild ride of a season. He started off playing for Hamilton this year, then was traded to the Toronto Argonauts before Winnipeg bargained for him in October. He’s since led the team on a tear, including two road-game playoff victories to get to this weekend’s Grey Cup. If his team — admittedly the underdogs — pulls it out against Hamilton, his year will have come full-circle.
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– Winnipeg and Hamilton met twice during the regular season, with Hamilton winning both games. The two teams ranked first and second in three key areas: points for, offensive points and touchdowns. And if you want a bunch of other stats to spout off, the CFL website has got you covered.