CFL delays beginning of season due to COVID-19

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The 2020 CFL regular season won't begin in June as scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the league announced Tuesday.

In a statement, commissioner Randy Ambrosie said Canadian cities are indicating sporting events won't be allowed to take place until the start of July at the earliest.

"While it is now clear that the 2020 CFL season won't start before the beginning of July, we are committed to working with our teams, the Players' Association, TSN, and RDS to play a full season or as close as we can come to one," he said. "We recognize this may require some creativity and we are preparing for multiple scenarios."

Previously, the CFL conceded that training camps wouldn't open on time in May. The preseason was supposed to begin near the end of that month before wrapping up in early June.

The regular season was slated to get underway on June 11, with the Edmonton Eskimos hosting the BC Lions.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the defending Grey Cup champions.