During the 1980s and 1990s, CFL attendance declined sharply, reaching its nadir by the mid-1990s due in large part to the league's unsuccessful attempt to expand to the United States.
During the current decade, new stadiums have been constructed for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ottawa Redblacks, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, all with modern amenities and capacities of between one quarter and one half the capacity of an average NFL stadium.
CFL attendance has been depressed during the middle of the 2010s by short-term issues, most notably the lack of stadium availability in Toronto and Hamilton.
By 2018, attendances in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver were consistently below 20,000 fans, prompting long-term concerns in those markets.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers drew the highest average home attendance in the 2024 edition of the CFL.