The NFL rewarded Canadian football fans with official Super Bowl XLVI parties in three cities north of the border for the first time this year.

Parties in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal gave fans a chance to mingle with NFL players and cheerleaders Sunday while the New York Giants and New England Patriots faced off on huge television screens.

About 5,000 people were expected to attend the parties, which also included live performances by Canadian musicians.

Inevitably, talk turned to the possibility of expanding the NFL with a Canadian team – an idea that's been floating around for years.

"The NFL spares no expense trying to globalize the game and what better place then our great neighbours to the north," former NFL MVP Marcus Allen told CTV News at the official Super Bowl party in Vancouver.

"Hopefully in the next five years you'll see a team in the east and team in the west and we'll just blend right in," said football fan Ben Azeroual.

At Toronto's Sound Academy bar, former Buffalo Bill and NFL all-time sack leader Bruce Smith told CTV Toronto's Scott Lightfoot he always appreciated Canadian fans during his years on the field.

"We got so much love from them," he said.

Former Tennessee Titan and Philadelphia Eagle Jevon Kearse also made an appearance in Toronto, telling Lightfoot Canada is ready for an NFL team.

"The NFL is here. They might as well come across the border and make it happen," he said.

But others are skeptical, saying Canada already has the CFL, which is now celebrating its 100th season.

"I'm not sure about an NFL team," Omar Mawjee, the Seattle Seahawks' Canadian marketing director, told CTV News.

"I mean the CFL is obviously very strong in Canada and there's a lot of sensitivities to that."

Whether the NFL has a future in Canada or not, the league has been reaching out to Canadian football fans and corporate sponsors.

Some NFL teams have strong ties to nearby Canadian cities. The Buffalo Bills have been playing in Toronto since 2008 – the only NFL team to play home games in Canada. The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, have a regional office in Vancouver thanks to their large Canadian fan base.

The first Canadian NFL-sanctioned party was held last year in Toronto. It was so successful that the league decided to throw Super Bowl bashes in Vancouver and Montreal as well this year.

With a report from CTV's Vancouver Bureau Chief Sarah Galashan