MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes have signed a 20-year lease with McGill University to keep the Canadian Football League team at Percival Molson Stadium through the 2029 season.

"This is a major step forward for the franchise and the future of professional football in Montreal," team president Larry Smith said in a statement Monday.

"We are very pleased to renew our partnership with McGill University."

Capacity at the stadium will increase to 25,000 seats, beginning next season.

The Alouettes are 77-24-0 since returning to the downtown stadium in 1998. The team also played there between 1947 and 1967 and for a short period in the 1970s.