TORONTO — The 2026 Canadian Football League (CFL) campaign gets underway on Thursday, June 4 with a rematch of the 2025 Eastern Final, as the defending divisional champion Montreal Alouettes visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
A season’s worth of excitement and entertainment culminates in the 113th Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Sunday, November 15.
The schedule includes 23 regular season games that will kick off at 4:00 p.m. local or earlier, providing kids and families the opportunity to spend the afternoon at the stadium, cheering on their favourite teams. CTV Saturdays return with Canada’s most-watched conventional television network carrying select matinee matchups to share the game with viewers from coast to coast to coast.
The 2026 season will be broadcast in Canada by Bell Media across TSN, CTV and RDS. In the U.S., select games will air exclusively on CBS Sports Network with the remaining contests available live and on-demand for a 48-hour window via the league’s free online streaming platform, CFL+. Viewers outside of North America can tune into the entire season on CFL+.
BUILDING BONDS
Three pre-season games will be played outside of traditional CFL markets, allowing teams to further their connections with fans across their home provinces.
- For the first time since 1991, the Roughriders will bring a pre-season game to Saskatoon. The game against the Blue Bombers will be played on Saturday, May 23 at 7 p.m. ET, at Griffiths Stadium on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan.
- At the same time, the Lions will host the Elks in the City of Langford. The tilt at Starlight Stadium will mark the second year in a row that the team will travel to Vancouver Island prior to the start of the campaign.
- For the fifth consecutive season, the Argonauts will finish their preparations for the upcoming campaign at the University of Guelph. The team will host the Tiger-Cats at Alumni Stadium on Friday, May 29 with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET.
THE START OF SOMETHING NEW
Week 1 of the 2026 season begins with a trio of matchups.
- Thursday, June 4 | MTL at HAM | 7:30 p.m. ET
- Friday, June 5 | WPG at CGY | 9:00 p.m. ET
- Saturday, June 6 | EDM at OTT | 7:00 p.m. ET
TO THE RAFTERS
The reigning Grey Cup champion Roughriders will open their title defence in Week 2 with a rematch of the 2025 Western Final against the visiting Lions. The game will feature a banner raising ceremony in celebration of the fifth championship in club history.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
During the first half of the season, Toronto will play three home games in opponents’ stadiums as Canada opens its doors to global audiences for the FIFA World Cup. The Argonauts will have byes in Weeks 1 and 9, and their second half will be highlighted by more home dates, allowing fans to cheer on their hometown heroes down the stretch.
- Friday, June 26 | SSK vs. TOR at Mosaic Stadium | 9:00 p.m. ET
- Friday, July 10 | WPG vs. TOR at Princess Auto Stadium | 8:30 p.m. ET
- Saturday, July 18 | HAM vs. TOR at Hamilton Stadium | 7:00 p.m. ET
SPECIAL OCCASIONS
- Touchdown Kelowna spans Weeks 4-5 with BC welcoming Calgary (June 27) and Edmonton (July 4) to the expanded Save-On-Foods Field at the Apple Bowl. The event builds upon the success of 2024’s Touchdown Pacific, while deepening the Lions’ connection with communities across the province.
- Calgary will host Toronto in the second annual Stampede Bowl on July 2. The event marks the unofficial opening of the Calgary Stampede with the city welcoming the world to one of Canada’s most iconic and internationally celebrated traditions.
HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
- OK Tire Labour Day Weekend in Week 14 will feature a duel between two of the league’s talented pivots and the latest installments of storied rivalries.
- Friday, September 4 | BC at MTL | 7:30 p.m. ET
- Sunday, September 6 | WPG at SSK | 7:00 p.m. ET
- Monday, September 7 | TOR at HAM | 2:30 p.m. ET
- Monday, September 7 | EDM at CGY | 6:00 p.m. ET
- The centrepiece of Thanksgiving on Monday, October 12 will be a Grey Cup rematch with the Alouettes playing host to the defending champion Roughriders at 1 p.m. ET. The game opens a critical home-and-home series as the season winds down.
FOUR OF A KIND
Week 15 features a full four-game slate. The day opens in Toronto, followed by two rematches of the Labour Day Classics – the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg and the completion of a home-and-home set in Edmonton – before concluding on the West Coast. The games mark the league’s first quadruple-header since 1995.
ALL GOOD THINGS…
The 2026 regular season comes to an end on Saturday, October 24, before giving way to the start of the Grey Cup Playoffs on Halloween.
- Saturday, October 31 | Division Semi-Finals | 3:00 and 6:30 p.m. ET
- Saturday, November 7 | Division Finals | 3:00 and 6:30 p.m. ET
- Sunday, November 15 | 113th Grey Cup | McMahon Stadium in Calgary | 6:00 p.m. ET
