Langford is in the thick of negotiations to bring the BC Lions back to Greater Victoria, with acting Mayor Colby Harder confirming with the Goldstream News Gazette that the city is working closely with the CFL club to host a game in 2026.
“Conversations are ongoing with the BC Lions regarding the potential to have another game come back to Langford,” Harder said. “Right now we’re likely looking at the pre-season games, but we’d be happy to host them whenever they’re willing to come.”
The push comes as the Lions prepare for a temporary displacement from BC Place during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Vancouver will host seven World Cup matches between June 13 and July 7 that year, with field installation and upgrades set to begin well beforehand, leaving the Lions in search of alternate venues for both pre-season and regular-season play.
For Langford, the timing feels like a natural fit.
The city hosted its first-ever CFL pre-season game in May, when the Lions welcomed the Calgary Stampeders to Starlight Stadium. Tickets vanished in just 12 minutes, and the game-day atmosphere turned Langford into a hub of excitement.
The idea of Vancouver Island as a football stop has been gaining momentum in recent years.
In 2024, Royal Athletic Park in Victoria staged the CFL’s Touchdown Pacific, when more than 14,700 fans packed the stands for a regular-season clash against Ottawa.
A year later, Langford’s first crack at hosting drew another sellout.
Harder said those successes have helped reinforce the case for bringing professional football back.
“The excitement really began as soon as tickets were announced,” she recalled. ‘Families were excited to go because the cost of the ferry and hotel in Vancouver is often prohibitive. It was also really cool to hear longtime fans show pride in having the game come to their hometown.”
With BC Place unavailable for stretches of the summer, the Lions will need to relocate two regular-season games as well.
That has fuelled speculation about where the team might go.
Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, a long-time training camp destination since 2010, along with Kelowna’s Apple Bowl Stadium, home of the junior powerhouse Okanagan Sun, and UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium have all been floated as options.
But Langford and Starlight Stadium, which continues to grow its reputation as a multi-sport venue, remain firmly in the mix.
For now, the talks are ongoing, and there is no set timeline for when an announcement might come.
“I don’t have exact dates at this time,” Harder said. “Expect to hear something within the coming months. We’re ambitious. We’re hoping for as many games as they’re willing to play in Langford, but we don’t have any firm commitments right now.”
Matt Baker, senior manager, communications & content of the BC Lions, said the team will have further updates by the end of the month.
“I’m sure we’ll have some updates later this month on more concrete plans for next season, but I can’t speak to any specifics regarding any negotiations,” Baker said.
This season, the Lions currently sit in fourth place in the CFL’s Western Conference standings, with a 5-6 record.
From here, the Lions will meet the Ottawa Redblacks in a home-and-home set, Sept. 5 on the road and Sept. 12 at home.