5 rivalry games to circle on your calendar in 2026

Winter has descended on much of our great frozen country and the 2026 CFL season feels far away in many respects.

But in truth, it’s only 13 sleeps to when Santa slips down the chimney and 174 sleeps until the 2026 campaign kicks off in Steeltown with a tilt featuring Davis Alexander’s Montreal Alouettes and Bo Levi Mitchell’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Here are five great rivalry games to circle on your calendar for 2026.

BC LIONS AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS | WEEK 2 | JUNE 13

You can forgive Nathan Rourke and the Lions for already feeling a bit nauseous at the mere thought of this game for the Roughriders will unveil their 2025 Grey Cup banner for only the fifth time in franchise history.

It promises to be a party for the ages in Regina and a painful reminder for the visitors over how close they came to eliminating the Riders in the Western Final. Who could forget the fire of Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke as he ran the ball into the end zone and screamed, “It’s our time!” at the sea of green fans cheering for the home side?

Trevor Harris and the Riders proved that 2025 was indeed their time with a game-winning touchdown drive capped off by a Tommy Nield reception to book their trip to Winnipeg with 12 seconds on the clock.

In 2026, with Rourke back at the controls and more experience under his belt, it’s not far-fetched to believe it might be the year of the Lions (although the Riders might have something to say about that).

Saskatchewan’s season opener will be a statement game for both of these teams — one way or another.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES AT HAMILTON TIGER-CATS | WEEK 1 | JUNE 4

How much heartache can Hamilton take? The Tiger-Cats came so close to forcing overtime in the 2025 Eastern Final, only to have José Maltos Díaz nail a 45-yard walk-off field goal for a 19-16 Montreal victory at Hamilton Stadium.

But after six months to shake off the loss, Bo Levi Mitchell and the Tabbies will launch their latest quest to win the first Grey Cup for Hamilton since 1999. And it feels like time is of the essence with Mitchell turning 36 in March.

This game promises to feature two of the top quarterbacks in the land in Mitchell and Alexander. Mitchell might have grey in his beard, but he’s coming off a massive season in which he passed for 5,296 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. And Mitchell is fiery at the best of times, never mind when revenge is on his mind.

The Tiger-Cats want to build on their 11-7 record of last season and not regress to the way they were in 2024. A win against the Alouettes in the season-opener would do wonders for their confidence and maybe diminish the pain (just a little) of watching that ball split the uprights in the Eastern Final.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES | WEEK 19 | OCTOBER 12

We’re going to need to wait a while for this one, but the 112th Grey Cup rematch promises to showcase two of the top teams in the land with Alexander and the Alouettes out to prove they just needed a little more time — and a healthy No. 1 quarterback — to have pulled out victory in Winnipeg.

Playing through pain with a gnarly hamstring, the Alouettes came within one score of tying the game in Winnipeg, only to have a Shea Patterson fumble on the goal line negate the chance at a miracle comeback. Alexander said he felt sick to his stomach failing to throw a touchdown pass and surrendering three interceptions in his first loss as a starter.

But the truth remains: Alexander opened his CFL career with 11 straight regular season victories. If he can stay healthy, he’s destined for stardom. And the vaunted Roughrider defence will no doubt be formidable in 2026 under the watchful eye of head coach Corey Mace.

It’s perhaps too early to game plan, but this heavyweight clash promises to be a great one.

EDMONTON ELKS AT CALGARY STAMPEDERS | WEEK 14 | SEPTEMBER 7

Talk to the folks behind the scenes in both Edmonton and Calgary, and they’ll tell you a win on OK Tire Labour Day Weekend is almost enough to take the sting off a hard season for either club. Bragging rights in the Battle of Alberta are that big of a deal.

Vernon Adams Jr. and the Stampeders won the 2025 Labour Day Classic in convincing fashion with a 28-7 victory over their provincial rivals. But the tables turned completely a week later in Edmonton. Tailback Justin Rankin crushed the Stampeders on the ground with 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 31-19 victory for the Green and Gold. Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo perhaps put it best by declaring, “we were just pissed off because no one thought we had a chance in this game.”

With Fajardo back in the mix for 2026, the Elks are quietly building momentum. Could this be the season they return to the magical form of old? Can the Stampeders build on their comeback campaign in 2025 with an eye to winning the Grey Cup on home turf at McMahon Stadium?

If the answers are “yes” to both questions, the Labour Day Classic could be one for the ages.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS | WEEK 15 | SEPTEMBER 12

This is the second of three games between the REDBLACKS and Argonauts in 2026. And this match features former Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie returning to the place where he led the Argos to a 51-35 record with three first-place finishes in the East Division and two Grey Cups through five years of service.

Now Dinwiddie is both general manager and head coach in Ottawa tasked with reviving a 4-14 club that has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. And he has intimate knowledge of each Argo player — both their upsides and weaknesses — to help build a winning game plan against his former club.

Mike Miller, Dinwiddie’s former quarterback coach, is now the man for the Argos, and he’s pledged to “stop at nothing” to bring the Grey Cup to Toronto.

The Dinwiddie homecoming is the first game of the Sept. 12 quadruple-header. While it’s safe to say there will be lots of good-natured hugs between Dinwiddie and his former players after the final whistle, you can bet there will be no love lost between the two clubs with two points on the line.

5 rivalry games to circle on your calendar in 2026

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