Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

The 2026 Canadian Football League campaign gets underway on Thursday, June 4 with an East Final rematch as the Montreal Alouettes visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The season culminates with the 113th Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Sunday, November 15.

​Three pre-season games will be played outside traditional CFL markets.

For the first time since 1991, the Roughriders bring a pre-season game to Saskatoon. The game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be played on Saturday, May 23 at 7 p.m. ET at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus.

At the same time, the Lions host the Edmonton Elks in Langford, B.C. That exhibition 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 finish their preparations for the upcoming campaign at the University of Guelph. Toronto hosts the Tiger-Cats at Alumni Stadium on Friday, May 29 with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET.

​Week 1 of the 2026 CFL season begins with three matchups:

Thursday, June 4 | Montreal at Hamilton | 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, June 5 | Winnipeg at Calgary | 9 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 6 | Edmonton at Ottawa | 7 p.m. ET

​After a bye in Week 1, the reigning Grey Cup champion Riders open their title defence in Week 2 with a 2025 West Final rematch against the visiting B.C. Lions on Saturday, June 13 at 7 p.m. ET. That game features a banner raising ceremony in celebration of the fifth championship in team history.

​During the first half of the 2026 season, Toronto plays three home games in opponents’ stadiums as Canada opens its doors to global audiences for the FIFA World Cup. The Argos 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 | Saskatchewan vs. Toronto at Mosaic Stadium | 9 p.m. ET
Friday, July 10 | Winnipeg vs. Toronto at Princess Auto Stadium | 8:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, July 18 | Hamilton vs. Toronto at Hamilton Stadium | 7 p.m. ET

Touchdown Kelowna spans Weeks 4 and 5 with B.C. welcoming Calgary on Saturday, June 27 and Edmonton on Saturday, July 4 to the expanded Save-On-Foods Field at the Apple Bowl. That builds upon the Touchdown Pacific success, while deepening the Lions’ connection with communities across the province.

Calgary hosts Toronto in the second annual Stampede Bowl on Thursday, July 2. That marks the unofficial Calgary Stampede opening with the city welcoming the world to one of Canada’s most iconic and internationally celebrated traditions.

Labour Day weekend in Week 14 features a duel between two of the league’s talented pivots in Nathan Rourke and Davis Alexander along with the latest instalments of storied rivalries.

Friday, September 4 | B.C. at Montreal | 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, September 6 | Winnipeg at Saskatchewan | 7 p.m. ET
Monday, September 7 | Toronto at Hamilton | 2:30 p.m. ET
Monday, September 7 | Edmonton at Calgary | 6 p.m. ET

The centrepiece for Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday, October 12 will be a Grey Cup rematch as the Alouettes playing host to the defending champion Roughriders at 1 p.m. ET. That game opens a critical home-and-home series between Saskatchewan and Montreal.

​Week 15 features a quadruple header. Saturday, September 12 opens in Toronto, followed by two Labour Day classic rematches — the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg and completion of a home-and-home set in Edmonton — then concludes on the West Coast. Those games mark the league’s first quadruple-header since 1995.

​The 2026 regular season comes to an end on Saturday, October 24, with the start of the Grey Cup playoffs on Halloween.

Saturday, October 31 | East and West Division Semi-Finals | 3 and 6:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, November 7 | East and West Division Finals | 3 and 6:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, November 15 | 113th Grey Cup | McMahon Stadium in Calgary | 6 p.m. ET

The 2026 CFL schedule includes 23 regular season games that kick-off at 4 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.

In Canada, the games will be broadcast by Bell Media across TSN, CTV and RDS. In the United States, select games will air 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 North America can tune into the entire season on CFL+.