The 2026 Canadian Football League season has now entered the month of July, and for those who are also National Football League fans, it means that it’s the final full month before preseason starts up. In the CFL, Canada Day is celebrated, and though the day took place prior to Week 5 kicking off, the weekend was still all about Canada Day.
For this fan, I was excited entering the Toronto Argonauts’ meeting with the Calgary Stampeders. We had won back-to-back games, we were playing well, we were coming off a road win against the defending Grey Cup Champions in Regina. Things were looking up.
And then, kickoff happened.
The first quarter was close, but after that, it was all Stamps. They turned out defence into mush. 58 points! Yikes. So yeah, the Argos got smashed in Calgary, 58-36, and all we had to hope was that we would still be in a good position after this defeat.
The following day saw the Saskatchewan Roughriders against the Ottawa Redblacks, and the defending champs started late to the party. Down 10-0 after one quarter, but they managed to fight back and salvage a halftime tie. After that, the Riders took over, holding the Redblacks to very little, resulting in a 27-22 win, keeping Ottawa winless in 2026. The BC Lions entered Week 5 winless, but they would have quite the outing against the Edmonton Elks. It was 29-21 at halftime! The scoring stalled after that, but BC did manage to hold on and pick up win #1 in 2026–a 36-24 win over the Elks, who lost for the first time this season.
Week 5 ended with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats facing off, and this was a defence-filled battle from the get-go. Hamilton was up 13-4 at halftime, but they would score no more after that. Winnipeg didn’t need much; a touchdown in the third quarter and a late field goal in the fourth. That was it. A 14-13 win for the Bombers, completing the West Division’s sweep in Week 5.
So after five weeks, everyone has played four games, and in the West Division, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Elks are tied at 3-1, with the Riders on top because Edmonton’s loss was in the division. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders are both 2-2, with the latter winning back-to-back games after an 0-2 start. The BC Lions improved to 1-3, just a single game out of a playoff position. As for the East Division, the Montréal Alouettes had a great week: they were idle and saw the three Ontario teams all lose. So the Als now have a one game lead in the division, and the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are both glad that they’re not the Ottawa Redblacks right now. Ottawa is 0-4, and in the Canadian Football League, that is the ultimate kiss of death.
Week 6 will kick off with the Edmonton Elks hosting the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday, July 9, and on the following day (Friday, July 10), the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will host the Toronto Argonauts. On Saturday, July 11, the Montréal Alouettes will be back in action against the Calgary Stampeders, and on Sunday, July 12, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will go at it. The Saturday and Sunday games will air on CBS Sports Network here in the States.
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