TORONTO \u2014 The wait is almost over.<\/p>\n
Months after the Saskatchewan Roughriders lifted the 112th Grey Cup, CFL football officially returns with preseason action. The 2026 preseason kicks off on Monday, May 18, when the Calgary Stampeders host the Roughriders at McMahon Stadium at 3:00 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
While the games don\u2019t count in the standings, preseason offers fans their first glimpse at new players, position battles and storylines ahead of the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n
From quarterback rotations to roster battles and the return of football across Canada, CFL.ca brings you five things to watch during the preseason slate.<\/p>\n
RELATED \u00a0<\/p>\n QUARTERBACK PLAYING TIME<\/p>\n We know starting pivots usually don\u2019t see extensive action during the preseason, but CFL.ca tracks every quarterback and how much they play to get a better sense of the pecking order at the game\u2019s most important position.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also a chance to evaluate up-and-coming players and follow intriguing storylines, including how Hamilton plans to utilize Tre Ford<\/a> in his new surroundings.<\/p>\n IT STARTS AND ENDS IN CALGARY<\/p>\n The first game of the year will take place at the same venue as the last. McMahon Stadium welcomes fans for the preseason opener between the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders and will also host the 113th Grey Cup in November.<\/p>\n Now is the time to dream about your team playing on the league\u2019s biggest stage five months from now. After all, every team is 0-0 and every fan base can believe this could be its year.<\/p>\n DEPTH CHART MOVEMENT<\/p>\n Starters may not play much during the preseason, but it\u2019s not always about how long they play, it\u2019s about when they play. Beyond the quarterback position, preseason games offer insight into where players currently sit on the depth chart after a couple of weeks of training camp.<\/p>\n Of course, depth charts remain fluid throughout camp, making preseason action a valuable opportunity for rookies and veterans alike to make their case for increased playing time.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES<\/p>\n It may only be for a handful of snaps, but preseason provides the first opportunity to see players in their new uniforms. Whether it\u2019s A.J. Allen<\/a> in Ottawa colours or Wynton McManis<\/a> wearing the Black and Gold in Hamilton, months of roster moves, speculation and intrigue finally come to life on the field.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also a chance to watch familiar faces in familiar places, because why not? Tune into CFL+, TSN or RDS<\/a> to watch AJ Ouellette<\/a> hammer through contact or Vernon Adams Jr. uncork deep passes to Jalen Philpot, even if it won\u2019t impact the standings for now.<\/p>\n Preseason football serves as the first real preview of what the 2026 CFL season could look like.<\/p>\n FOOTBALL. IS. BACK.<\/p>\n The long Canadian winter without CFL football is finally over.<\/p>\n Now comes the return of highlight-reel catches, deep throws, big hits and exciting finishes from coast to coast. The games may not count in the standings yet, but football is back across Canada, and that\u2019s more than enough reason to tune in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 The wait is almost over. Months after the Saskatchewan Roughriders lifted the 112th Grey Cup, CFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-675855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\u00bb Where to watch 2026 CFL preseason games<\/a>
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