# 2026 CFL season
The 2026 CFL season is the 2026 edition of the [Canadian Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-football-league)'s professional football schedule, a nine-team league playing from June 4 to November 15, 2026 and culminating in the 113th [Grey Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/grey-cup) at [McMahon Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcmahon-stadium) in Calgary.[1](https://staging-www.cfl.ca/everything-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-2026-cfl-season/) • [2](https://www.cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/2026-grey-cup-playoffs-schedule-announced) • [3](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/cfl-rulebook?modalType=ticket-selector) The Saskatchewan Roughriders entered the season as defending champions after defeating the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg on November 16, 2025.[4](https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/cfl-power-rankings-where-each-team-stands-ahead-of-2026-season/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Kickoff | June 4, 2026, Hamilton Tiger-Cats hosting the Montreal Alouettes at Hamilton Stadium, 7:30 p.m. ET; preseason began May 18[1](https://staging-www.cfl.ca/everything-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-2026-cfl-season/) • [5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors) |
| Defending champion | Saskatchewan Roughriders, winners of the 112th Grey Cup over Montreal in Winnipeg, November 16, 2025[4](https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/cfl-power-rankings-where-each-team-stands-ahead-of-2026-season/) |
| Playoffs | Division Semi-Finals October 31; Division Finals November 7; 113th Grey Cup November 15 at McMahon Stadium, Calgary[2](https://www.cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/2026-grey-cup-playoffs-schedule-announced) |
| Headline rule changes | Automatic 35-second play clock; 20-second clock in the final three minutes; overtime two-point converts after a second mini-game; automatic review of turnovers on downs[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors) |
| Standings (Oct 16) | West: Edmonton 12-4, BC 10-6, Saskatchewan 8-8, Winnipeg 8-8, Calgary 8-9; East: Montreal 13-3, Toronto 9-8, Hamilton 5-12, Ottawa 1-16[6](https://stats.cfl.ca/) |
| Broadcast coverage | TSN, CTV, RDS, Crave in Canada and CFL+ internationally for the Grey Cup[2](https://www.cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/2026-grey-cup-playoffs-schedule-announced) |
| 2027 change announced | A refreshed playoff format with division-less re-seeding and eight playoff games, agreed with the CFLPA on April 28, 2026[7](https://press.cfl.ca/coming-in-27-a-cfl-season-built-for-summer-long-weekends-cfl-and-cflpa-champion-a-new-era-of-playoff-football) |
## Schedule and season format
The season opened on Thursday, June 4, with the [Hamilton Tiger-Cats](https://www.edgepedia.org/hamilton-tiger-cats) hosting the [Montreal Alouettes](https://www.edgepedia.org/montreal-alouettes) at Hamilton Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET, following a preseason slate that began on May 18.[1](https://staging-www.cfl.ca/everything-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-2026-cfl-season/) • [5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors) The league's nine teams play in East and West Divisions, with the regular season running 21 weeks; Week 20 included a Friday, October 16 game between Toronto and Ottawa.[3](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/cfl-rulebook?modalType=ticket-selector) • [6](https://stats.cfl.ca/)
**Toronto's delayed home opener.** The Toronto Argonauts, under new head coach Mike Miller, did not play their first regular-season home game until Week 10 because of the World Cup in Toronto.[8](https://staging-www.cfl.ca/2026/05/28/1-thing-to-watch-for-every-cfl-team-in-2026/)
## Rule changes for 2026
The CFL Board of Governors approved the annual offseason rule adjustments on May 12, 2026, on the recommendation of a Rules Committee composed of head coaches, team presidents, the Officials Association and the CFL Players' Association.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors) The changes include:
- An automatic 35-second play clock that starts as soon as a play is dead, with on-field and replay officials directed to avoid slowing the game unless a critical ruling is in question.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
- A 20-second play clock maintained in the final three minutes of the first and second halves, with the game clock starting on the snap of the first play after the three-minute warning.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
- Regular-season overtime: if teams remain tied after a second mini-game, alternating two-point converts from the three-yard line continue until a winner is determined, with each team allowed one 15-second timeout.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
- Automatic Replay Centre review of a turnover on downs ruling.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
- A single quarterback kneel may end a half or the game when the defense has no timeout, it is first down, and 40 seconds or fewer remain.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
- [Dead ball](https://www.edgepedia.org/dead-ball) placement: a kick out of bounds through the end zone with no point awarded, or a field goal striking the goalpost with no points scored, is scrimmaged from the 40-yard line.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
- Team bench areas moved between the 40-yard lines on opposite sidelines, with bench violations a point of emphasis; teams may also declare a third ineligible number capable of lining up in an eligible position, and an incomplete pass was added to the outcomes available to the defense on an ineligible receiver penalty.[5](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
## Regular season
Montreal set the pace in the East. The Alouettes were 8-1 at the season's midpoint, ranked first in Sportsnet's August power rankings, with the combination of quarterback Davis Alexander and receiver Tyson Philpot leading the league's most consistent team; Philpot had already eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards by that point and was the frontrunner for both Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian.[9](https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/cfl-power-rankings-risers-fallers-and-a-look-at-top-awards-favourites/) Montreal secured a postseason berth and the right to host a playoff game in Week 14, and clinched first place in the East and hosting of the Eastern Final in Week 18.[10](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/113th-grey-cup-playoff-scenarios-als-eye-first-in-east-riders-target-postseason)
In the West, Edmonton secured a postseason berth in Week 15 and led the division at 12-4 as of October 16, with BC at 10-6 and [Saskatchewan](https://www.edgepedia.org/saskatchewan), Winnipeg, and Calgary bunched at 8-8 or 8-9.[6](https://stats.cfl.ca/) • [10](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/113th-grey-cup-playoff-scenarios-als-eye-first-in-east-riders-target-postseason) Toronto secured a postseason berth and the right to host a playoff game in Week 16, and the West-to-East crossover was confirmed in Week 17.[10](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/113th-grey-cup-playoff-scenarios-als-eye-first-in-east-riders-target-postseason) Under the crossover rule, if the fourth-place team in one division has more points than the third-place team in the other (they cannot be tied), the fourth-place team crosses over and takes the third-place team's playoff seeding.[10](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/113th-grey-cup-playoff-scenarios-als-eye-first-in-east-riders-target-postseason)
At the other end of the standings, Ottawa stood at 1-16 in mid-October after firing its defensive co-ordinator during a winless first half, while Hamilton fell to 5-12 after an injury to quarterback [Bo Levi Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/bo-levi-mitchell) forced the team to its fourth different starting quarterback.[6](https://stats.cfl.ca/) • [9](https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/cfl-power-rankings-risers-fallers-and-a-look-at-top-awards-favourites/)
## Playoffs and the 113th Grey Cup
The Grey Cup Playoffs begin October 31 with the Division Semi-Finals, scheduled earlier in the day than in previous seasons: the Eastern Semi-Final in Toronto at 1:00 p.m. ET and the Western Semi-Final at 4:30 p.m. ET, with Western hosting to be determined.[2](https://www.cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/2026-grey-cup-playoffs-schedule-announced) The Eastern Final is in Montreal on Saturday, November 7 at 3:00 p.m. ET, followed by the Western Final at 6:30 p.m. ET.[2](https://www.cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/2026-grey-cup-playoffs-schedule-announced)
The 113th Grey Cup returns to Calgary's McMahon Stadium on Sunday, November 15, at 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. MT. The Bud Light Grey Cup Halftime Show is headlined by Riley Green, Sarah McLachlan performs the national anthem, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo appear in a pre-game performance, and the James Barker Band plays the SiriusXM Grey Cup Kickoff Show.[2](https://www.cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/2026-grey-cup-playoffs-schedule-announced)
## Looking to 2027
On April 28, 2026, the league finalized a schedule overhaul and reached an agreement with the CFLPA on a refreshed playoff format beginning in 2027. The season will kick off each year on Victoria Day Weekend, with tentpole events aligned to long weekends from [Victoria Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/victoria-day) to [Thanksgiving](https://www.edgepedia.org/thanksgiving), and the postseason will feature eight playoff games across three rounds. Divisions are retained, but the playoffs introduce division-less re-seeding: Round One pairs the first- and second-place teams in each division in Division Showdowns (winners get a bye to the Grey Cup Semi-Finals) alongside Play-In Games among teams seeded Nos. 5-8, with No. 9 eliminated; Round Two Elimination Games and Round Three Semi-Finals follow, and the [114th Grey Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/114th-grey-cup) is set for November 7, 2027.[7](https://press.cfl.ca/coming-in-27-a-cfl-season-built-for-summer-long-weekends-cfl-and-cflpa-champion-a-new-era-of-playoff-football) The league worked with the CFLPA to integrate the new structure into the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement.[7](https://press.cfl.ca/coming-in-27-a-cfl-season-built-for-summer-long-weekends-cfl-and-cflpa-champion-a-new-era-of-playoff-football)
## References
1. [Everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 CFL season, CFL.ca](https://staging-www.cfl.ca/everything-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-2026-cfl-season/)
2. [2026 Grey Cup Playoffs schedule announced, CFL.ca](https://www.cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/2026-grey-cup-playoffs-schedule-announced)
3. [CFL Rulebook](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/cfl-rulebook?modalType=ticket-selector)
4. [CFL Power Rankings: Where each team stands ahead of 2026 season, Sportsnet.ca](https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/cfl-power-rankings-where-each-team-stands-ahead-of-2026-season/)
5. [2026 Annual Offseason Rule Changes Approved by Board of Governors, CFL.ca](https://press.cfl.ca/2026-annual-offseason-rule-changes-approved-by-board-of-governors)
6. [CFL Stats: Player, Team & League Leaders](https://stats.cfl.ca/)
7. [Coming in '27: A CFL Season Built for Summer Long Weekends, CFL.ca](https://press.cfl.ca/coming-in-27-a-cfl-season-built-for-summer-long-weekends-cfl-and-cflpa-champion-a-new-era-of-playoff-football)
8. [1 thing to watch for every CFL team in 2026, CFL.ca](https://staging-www.cfl.ca/2026/05/28/1-thing-to-watch-for-every-cfl-team-in-2026/)
9. [CFL Power Rankings: Risers, fallers and a look at award favourites, Sportsnet.ca](https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/cfl-power-rankings-risers-fallers-and-a-look-at-top-awards-favourites/)
10. [113th Grey Cup Playoff Scenarios: Als eye first in East; Riders target postseason, CFL.ca](https://cfl.prod.s.cfl.ca/article/113th-grey-cup-playoff-scenarios-als-eye-first-in-east-riders-target-postseason)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › Canadian football and the CFL*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license