TORONTO — As excitement starts to build for the 2026 CFL season with the schedule release, a handful of matchups already stand out on the calendar.
Rivalries return, playoff rematches take centre stage and familiar faces reunite in new settings.
Here are five games fans across the country will have circled before the opening kickoff on June 4.
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MONTREAL AT HAMILTON | WEEK 1
Thursday, June 4, 7:30 p.m. ET, Hamilton Stadium
The season begins with a clash that needs no introduction. The Alouettes ended Hamilton’s run in 2025’s Eastern Final, and emotions will be high as the Tiger-Cats will host Montreal at Hamilton Stadium looking for payback.
Montreal will be trying to erase the taste of losing the 112th Grey Cup from its mouth, while Hamilton arrives with renewed purpose. Opening night sets the tone for both teams and could foreshadow another post-season collision.
BC AT SASKATCHEWAN | WEEK 2
Saturday, June 13, 7:00 p.m. ET, Mosaic Stadium
One week later, the script repeats out West.
Saskatchewan defeated BC in the 2025 Western Final, and the Lions have not forgotten how close they came to a Grey Cup appearance.
With two elite offences, star power on both sidelines and the lingering tension of last season, this early test offers a true measuring stick for how the West will unfold.
TORONTO AT OTTAWA | WEEK 3
Saturday, June 20, 1:00 p.m. ET, TD Place
This one brings a unique layer of intrigue.
Ryan Dinwiddie faces the Double Blue for the first time since departing last month, the team he helped win two Grey Cups. Now leading the REDBLACKS into a pivotal season, Dinwiddie faces an Argonauts squad eager to get back to the post-season after missing it in 2025. And who can forget last season’s electric 46-42 battle between these two teams in Week 10 at BMO Field?
Expect a charged atmosphere and plenty of tactical wrinkles between two teams that know each other extremely well.
WINNIPEG AT SASKATCHEWAN | OK TIRE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND
Sunday, September 6, 7:00 p.m., ET, Mosaic Stadium
OK Tire Labour Day Weekend never disappoints, and this 2026’s edition carries even more weight, after the Roughriders recaptured the top spot with a win in the 112th Grey Cup.
The Blue Bombers and Roughriders renew one of the league’s most heated rivalries with playoff positioning likely on the line. Mosaic Stadium will be buzzing as the current champions host a Winnipeg team that always seems to rise to the moment in early September.
It is appointment viewing for every CFL fan, even those outside the Prairies.
EDMONTON AT CALGARY | OK TIRE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND
Monday, September 7, 6:00 p.m. ET, McMahon Stadium
The Battle of Alberta remains one of the CFL’s defining traditions, and the 2026 chapter should be especially compelling.
The West Division is as competitive as ever, and if Mark Kilam’s squad wants to keep pace with the rest of the division, they’ll need to capture wins in important games such as this one. Labour Day at McMahon Stadium has produced iconic finishes over the years, and both clubs will enter with something to prove.
