CFL Training Camps Open as the Road to the 113th Grey Cup Begins

Canadian Football League training camps officially opened this past weekend across all nine clubs, with veterans and rookies on the field together for the first time after weeks of separate rookie camps and off-season programming. The 2026 regular season will kick off on Thursday, 4 June, with a Grey Cup rematch in Hamilton between the defending Eastern Division champion Montreal Alouettes and the Tiger-Cats. The 113th Grey Cup will be held 15 November at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

The traditional rhythm of CFL spring, including main camp openings, rookie cuts, position battles and exhibition games, is back in full swing after off-season storylines that included free agency churn, a 2026 draft class that has already produced early roster cuts, and ongoing collective bargaining and revenue conversations between the league and the players' association.

Where camps stand

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats made their first round of cuts after rookie camp, releasing two defensive players, including a defensive back and a linebacker, while keeping the remaining rookies on the active list heading into main camp. Saskatchewan opened main camp on Sunday in Saskatoon, with head coach Corey Mace describing the atmosphere as one of the highlights of the year and players from the recent rookie camp transitioning into competition for full roster spots.

The BC Lions, Toronto Argonauts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks all opened main camp on Sunday as well, in keeping with the league-wide schedule for the 4 June season opener. Ottawa Redblacks and Montreal Alouettes did the same. The standard three week camp window will run through to the start of the preseason exhibition slate at the end of May.

Storylines for 2026

The Montreal Alouettes return to camp as defending Eastern champions and were widely seen as one of the league's most complete rosters last season. Head coach Jason Maas's group has retained most of its core, including the offensive line that powered a year of consistent production. The Saskatchewan Roughriders, who beat Montreal in the Grey Cup last year, head into 2026 with championship pedigree and the burden of carrying the target on their backs.

The BC Lions, who hosted rookie camp on the weekend of 9 May, have made significant front office and coaching changes since the end of last season and are widely expected to be in the playoff mix in the West. The Calgary Stampeders, who will host the Grey Cup, have organisational pressure to make a deep playoff run in front of a home crowd. The Toronto Argonauts continue to manage a roster transition. The Edmonton Elks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in different ways, are trying to climb back into contention.

Key season dates

The regular season starts Thursday 4 June with the Montreal at Hamilton game. Friday 5 June features Winnipeg at Calgary, and Saturday 6 June has Edmonton at Ottawa. The full Week 1 slate gives every team an opening week game and lets the broadcast partners spread the season opener across three different prime-time windows.

The Thanksgiving rematch of the 2025 Grey Cup will be played on 12 October when Montreal hosts Saskatchewan, a marquee mid-season date that the league is already promoting as a national broadcast event. The regular season closes 24 October. The playoffs begin on Halloween. The Grey Cup is in Calgary on 15 November.

The Saskatchewan storyline

Saskatchewan's Josh Woods told reporters during camp that he is eager to chase another Grey Cup, framing the Roughriders' season as a defence of their championship status. Saskatchewan released eight players following rookie camp, a normal pattern of roster shaping that opens the door for veteran free agents and bubble players to claim spots.

Quarterback uncertainty has been a recurring CFL storyline for several seasons. Saskatchewan's depth chart is widely viewed as one of the league's strongest. The team's defensive front, anchored by veterans and a couple of young Canadians, is expected to be its on-field identity.

The CFL Draft pipeline

The 2026 CFL Draft class continues to produce roster signings ahead of the start of camp, with teams beginning to lock in their first and second round picks on contracts. Saskatchewan signed five members of its 2026 draft class ahead of camp opening. Other clubs have moved at similar paces.

The Canadian content rules continue to drive the structure of roster construction. The league's emphasis on developing Canadian quarterbacks, in particular, has produced an uptick in camp invitations for Canadian-born signal-callers in recent years, although none has yet emerged as a clear top-of-roster starter.

The labour and revenue picture

The CFL's economic model continues to be the question lurking behind every other storyline. Television contracts, attendance, sponsorship and the new gaming partnerships are all elements the commissioner's office has been re-engineering over the past several seasons. The league has been transparent that the long-term path to financial stability requires growth in non-gate revenue, and the early returns on those investments will be a story to watch over the season.

The recent collective bargaining environment has produced a labour peace that allowed camps to open on schedule. Whether that peace holds through the next cycle will depend on how the league's revenue growth trends through the 2026 season.

Position battles to watch

The quarterback position will, as always, dominate camp coverage. Each of the nine teams has a tier-one starter and a depth chart of varying quality behind that starter. The competition for backup roles will produce some of the most interesting camp battles, particularly in markets where the starter's durability has been a question.

The Canadian content rule means that the receiver, offensive line and defensive line position battles always carry an additional layer of complexity. Teams must field a minimum number of Canadian starters and tend to use camp to identify Canadian developmental players who can grow into starting roles by the second half of the season. The 2026 draft class will contribute meaningfully to those competitions.

Special teams competition has historically been an underappreciated camp storyline. The CFL's wider field and unique rules around the kicking game mean that special teams play has outsized impact on game outcomes. The kickers, punters, returners and coverage unit standouts emerging from camp will be among the most consequential roster decisions teams make.

The Canadian quarterback project

The CFL has been working for several years to expand the development pathway for Canadian-born quarterbacks. The position has historically been dominated by American imports, with the structural argument being that Canadian universities have not, historically, produced quarterbacks at the volume or quality required for professional play. That picture has been changing.

Several Canadian university quarterbacks have been invited to camps this spring, with a handful having credible paths to backup roles. None has yet emerged as a starting candidate at the top of any team's depth chart. The league office has been promoting the Canadian quarterback file as part of its broader development strategy.

Building a generation of Canadian quarterbacks requires investment at every level of the developmental pyramid, including U Sports football, the Canadian Junior Football League, and the high school programs that feed both. The CFL has been working with partners across that pyramid to expand the resources available for quarterback development.

The broadcast and revenue picture

The CFL's broadcast partnership with TSN and RDS is the foundation of the league's media revenue. The reach into French-language Quebec markets through RDS has been a significant element of the league's strategic value. Discussions around the next broadcast cycle and around streaming rights have been ongoing.

Sponsorship revenue, both league-wide and at the club level, has been recovering steadily. The CFL's brand strength in its core markets remains strong, with attendance and merchandise revenue holding up well. The challenge has been expanding the league's footprint beyond its traditional regional strongholds.

The international development pathway

The CFL's international player programs have expanded significantly over the past several seasons. The league's Global program has brought players from Europe, Latin America and elsewhere into Canadian camps, with several of those players earning roster spots and contributing on game days. The program serves both a developmental purpose and a strategic marketing purpose, building CFL brand visibility in international football markets.

The structure of the Global program continues to evolve. Recent collective bargaining and roster rule conversations have shaped the available roster slots and the development pathways. The league's commercial partners in Europe, Mexico and elsewhere have been working with the CFL on related marketing and broadcast initiatives. The international story is one element of the broader effort to expand the league's footprint.

The Grey Cup in Calgary

The 113th Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on 15 November will be the league's marquee event of the year. Calgary's Grey Cup hosting committee has been preparing the city for the festival week that surrounds the championship game. Hotels, restaurants, transportation and event infrastructure have all been working on plans designed to deliver the kind of Grey Cup experience that the league markets as a defining Canadian event.

The festival's commercial and tourism value to host cities has historically been significant. Calgary's preparation has been intensive, with the city looking to convert the Grey Cup hosting into longer-term tourism and event business. The festival programming, including concerts, alumni events and the championship game itself, will draw visitors from across the country.

What's next

Main camp practices are now under way. Rosters will be cut down through May, with the standard waves of releases producing news cycles for hometown and national CFL coverage. The preseason will run through the last days of May. Game 1 of the regular season is Thursday 4 June in Hamilton.

For Canadian football fans, the simple promise of the league's annual rhythm is what the next month delivers. Camp battles. Cut day stories. Preseason games. A regular season kickoff. A new run at the Grey Cup. None of that ever loses its appeal in the football provinces, and the league's stewards continue to bet on that durable appeal as the foundation of every other strategic decision.