The 2026 CFL season has arrived and will kick off in the Hammer as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Montreal Alouettes. It is a rematch of last year’s East Division Semi-Final, which saw Montreal emerge victorious despite Hamilton winning both of their regular-season meetings. This is the first time since 2019 that Hamilton has been at home for their first game of the season.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Thursday, June 4 / Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, ON
Kickoff Time: 3:00 PM ET, 12:00 PM PT
Channel: TSN, RDS (Canada), CBSSN (USA), CFL+ (Global)
Radio: TSN 690 (Montreal English), 99.5 Montreal (Montreal French), Y108 Hamilton’s Rock
Odds (If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation):
Spread: Montreal -1.5 (-115), Hamilton +1.5 (-105)
Moneyline: Montreal -126, Hamilton +105
Over/Under: 50.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Montreal Alouettes: The Montreal Alouettes are coming off a 10-8 season in which they defeated Hamilton on the road 19-16 in the playoffs to punch their ticket to the Grey Cup. Montreal first defeated Winnipeg 42-33 in the East Semi-Final before falling 17-25 in the Grey Cup. They are coming off a 10-8 season.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: The Tiger-Cats won the East Division last season with an 11-7 record but lost to Montreal in the playoffs in a close game that came down to the final moments. Hamilton brings a dangerous passing offense with Bo Levi Mitchell at quarterback, joined by star receiver Kenny Lawler.
Alouettes Keys to the Game
Pound the Rock
Montreal has not by any stretch been a run-heavy offense over the last 3 seasons, but they did see some big games on the ground in the postseason and should keep that going this season. Last year the Tiger-Cats allowed the most rushing yards per game at 111 and the most rushing yards per carry at 5.7. With Hamilton having free agent addition linebacker Wynton McManis on the IR-1 list, run defense may be a vulnerability for Hamilton that Montreal should try to take advantage of.
Don’t Try to Do Too Much in the Passing Game
Davis Alexander has no regular season losses and the only game he has lost as a starter was in the Grey Cup. It is important for him not to get overconfident and try to do too much, as defenses can punish you if there is a turnover worthy throw. Hamilton has some good coverage defenders in CB Jamal Peters, LB Reggie Stubblefield, and S Stavros Katsantonis.
Stop the Run Early
Running the football is a mindset that at times CFL coaches will divert away from too early if it’s not successful right away. Last season Hamilton had the 2nd fewest rushing attempts per game. Montreal should try to discourage them from doing so and encourage them to make themselves 1-dimensional by stopping the run early.
Don’t Give Up Big Passing Plays
Montreal has a high-performing secondary and needs to lock it down Thursday night. Bo Levi Mitchell and WR Kenny Lawler bring a very dangerous and high powerered passing offense. Montreal’s corners, Kabion Ento and Lorenzo Burns, were the top-graded corners by PFF last season.
Alouettes to Watch
10 QB Davis Alexander
Davis Alexander has set a record for best record to start a CFL season, posting 11 wins over his first 11 games. Last season, he threw for 2,024 yards and 10 touchdowns with 3 interceptions over 7 games.
6 WR Tyson Philpot
Philpot caught 61 passes for 804 yards and 5 touchdowns over 12 games last season. He is a favorite target of Davis Alexander.
5 RB Travis Theis
Theis was Montreal’s candidate for rookie of the year last year after rushing 70 times for 365 yards (5.2 average) over 12 games and catching 19 passes for 162 yards.
9 LB Geoffrey Cantin-Arku
Cantin-Arku has played in 36 regular season games for Montreal since being drafted 9th overall by Montreal in 2024 out of Memphis. He has recorded 71 tackles over 2 CFL seasons with 2 interceptions and is getting his first start, which will be at middle linebacker.
23 S Nate Beauchemin
Beauchemin was a 2nd round pick by Montreal in 2025 out of Calgary and will get his first CFL start Thursday. He had 1 tackle and 8 special teams tackles last season over 10 games.
Behind him, Montreal has Jonathan Sutherland, who was drafted 5th overall by Montreal out of Notre Dame and is joining Montreal this season after spending time in the NFL.
Opp to Watch
19 Bo Levi Mitchell
Bo Levi Mitchell was nearly the MOP last season after he threw for 5,296 yards and 36 touchdowns with 11 interceptions last season.
89 WR Kenny Lawler
Lawler caught 86 passes for 1,443 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns last season.
33 Larry Rountree III
Larry Rountree appeared in 8 games for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL over the last 2 seasons, which saw him rush 43 times fro 174 yards (4.05 average) and 4 touchdowns. He had a 5.5 yards per carry in 2024.
Rountree was a 6th round draft pick by the LA Chargers in the 2021 NFL Draft and will be making his CFL debut Thursday.
36 LB Ryan Baker
Ryan Baker has 51 tackles over 31 games with 9 starts since being drafted by Hamilton out of UBC in the 5th round of the 2024 CFL Draft. He will start at linebacker with Wynton McManis being on the IR-1 list..
95 Julian Howsare
Julian Howsare had a strong season for Hamilton last year, recording 43 tackles, 13 sacks, an interception, 2 forced fumbles, and a touchdown over the regular season.
Injury Report:
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I am predicting Hamilton to win it for their home fans 27-21. Hamilton can be a tough place for visiting quarterbacks, and Montreal only had him throw 3 passes this past preseason. I have a feeling the lack of preseason reps will make it more difficult for Alexander to weather adversity in his 12th CFL regular season start.