The 2026 CFL season is here, with the league kicking off on 4th June and running through to the 113th Grey Cup on 15th November at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta.
This season promises to be one of the most interesting in years, with the rulebook being thoroughly shaken up. The Rogue rule has had its biggest tweak since the 1970s, with an untouched kick through the end zone no longer earning a point. There’s also a new 35-second play clock outside a half’s closing three minutes, while ties after two overtime periods have been replaced by alternate two-point conversion attempts.
There’s also significant disruption to the early season due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Canada is co-hosting the tournament alongside Mexico and the United States, and the Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions both have schedules back-loaded with home games as their stadiums are needed for soccer. Time is yet to tell whether this will end up being an advantage, or leave them chasing late season wins.
The season starts with defeated 2025 Grey Cup finalists the Montreal Alouettes as the favorites to claim the trophy, and fans are able to back them on the bet365 mobile betting app. It won’t be an easy run, though, as defending champions the Saskatchewan Roughriders are expected to be in contention again, while the BC Lions are looking for their first Grey Cup since 2011.
Alouettes the team to beat in 2026
The Montreal Alouettes look the team to beat this season thanks to their remarkable consistency and stability, a rarity in the CFL. The defending East Division champions have seven consecutive playoff appearances, while head coach Jason Maas is in his fourth season and GM Danny Maciacia his sixth.
The defensive unit again looks like a group to be reckoned with. Geoffrey Cantin-Arku is set to take over at middle linebacker and lead the defense, while Arthur Hamlin is projected to fill the gap left by retired free safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy.
The biggest worry for the Alouettes comes down to quarterback Davis Alexander. When healthy, he’s able to tear defenses apart. His 2025 season, however, was severely affected by a recurring hamstring injury, only playing seven regular season games and being badly compromised in the team’s Grey Cup defeat. Alexander and the Alouettes say the injury is 100% healed heading into the new season, but time will tell whether the leg will stand up to scrutiny once the hits start coming.
Lions and Roughridgers in hot pursuit
The BC Lions are the second favorites for this year’s Grey Cup, and once again seem set to be defined by quarterback Nathan Rourke. He was named both the league and team’s Most Outstanding Player last season after putting together 5,920 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. However, this also came with 16 interceptions, and the player has openly admitted his focus this year is to cut that number down.
Defending champions the Saskatchewan Roughriders have the most complete roster heading into the season, but are another team who have a choke point at quarterback. The driving force behind the team’s Grey Cup win last season was Trevor Harris, who was able start all but one game. This was a big improvement on recent years, with Harris missing 13 games in 2023 and six in 2024.
If Harris can stay healthy then the Roughriders are set to challenge the Lions and Alouettes for the Grey Cup. However, Harris’s health isn’t a guarantee. He took noticeably longer to recover from hits last season, and if the 39-year-old suffers another injury, there’s no clear backup to take over the offense.