2026 CFL season
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| 2026 CFL season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | June 4 – October 24, 2026 |
| 113th Grey Cup | |
| Date | November 15, 2026 |
| Venue | McMahon Stadium, Calgary |
The 2026 CFL season is scheduled to be the 72nd season of modern professional Canadian football. Officially, it would be the 68th season of the Canadian Football League. Calgary is scheduled to host the 113th Grey Cup on November 15, 2026.[1] The regular season will start on June 4 and end on October 24.[2][3]
Salary cap
According to the new collective bargaining agreement, the 2026 salary cap was scheduled to be at least $6,162,365, largely as a result of the revenue sharing increase from 2025.[4][2][5][6] Including non-football related services of $110,000, the total salary expenditure cap was to be at or above $6,272,365.[4] This will be the third season that players will receive revenue sharing, which will be set at 27% this season.[2] On January 23, the CFL and CFLPA announced the cap will be $6,280,514 ($139,567 per active roster spot). Under the revenue share formula in the collective agreement, the CFLPA elected to allocate $50,000 per club preseason veteran bonus payment and $218,149 increase in each clubs salary cap. On April 29, the league and CFLPA agreed to a $6,330,514 salary cap for 2026 season ($140,755 per active roster spot) and increased playoff compensation for 2027 season. The minimum player salary was set at $70,000, which remains unchanged since 2023.[2][5]
Rule changes
On September 22, 2025, league commissioner Stewart Johnston announced that a series of significant rule changes would come into effect for the 2026 season.[7]
- Modified rouge: A single will no longer be awarded if it is kicked past the dead line or through the side of the endzone. A single can only be scored if a punt, field goal, or kickoff settles in the end zone, and the returner fails to take it out or takes a knee in the end zone.
- 35-second play clock: Teams will have 35 seconds to begin the next play after the previous play is whistled dead. Previously, following a play, the referees placed the ball and a 20-second play clock was initiated by an official, leading to inconsistencies based on the officiating team.
- Opposite-field team benches: To facilitate the play clock change, all teams will be required to have their bench areas on opposite sidelines of the field, reducing the distance required for substitutions. In the 2025 season, the BC Lions and all East Division teams had team benches side-by-side on one side of the field.
Relocated games
The home stadiums of the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts are scheduled to host 2026 FIFA World Cup games from June 12, 2026, to July 7, 2026, resulting in those stadiums being unavailable for most of June and July.[8]
On August 15, 2025, it was announced that the Argonauts would play one home game in each of Hamilton Stadium against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Mosaic Stadium against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Princess Auto Stadium against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers while the World Cup is being played.[8] These games are scheduled to be played in the first half of the season.[8] The team's remaining six home games are scheduled toward the second half of the season.[9] The Argonauts will also play their preseason game in Guelph at Alumni Stadium for the fifth season in a row.[10]
With the Roughriders hosting ten regular season home games, the team announced on August 15, 2025, that they would play this season's home pre-season game in Saskatoon at Griffiths Stadium.[11]
On September 26, 2025, the Lions announced that they would play their first two regular season home games in Kelowna at the Apple Bowl with an expanded capacity of 17,500 seats.[12] The Lions also announced that their pre-season game would be played in Langford at Starlight Stadium for the second consecutive season.[12]
Coaching changes
| Team | 2025 HC | 2026 HC | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Redblacks | Bob Dyce | Ryan Dinwiddie | Bob Dyce served as head coach of the Redblacks since being named interim head coach on October 1, 2022.[13] While he led the team to the playoffs in 2024, the team disappointed the next season with a 4–14 record and Dyce was fired at the end of the season.[14] He finished his tenure with Ottawa with an 18–39–1 record.[14] After receiving permission to speak with Toronto Argonauts head coach, Ryan Dinwiddie, he was named both head coach and general manager of the Redblacks on November 5, 2025.[15] |
| Toronto Argonauts | Ryan Dinwiddie | Mike Miller | Dinwiddie was the head coach of the Argonauts from 2021 to 2025 where he had a 51–35 record and led the franchise to two Grey Cup victories.[15] After a difficult 2025 season where the team had a 5–13 record, he was approached by the Ottawa Redblacks and became their head coach and general manager.[15] The team's quarterbacks coach, Mike Miller, was named as his replacement on December 2, 2025.[16] |