Preseason begins May 18; Campaign gets underway June 4
TORONTO – The Canadian Football League (CFL) offseason shifts into high gear on February 1 at noon with the beginning of the Free Agency Communication Window before the frenzy of Free Agency opens on February 10.
Prospects will showcase their skills at CFL Combine in Edmonton presented by Anytime Fitness from March 27-29 in anticipation of the CFL Draft on April 28. Training camps conclude on May 30, before the upcoming campaign commences on June 4 with the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The 2026 season will be broadcast in Canada by Bell Media across TSN, CTV and RDS. Select games in the U.S. will air exclusively on CBS Sports Network, while the remaining slate will be available live and on-demand for a 48-hour window through the league’s free online streaming platform, CFL+. Viewers outside of North America will be able to tune into the whole season on CFL+.
2026 OFFSEASON KEY DATES
(Times in ET unless specified otherwise)
February 1 at noon to February 8 at noon – Free Agency Communication Window
February 10 at noon – Free Agency opens
February 22 – CFL Kicking Showcase in San Diego, Calif.
March 6 – CFL Invitational Combine, followed by the CFL Free Agent Camp, in Waterloo, Ont.
March 25 – GM/Head Coach Media Day at CFL Combine
March 27-29 – CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness in Edmonton
April 28 – CFL Draft at 7 p.m.
April 29 – CFL Global Draft at 1 p.m.
May 6 – Rookie Camps open
May 9 at 11:59 p.m. (local) – Rosters reduced to 85 players, excluding non-counters.
May 10 – Training camps open
May 12 at 11:59 p.m. (local) – Rosters reduced to 75 players, excluding non-counters
Preseason Week 1
- Monday, May 18 | SSK at CGY | 3 p.m.
Preseason Week 2
- Friday, May 22 | OTT at MTL | 7 p.m.
- Saturday, May 23 | TOR at HAM | 4 p.m.
- Saturday, May 23 | EDM at BC | 5 p.m.
- Saturday, May 23 | WPG at SSK | 7 p.m.
Preseason Week 3
- Friday, May 29 | HAM at TOR | 7 p.m.
- Friday, May 29 | MTL at OTT | 7 p.m.
- Friday, May 29 | BC at WPG | 8:30 p.m.
- Friday, May 29 | CGY at EDM | 9 p.m.
May 30 – End of training camp
Regular season Week 1
- Thursday, June 4 | MTL at HAM | 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, June 5 | WPG at CGY | 9 p.m.
- Saturday, June 6 | EDM at OTT | 7 p.m.
