Grey Cup up for grabs as 2026 CFL season begins Thursday

Kian Schaffer-Baker of the Saskatchewan Roughriders hoists the Grey Cup after the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup game at Princess Auto Stadium on Nov. 16, 2025 in Winnipeg. Photo by Brent Just /Getty Images

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Parity in the Canadian Football League could be even greater this season than it was in 2025, when, aside from the Edmonton Elks, Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks, the other six teams finished with either 12, 11, or 10 wins.

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The Elks are trending upwards, and the Argos should be better with the return of Chad Kelly, who proclaimed himself to be one of “the top 32 NFL starting quarterbacks” while sidelined by a broken leg last season, which would have been his fourth in the CFL.

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Ottawa also promises to be much improved with the additions of new head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, running back Greg Bell and a revamped defence that includes rush end Luiji Vilain, linebackers Nyles Morgan, A.J. Allen and C.J. Reavis and defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado.

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The popular consensus among experts has the two teams with the longest current championship droughts meeting in the 113th Grey Cup game in Calgary on Nov. 15: the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who last won in 1999, and the B.C. Lions, who haven’t sipped from the coveted mug since 2011.

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The oddsmakers see things a little differently.

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On FanDuel, the Montreal Alouettes are listed as the favourites to win the Grey Cup at +320, which means a $100 bet returns $420, including the initial investment.

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Meanwhile, here are the odds of the other teams winning it all:

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B.C. +380

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Saskatchewan +600

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Hamilton +650

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Winnipeg +750

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Calgary +850

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Ottawa +950

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Toronto +1100

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Edmonton +1900

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Here’s a quick look at what teams did over the winter:.

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Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Last season: 11-7, first in the East, lost 19-16 to Alouettes in Division final)

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Coming off a strong 2025 campaign, the Ticats have an explosive offence and a defence that got better as last season wore on. At 36, QB Bo Levi Mitchell is Hall of Fame-bound and remains sharp. Veteran linebacker Wynton McManis is going to make an impact, but he will miss Thursday’s season opener against the Alouettes. The addition of American left tackle Trevor Reid was big, as was the signing of centre Chris Kolankowski, the former cornerstone of the Blue Bombers’ offensive line. Keeping Bo clean will be key.

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Montreal Alouettes (Last season: 10-8, second in East, lost 25-17 to Roughriders in Grey Cup)

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Quarterback Davis Alexander is 11-0 in career regular-season starts, and keeping him healthy is objective No. 1 for the Als. Most of the veteran core group that won the East last year is back, and the addition of Ottawa native Jonathan Sutherland will boost the secondary on an already strong defence. Return specialist DeVonte Dedmon moves east from the Redblacks to provide the potential of an electrifying return specialist.

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Toronto Argonauts (Last season: 5-13, third in the East, missed playoffs)