Winnipeg Blue Bombers post $12.1 million profit after sold-out Grey Cup, 2025 season

Photo: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Blue and Gold were in the black after hosting the Grey Cup and selling out their entire regular-season in 2025, posting a $12.1 million operating profit.

According to a release, the Blue Bombers saw their operating revenue grow to $82.8 million, a 51.4 percent increase from $54.7 million the previous year. Operating expenses rose similarly year-over-year from $47.7 million to $70.7 million, with the club attributing both sharp increases to the hosting of the 112th Grey Cup and its accompanying festivities in November.

“We are extremely proud of our financial results for 2025, strengthened by a sold-out season that averaged more than 33,000 fans per game,” said team president and CEO Wade Miller in a statment. “These results are a testament to the continued support of our season ticket members, corporate partners, and fans. They are the reason this club remains strong on and off the field.”

The 112th Grey Cup, which featured a 25-17 win by the Saskatchewan Roughriders over the Montreal Alouettes, drew a sold-out crowd of 32,343. The Blue Bombers also sold-out their entire regular-season for the first time in franchise history, a feat they’re surely hoping to repeat in 2026.

The team is directing $8.4 million of the profits to capital improvements at Princess Auto Stadium. Projects completed in 2025 include a new players’ lounge, HVAC remediation, additional contactless security screening devices, and concessions equipment to improve capacity and speed of service.

New video boards have also been installed, a project that was announced in January. The two screens, developed by Daktronics, will feature a 57 percent improvement in resolution, and are the same size as the previous boards, which were original to the venue.

“These new boards elevate the game-day atmosphere and enhance how our fans experience football at Princess Auto Stadium,” said Miller. “The image quality is significantly better, and they integrate seamlessly with the ribbon boards we added last season. We are committed to continuing to invest in our stadium and improving the fan experience every year.”

The club also has plans to redesign of the Rum Hut, replace loge seating, add a new food and beverage point-of-sale system, and a new barbecue stand.

As a publicly-owned team, the Blue Bombers must report their financial information each year. The Roughriders are the CFL’s only other publicly-owned team, with the other seven being privately-owned.

“The Winnipeg Football Club has a strong history of financial stability,” said Miller. “We are the financial stewards of Princess Auto Stadium, committed to the ongoing investment in capital maintenance and improvements to ensure it remains the best stadium in the CFL and delivers the best fan experience in the country.”

The Blue Bombers hold the fourth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Winnipeg will play its first preseason game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, May 23 and its regular-season game against the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, June 5.

In 2025, Winnipeg finished fourth in the West Division standings with a 10-8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as the crossover team before losing the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes.