CFL moves up regular season start to Victoria Day weekend beginning 2027

Photo: Timothy Matwey/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Forget about hot girl summer or the summer of love; summer will be all about the Canadian Football League beginning in 2027.

The CFL has formally announced plans to move up its season start date going forward, tying the opening kickoff to Victoria Day weekend for future seasons. That will allow more games to be played in warmer months, which have been the most profitable for the league and the most enjoyable for fans.

“All summer long, the CFL will be front and centre — exactly where it belongs,” commissioner Stewart Johnston said in a statement. “We’re establishing CFL long weekends, from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving, to create can’t-miss events for fans in the stadium and those watching at home.”

Victoria Day long weekend is the last weekend before May 25 every year. In addition to anchoring the first games of the regular season to the Canadian stat holiday and the unofficial start of summer, other long weekends will be used as tentpole events throughout the remainder of the regular season, culminating in the final week of the regular season being played on Thanksgiving weekend.

As a result, the CFL playoffs will take place earlier in the fall, with the Grey Cup wrapping up the season on November 7. The league also announced a new postseason format on Tuesday, which will add four additional playoff games. The league worked closely with the CFLPA to integrate the new structure into the existing collective bargaining agreement. Both sides signed off on the changes.

The changes will see CFL training camps open on Saturday, April 24 next year. The Canadian Draft and Global Draft will take place on April 13 and 14, respectively, several weeks before their NFL counterpart. Teams will be forced to make their selections without knowing where players have landed south of the border, and any player pursuing NFL rookie mini-camp opportunities could miss a significant portion of training camp.

The 2026 season is unaffected by these announcements, with training camps slated to open around the league on Sunday, May 10. The Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats open the regular season on Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. EDT

2027 key dates

CFL Invitational Combine | February 26

CFL Combine | Week of March 15

Canadian Draft | April 13

Global Draft | April 14

Rookie camp opens | April 21

Training camp opens | April 24

Week 1 | Victoria Day weekend

Week 6 | Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day/Fête nationale du Québec (Que.)

Week 7 | Canada Day weekend

Week 11 | August long weekend (Civic Holiday)

Week 16 | Labour Day weekend

Week 21 | Thanksgiving weekend