Winnipeg Blue Bombers looking to get back to dominant ways at home

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Not long ago, beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Princess Auto Stadium was virtually impossible.

From 2019 to 2025, the team went a remarkable 48-8 at home, playoffs included. It’s not only one of the best runs in CFL history but the history of professional football.

It’s not a coincidence that attendance spiked during this time. Winnipeg led the CFL in attendance for the first time ever in 2022, a trend that’s continued since. The team enjoyed its first-ever sold-out season in 2025 and crowds have remained strong this year at over 99 percent capacity.

The problem is that the team is 1-4 at home this season. The Blue Bombers are on pace to lose as many home games in 2026 as the previous six seasons combined.

“(Our home record is) unfortunate. I think all my teammates would say the same thing, too. We want to go out there and entertain, put on a show for the greatest fan base in the league. Honestly, they support us, they pack Princess Auto Stadium every single home game, they’re loud, and we just haven’t been good enough for them this year, so I think we all realize that,” said star running back Brady Oliveira.

“What is it going to take? I mean, we’ve been so dominant at home over the last number of years. We play a certain style of football, and I think we’ve definitely shown glimpses of it this year. We’ve just gotta be consistent. We’ve gotta find ways to finish, especially on offence, and score points. Halfway through the season, there’s still a lot of opportunities ahead.”

Franchise quarterback Zach Collaros appears set to return to the starting lineup this week, which could help the team’s fortunes. The 37-year-old sat out Winnipeg’s last four games due to a neck injury and the club went 2-2 in his absence, with both losses occurring at home.

“We have the greatest fans there is. One of the nice things about being out (of the lineup) is you get to be a part of that, and feel that adrenaline from a different vantage point, so that was really cool. There’s moments that I could think of during that stretch where, like, ‘Man, I understand why people love coming to these games.’ It’s amazing, our fans are the best,” said Collaros.

“For us, it’s just executing. It’s living in the moment, play to play. Finding joy in what you do in each and every play, and if you do make a mistake, if you don’t execute at your highest level, leave it right there and continue on the next play. I think that we have the right guys. I think that we’re a very talented group. On any given day when we go out there to execute, I’m very confident that we can win the game. I’ve felt that way since I got here, and I still feel that way.”

Winnipeg hasn’t had a losing record at home since 2016 but appear destined for one this year barring a striking turnaround. The team has yet to host the Montreal Alouettes or Saskatchewan Roughriders this season, which are the consensus top-two teams in the CFL.

For head coach Mike O’Shea, he’s not focused on where his team is playing, but how his team is playing.

“We’re not looking at home or away, we’re looking at how do we play our best football,” he said. “Wherever it is: this parking lot, a foreign country, it doesn’t matter. We’ve gotta play our best.”

The Ottawa Redblacks are scheduled to visit Winnipeg on Friday night as they remain in search of their first win this season at 0-8.

The two teams met in the nation’s capital in mid-July, where the Blue Bombers erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 36-34 in overtime. The Redblacks dropped five would-be interceptions in the game, letting Winnipeg off the hook in what was ultimately a sloppy effort.

With Ottawa still in search of its first victory, the Blue and Gold aren’t taking them likely.

“(We’re expecting) their best,” said O’Shea. “Against every team, you have to expect their best, and if you expect anything less, that’s the recipe for disaster.”

“You can’t look at their record,” said Oliveira. “At the end of the day, they’re professional football players, they’re getting coached, they’ve got family to feed, and they’ve gotta earn their paycheque.

“You’ve gotta expect everyone’s best, it’s professional football — I don’t care what your record is, they’re gonna come line up across you, they’re gonna try to beat you, they’re gonna try to hit you in the mouth, so you’ve gotta be prepared. It doesn’t matter what their record says.”

For the Blue Bombers, a win would get them back over .500 at the midway point of the season, while a loss would send fans home disappointed for a fifth time this year.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-4) will host the Ottawa Redblacks (0-8) at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday, August 14 with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Redblacks suffered a 42-20 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, while the Blue Bombers were on bye.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for 23 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa or 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.