The CFL is moving its schedule one week into 2027, a spokesman confirmed 3DownNation.
The changes were unveiled Monday as part of the announcement of the location of the 114th Gray Cup, which was awarded to Regina, Sask. The game will take place on Sunday, November 7, 2027 and will be the first Gray Cup ever.
“We chose November 7th. We moved the season earlier, it will start earlier. We are focused on the 2026 schedule. But yes, it will start earlier, a week earlier than it has been recently. 2026 is already in place, Calgary has had that date for a long time,” CFL commissioner Stuart Johnston said.
For 2025, rookie camps opened nationwide on May 7, with training camps beginning four days later on May 11. Pre-season training ran from 19 to 30 May, with the deadline for final squad cuts being 31 May. Then the regular season began on Thursday, June 5th when the Ottawa Redblacks visited the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
With everything moving up one week in 2027, that means rookie training camp is expected to begin in late April, with preseason training starting the second week of May. The regular season is also expected to begin in the last week of May, which could put an end to the league's long-used offseason slogan: “Is it June yet?”
There will be no changes to the 2026 schedule as the 113th Gray Cup takes place in Calgary, Alta. scheduled for Sunday, November 15, 2026, which corresponds to the 2025 date.
With files from SportsCage.com.
