FIFA World Cup will make CFL schedule a mess in Vancouver and Toronto
Despite being a Canadian institution, it’s no secret that the CFL faces what seems like a constant uphill battle for relevance each year.
A way of life in some markets and an afterthought in others, the league entered a new phase on Thursday when Stewart Johnston was officially introduced as commissioner after leaving his gig as president of TSN earlier this month, taking over from the departed Randy Ambrosie.
One of the challenges that Johnston will face in his new role is the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will take over BC Place in Vancouver and BMO Field in Toronto, the home stadiums of the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts, respectively.
While the start date of the season is set for early June, as is tradition, home games will be a no-go in those two markets, causing the league to have to be creative in navigating the schedule for both the Lions and the Argonauts.
“I think the World Cup will have a significant impact on the schedule. I have not dug into it with the teams yet, but I certainly have had top-line conversations,” Johnston said. “Those thoughts are well in place on how to manage stadium blocks for an extended period of time.”
In addition to missing out on home games, team facilities at both stadiums are likely to be in use by visiting teams, with seven FIFA World Cup games scheduled for Vancouver and six for Toronto. Vancouver will host matches from June 13 through July 7, while Toronto has matches from June 12 to July 7.
The actual start date of the 2026 season is yet to be announced, though the Grey Cup date of Nov. 16, 2026, suggests that the league will otherwise run on a typical calendar.
Johnston didn’t delve into specifics, but possible ways of navigating the schedule include neutral site games in the teams’ training camp sites of Victoria and Guelph, or exploring other markets to temporarily relocate to. The 2026 schedule is also likely to include an extended road trip to start the year for both teams, with a bye week also expected early in the year to combat the added World Cup schedule.
The MLS, meanwhile, plans to take a pause during the World Cup, with many of its venues — and players — in use during that time period.
What else is the new CFL commissioner focused on?
While Johnston admitted that he didn’t necessarily know all the answers to the future of the CFL and its growth, he placed an increased emphasis on focusing on a younger audience, while also paying attention to growing the league’s digital brands.
“The number one priority of the office is to protect the integrity of game on the field. We’ve got to make sure that it is protected,” Johnston said in response to a question asked by Offside. “I want to look at all our decision-making through the lens of entertainment. And so as we think about our decision making, whether it’s rules or the way we market or how we use our digital content.”
The most popular clip ever on the CFL’s YouTube page is an infamous fumble at a goal line, followed by an ending that invoked a unique CFL rule that allowed multiple players on both teams to continuously punt the ball back and forth at the end of a game to try to score a single point via what’s known as a “rouge.”
“I think about those entertaining pieces and whatever makes a clip go viral, if fans are enjoying it, getting attention to it, creating fandom for players and teams. I think that’s a great thing,” Johnston added.
As for the CFL’s most famous unique rule, the new commissioner plans to keep it as a staple of the league.
“The rouge is here to stay in 2025,” Johnston said.