McMahon Stadium Opens 2026 CFL Preseason With Calgary and Saskatchewan — Cfl+
The cfl+ preseason opens Monday, May 18, when Calgary hosts Saskatchewan at McMahon Stadium at 3:00 p.m. ET. The game does not count in the standings, but it gives both clubs their first real look at new players, position battles and quarterback usage ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Calgary Opens the Door
The Stampeders and Roughriders start the league’s exhibition slate at the same venue that will host the 113th Grey Cup in November. That makes McMahon Stadium the first stop on the road to a season that will stretch across five months before the championship stage returns to the same building.
Preseason football is where roster decisions start to sharpen. CFL.ca tracks every quarterback and how much they play during this stretch, which puts Tre Ford among the names to watch as teams sort out early usage and evaluate who can handle live snaps.
New Faces and Familiar Ones
The opener also serves as the first on-field test for players arriving in new uniforms, including A.J. Allen and Wynton McManis. Others enter with a known role and a different set of questions, such as AJ Ouellette, Vernon Adams Jr. and Jalen Philpot, all of whom fit into the broader preseason picture without changing the fact that the games remain about sorting the roster rather than the standings.
For fans, the practical part is simple: preseason games will be available on CFL+, TSN or RDS. That gives viewers a direct way to watch the first live look at how Calgary and Saskatchewan use the opener, and how the league begins to shape the 2026 season before the results start counting for real.
