CFL Power Rankings: Where each team stands ahead of 2026 season

Kickoff for the 2026 CFL season is quickly approaching as teams have submitted their roster cuts while making final preparations for Week 1.

It's true that each franchise enters the year believing it has improved, yet not every club begins the season on equal footing. Some are looking to build on championship-calibre campaigns, while others are hoping a fresh start can help reverse their fortunes.

The standings in June rarely look the same by November, but with training camp and pre-season now complete, we have our first snapshot of where every team stands heading into the race for the 113th Grey Cup.

As always, these rankings are based on a combination of last season's results, off-season additions and departures, roster construction and each team's outlook entering Week 1.

1. Saskatchewan Roughriders

It's difficult to find a reason not to place Saskatchewan at the top of these rankings.

The Roughriders not only captured the Grey Cup last season, but they also managed to keep the foundation of their championship roster intact.

Trevor Harris finally got that Grey Cup title that he had eluded him, and he continues to be one of the CFL's most efficient quarterbacks. While Harris will turn 40 during the season, Saskatchewan has ensured its offence doesn't have to rely on its veteran quarterback to handle a big workload.

The Roughriders also possess one of the CFL's deepest defences, which takes pressure off the offence to have to put up a lot of points.

Right now, the biggest challenge will be handling the expectations that come with being defending champions. Every team in the league will view Saskatchewan as the measuring stick. Until somebody proves otherwise, however, the Riders remain the team to beat.

If Saskatchewan enters the season as the safest pick near the top of the rankings, the Lions might have the highest ceiling.

Quarterback Nathan Rourke remains one of the most impactful players in the CFL and gives the Lions a chance to compete with any team as long as he's performing to his potential.

The biggest question mark for the Lions entering 2026 isn't offence — it's whether the defence can reach another level.

B.C. made significant improvement during the second half, which helped fuel a deep playoff run and raised expectations entering this season. After giving up the third-most points in the league during the regular season, the question you have to ask is whether that late turnaround can carry over, or if it was simply a hot stretch at the right time.

Adding Darnell Sankey and Casey Sayles in free agency will certainly help on the defensive side of the ball as well.

The Lions look like a good bet to challenge Saskatchewan for first in the West.

3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

After reaching the Eastern Final last season, the Tiger-Cats enter 2026 with legitimate expectations of competing for first place in the division.

Bo Levi Mitchell showed that he can still perform at a high level, while Kenny Lawler remains the CFL's most dynamic offensive players. When healthy, Hamilton possesses one of the league's deepest receiving groups.

Unlike previous years, however, the conversation around Hamilton isn't solely focused on its ability to score points. The defence took meaningful steps forward last season and helped the club establish itself as a legitimate contender rather than simply an entertaining offensive team. That growth will need to continue if the Tiger-Cats hope to close the gap on Montreal and compete for a Grey Cup berth.

Health is worth monitoring early in the season, particularly with linebacker Wynton McManis and receiver Shemar Bridges dealing with injuries that will see them miss Week 1. If the Ticats can get them healthy and playing at their best when it matters most, they should stay near the top of these rankings all season.

The Alouettes enter 2026 in a position that should feel familiar.

Once again, they reached the Grey Cup last season playing a tough, physical brand of football that saw them come up short against the Roughriders.

After putting the league on notice, the spotlight now shifts fully to Davis Alexander.

The Alouettes starting quarterback has declared that he is fully healthy from his hamstring injury, which limited him last season and in the championship game.

Montreal's offence when Alexander was sidelined was below league average, and there's a reason he went 13-0 as a starter. His accuracy, strong arm and mobility put him among the league's best.

Defensively, replacing Sankey's production and leadership won't be easy. Yet this is an organization that has found ways to move forward even with key players moving on in the past.

The Alouettes still have a roster that will keep them competitive in the East, but whether it's enough to get them to a Grey Cup will be something to watch.

No team may have done more to improve its roster this off-season than the Edmonton Elks.

After several disappointing seasons, there is a growing belief that Edmonton is finally positioned to take a meaningful step forward. However, a slow start to their season in 2025 proved to be too much to overcome in a loaded West.

When the team decided to make Cody Fajardo the starting quarterback, its fortunes changed. However, this is an offence that struggled to put up yards and points, especially through the air.

Part of the issue has been the Elks' ability to keep their quarterback upright, as they allowed 52 sacks, the second-most in the league. General manager Ed Hervey made the offensive line a priority in the off-season, not only improving depth but the talent level as well.

It will help if Justin Rankin can continue to put up the production he did last season after leading the league with 1,726 yards from scrimmage. Edmonton also reunited receiver Austin Mack with Fajardo, hoping that he can rebound from an injury-riddled season and elevate the Elks' passing game.

The organization added Malik Carney to improve its edge-rushing ability and will have to hope for better health for the defensive line. The Elks were near the bottom in the league in sacks.

Of course, potential only goes so far. The Elks still need to prove they can translate an encouraging off-season into victories onto the field. But compared to where the organization stood this time a year ago, there is genuine reason for optimism.

A playoff push feels realistic, and if everything comes together, Edmonton could become one of the league's biggest surprises.

Ranking Calgary sixth might seem harsh for a team that won 11 games last season.

However, the reality is that the Stampeders are stuck in the CFL's deepest division and still have questions to answer before they can be considered a true Grey Cup contender.

Vernon Adams Jr. provided the shot in the arm Calgary desperately needed. The veteran quarterback brought a different dimension to Calgary's offence, stretching the field with his arm while helping guide the club back to relevance.

The defence also took a major step forward under co-ordinator Bob Slowik. The return of impact players such as Jaylon Hutchings, Folarin Orimolade, Clarence Hicks, Damon Webb and Adrian Greene gives Calgary one of the strongest defensive foundations in the league.

Hutchings should strengthen the front seven and help improve a defence that showed flashes of dominance.

The Stampeders are certainly capable of climbing these rankings, especially with a Grey Cup being played on home soil this November. The question isn't whether Calgary has enough talent to compete. The challenge is whether the Stampeders can replace key departures, continue generating takeaways at the same rate and find greater consistency against the elite teams in the West. If Adams can cut down on turnovers and the defence maintains last season's form, Calgary could quickly climb these rankings and emerge as a legitimate Grey Cup contender.

But until they prove they can consistently perform at a championship level, they remain in the bottom half.

The Blue Bombers might be the most difficult team to rank entering the season.

On one hand, this is still the core of a team that dominated the CFL for much of the past decade. Zach Collaros and Brady Oliveira are a proven dynamic duo, and head coach Mike O'Shea remains in the fold as the team was able to keep its core together once again.

However, last season showed that Winnipeg's window of contention could be closing after other teams took steps forward in the division. Question marks about the age of the roster remain, but the team did its best to remake the look of the lineup.

The addition of offensive lineman Jarell Broxton could prove to be a critical one. If Winnipeg is going to remain among the league's contenders, protecting Collaros and maintaining its physical identity will be essential.

Tommy Condell joined the team as the offensive co-ordinator, looking to get Collaros back on track after a tough season with injuries and production. Receivers Tim White and Canadian Tommy Nield should provide more dependable options for Collaros, who saw a dip following the departure of Lawler to Hamilton.

Winnipeg still has a tough defence to crack with Jonathan Moxey and Jake Ceresna added in the off-season, but the team will need Willie Jeferson to bounce back in a big way.

Many have tried to count out the Blue Bombers in the past, but they have earned the benefit of the doubt. However, entering Week 1, they feel less like the overwhelming favourite they once were and more like a veteran contender trying to prove it still belongs among the CFL's best.

The Argonauts begin 2026 facing more uncertainty than any other team.

After finishing 5-13 last season, Toronto enters a new era under head coach Mike Miller and is counting on Chad Kelly to rediscover the form that made him the league MOP in 2023.

If Kelly returns to his previous level, the Argonauts could quickly prove this ranking wrong.

The problem is that there are simply too many unanswered questions.

Toronto underwent significant change following last season's disappointing result and now faces the challenge of establishing a new identity. Defensively, veterans such as Adarius Pickett, Ralph Holley and DaShaun Amos will look to get the team back to the physical, opportunistic style that brought it success a few years ago.

There is talent on this roster, which is why Toronto's placement at No. 8 feels more like a reflection of uncertainty than a lack of ability. The Argonauts could rise quickly if things break their way. But with the team on a bye in Week 1 and having to overcome a difficult logistical schedule, no team has more to prove than the Double Blue.

The Ryan Dinwiddie era officially begins in Ottawa with cautious optimism and plenty of intrigue.

After a disappointing four-win season, the Redblacks underwent significant changes in an effort to reverse their fortunes. The biggest move came at quarterback, where Jake Maier gets a fresh opportunity after several up-and-down seasons in Calgary. Dinwiddie has built a reputation as one of the CFL's strongest offensive minds, and Ottawa is hoping that partnership can help unlock the best version of Maier.

Ottawa also addressed its defence by bringing in proven veterans such as A.J. Allen and C.J. Reavis, who should provide immediate help to a unit that struggled to consistently make game-changing plays last season.

While there are reasons to believe Ottawa will be more competitive, expectations should remain realistic — there is a significant difference between becoming respectable and becoming a contender. The early weeks of the season should provide a clearer indication of whether the Redblacks are truly heading in the right direction.