CFL releases schedule for 2021 season

The CFL isn’t yet sure if it will have a 2021 season, but its optimistic outlook was reflected Friday in the release of a schedule.

The league issued what it’s calling its “comeback” schedule, featuring a full 21-week regular season.

The league didn’t play in 2020 due to COVID-19.

“Over the last several months, we have done a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to get ready for the Green and White to be back on the field for the 2021 season,” Saskatchewan Roughriders president-CEO Craig Reynolds said in a media release.

“This schedule reflects our ongoing plans to play football next year and how hopeful we are, with the help and guidance of our local health authorities, that our fans will be able to join us back home at Mosaic Stadium.”

The Roughriders are scheduled to play two pre-season games, one in Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers on May 28 and one at Mosaic Stadium against the Bombers on June 4.

The Green and White is to open the regular season June 12 in Edmonton before opening its home schedule June 19 against the Ottawa Redblacks.

Saskatchewan has one home game on a Thursday night (July 1 against the Calgary Stampeders), one on a Friday night (Oct. 8 versus the Toronto Argonauts) and one on a Sunday afternoon (Sept. 5 against Winnipeg, the annual Labour Day Classic).

The Roughriders also have six home games on Saturdays — June 19 against Ottawa, July 17 versus Edmonton, July 31 against Calgary, Aug. 14 versus the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Sept. 18 against the B.C. Lions, and Oct. 23 against the Montreal Alouettes.

Saskatchewan is to play three road games on Fridays and six on Saturdays. The Roughriders’ schedule alternates weekly between road and home games.

They’re to play three home-and-home series, one each with Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. A fourth home-and-home affair — with B.C. — is separated by one of Saskatchewan’s bye weeks.

The Roughriders are to be idle in weeks 11, 16 and 21.

The league has added another divisional matchup to each team’s schedule, meaning the Roughriders are to face Edmonton, Calgary and B.C. three times each and Winnipeg twice. As a result, Saskatchewan is to face Hamilton just once during the regular season.

Division semifinals are to be played Nov. 7, with division finals set for Nov. 14. The Grey Cup game is scheduled to be played at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on Nov. 21.

Roughriders season tickets are on sale to the public. Season-ticket prices for 2021 were frozen and the team is extending its early bird pricing until February.

The Roughriders’ schedule appears below.