The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will square off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at home to kick of the 2023 CFL season.
The Canadian Football League unveiled the upcoming season’s schedule Tuesday, and the Bombers’ first regular season game is slated for June 9.
The home opener is one of three Friday night home games scheduled for the Bombers throughout the regular season, including a July 7 matchup against the Calgary Stampeders and a Sept. 29 game against the Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts.
“We know our fans really enjoy summer nights at IG Field, and we certainly have plenty of those coming up this summer,” said Bomber president and CEO Wade Miller in a release.
“The atmosphere at IG Field in 2022 was unmatched and we cannot wait to see all of our fans return to form come June.”
The Bombers will take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina for their second game before coming back to Winnipeg to take on the B.C. Lions June 22.
The annual Labour Day Classic and Banjo Bowl games will be played Sept. 3 in Regina and Sept. 9 in Winnipeg.
The CFL released its 2023 season schedule on Tuesday, with a bit of a twist.
For the first time since 2008, divisional playoff games are set to be played on Saturdays, with the semifinals taking place on Nov. 4 before the divisional finals go Nov. 11.
In addition, the league has reduced the number of times teams host games in consecutive weeks and halved the instances of teams playing back-to-back games against the same opponent.
The CFL regular season will begin June 8 with the B.C. Lions taking on the Stampeders in Calgary in a Thursday night matchup.
The league will honour Canada’s 156th birthday with a Canada Day matchup with Montreal hosting Winnipeg.
Season tickets and flex packs for the Bombers’ 2023 regular season are available online or by calling 204-784-7448.
— with files from The Canadian Press