It will be the sixth time McMahon Stadium has hosted the game.
The Canadian Football League Grey Cup championship game takes place in Calgary, Alberta on November 15th. It will be a matchup between the Edmonton Elks and the Montréal Alouettes. The Grey Cup has been around since 1910. The stadium may be hosting its last Grey Cup game. McMahon Stadium, which opened on August 15th, 1960, is a 1960 stadium built for just watching a football game and maybe a halftime show. The stadium has permanent seats with backs and some long metal and aluminum benches that were fine in the 1960s but doesn’t cut it in 2026. McMahon Stadium is a throwback to when fans showed up to just watch a game. What to do with the stadium, which is hosting its sixth Grey Cup championship game is becoming a topic of conversation.
Calgary and Alberta politicians are investing loonies into a new arena for the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames’ ownership group. Those politicians are facing a new financial question. How do we go about replacing the stadium which is used by the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders franchise along with the Calgary Stampede and a low-level women’s minor league soccer team. The Calgary Stampeders’ ownership wants a new venue. “Our life here at McMahon has to change and it has to change quickly,” Stampeders franchise President Jay McNeil said. “Fans’ expectations for what an experience is on game day, whether it’s football, hockey, or baseball, it is significantly higher than what it used to be. They want premium standing room only where they can be a community with others. They want different types of seating, and McMahon offers none of that. It makes it a challenge for us as we try to sell tickets, try to grow our business.” The Calgary stadium game has begun.
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