Ontario university football season set for nine weeks of regular-season action, followed by the road to the Yates Cup
ONTARIO — The Ontario University Athletics (OUA) has released its complete 2026 football schedule, with 11 programs set to compete across a 44-game regular season from August 29 through October 24.
The campaign features traditional rivalries, marquee matchups and several games carrying major playoff implications. The regular season will be followed by the OUA quarterfinals on October 31, semifinals on November 7 and the 118th Yates Cup on November 14.
The 2026 OUA football field includes Carleton, Guelph, Laurier, McMaster, Ottawa, Queen’s, Toronto, Waterloo, Western, Windsor and York. Each team will play eight regular-season games.
The Complete 2026 OUA Football Schedule
Saturday, August 29
- 1:00 p.m. — Carleton at York
- 1:00 p.m. — Ottawa at Waterloo
- 6:00 p.m. — Guelph at Laurier
- 7:00 p.m. — Windsor at McMaster
The opening Saturday immediately features several intriguing matchups. York begins its campaign at home against Carleton, while Waterloo hosts Ottawa. Laurier and Guelph renew their Highway 7 rivalry in a 6 p.m. kickoff, and McMaster welcomes Windsor under the lights at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Sunday, August 30
- 7:00 p.m. — Queen’s at Toronto
Queen’s opens its OUA schedule on the road against the Toronto Varsity Blues at Varsity Stadium.
Saturday, September 5
- 1:00 p.m. — Toronto at Ottawa
The Varsity Blues make their second straight road trip, visiting the Gee-Gees at Gee-Gees Field.
Sunday, September 6
- 1:00 p.m. — McMaster at Guelph
- 3:00 p.m. — Waterloo at Carleton
- 6:00 p.m. — Laurier at Windsor
- 7:00 p.m. — York at Western
The second weekend features four games, highlighted by Western’s home opener against York and McMaster’s visit to Guelph. Waterloo travels to Ottawa to meet Carleton, while Laurier heads to Windsor for a Sunday evening contest.
Saturday, September 12
- 1:00 p.m. — Carleton at Guelph
- 1:00 p.m. — Ottawa at Laurier
- 1:00 p.m. — McMaster at York
- 1:00 p.m. — Western at Windsor
- 5:00 p.m. — Waterloo at Queen’s
Five games highlight September 12, including three 1 p.m. Ontario kickoffs and an evening showdown in Kingston between Waterloo and Queen’s.
Saturday, September 19
- 1:00 p.m. — Guelph at Ottawa
- 1:00 p.m. — Laurier at McMaster
- 1:00 p.m. — Windsor at Waterloo
- 1:00 p.m. — Western at Toronto
- 1:00 p.m. — Queen’s at Carleton
The schedule delivers a five-game Saturday, including Laurier’s trip to Hamilton, Western’s visit to Toronto and Queen’s meeting Carleton in Ottawa.
Saturday, September 26
- 1:00 p.m. — Waterloo at Guelph
- 1:00 p.m. — York at Laurier
- 1:00 p.m. — Toronto at Windsor
- 1:00 p.m. — McMaster at Western
- 3:00 p.m. — Ottawa at Queen’s
Guelph’s annual Homecoming game highlights the weekend as the Gryphons host Waterloo. Laurier welcomes York for its Homecoming, while Ottawa travels to Queen’s for a 3 p.m. matchup.
Saturday, October 3
- 1:00 p.m. — Guelph at Toronto
- 1:00 p.m. — Queen’s at Western
- 1:00 p.m. — Laurier at Waterloo
- 7:00 p.m. — York at Windsor
October begins with four games, including the Battle of Waterloo between Laurier and Waterloo and a 7 p.m. matchup between York and Windsor.
Sunday, October 4 — Panda Game
- 12:00 p.m. — Carleton vs. Ottawa at TD Place
One of the biggest dates on the OUA calendar arrives in Ottawa as Carleton and Ottawa meet in the 2026 Panda Game at TD Place. Carleton is designated as the away team for the neutral-site rivalry game.
Friday, October 9
- 12:00 p.m. — Toronto at McMaster
The Varsity Blues travel to Ron Joyce Stadium for a Friday afternoon matchup with the Marauders.
Saturday, October 10
- 1:00 p.m. — Ottawa at York
- 3:00 p.m. — Windsor at Queen’s
- 4:00 p.m. — Western at Carleton
Thanksgiving weekend features three games, including Western’s visit to Carleton and Windsor’s trip to Kingston.
Saturday, October 17
- 1:00 p.m. — Carleton at Laurier
- 1:00 p.m. — Western at Ottawa
- 1:00 p.m. — Guelph at Queen’s
- 1:00 p.m. — York at Toronto
- 1:00 p.m. — McMaster at Waterloo
With the regular season entering its final stretch, five games take place on October 17. The slate includes the annual Red & Blue Bowl between York and Toronto, along with Guelph’s visit to Queen’s and McMaster’s trip to Waterloo.
Saturday, October 24 — Regular-Season Finale
- 1:00 p.m. — Laurier at Western
- 1:00 p.m. — Queen’s at McMaster
- 1:00 p.m. — Toronto at Carleton
- 1:00 p.m. — Windsor at Guelph
- 1:00 p.m. — Waterloo at York
The 2026 regular season concludes with five games on October 24. Laurier travels to Western, Queen’s visits McMaster and Toronto heads to Carleton, while Windsor and Waterloo close their regular seasons against Guelph and York, respectively.
Road to the Yates Cup
Once the 44-game regular season concludes, the OUA playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 31 with the conference quarterfinals.
The semifinals follow on November 7, before the conference championship game — the 118th Yates Cup — is played on November 14.
The OUA champion is then scheduled to host the Mitchell Bowl on November 21 against the Atlantic University Sport champion. The national season concludes with the 61st Vanier Cup on November 28 at TELUS-Université Laval Stadium in Québec City.
A Season Loaded With Rivalries
The 2026 schedule offers plenty for OUA football fans to circle on the calendar. The Panda Game returns to TD Place, York and Toronto meet in the Red & Blue Bowl, Laurier and Waterloo renew the Battle of Waterloo, and Guelph’s Homecoming matchup with Waterloo provides another major early-season event.
With 44 regular-season games packed into nine weeks, the race for playoff positioning should intensify quickly. By the time October 24 arrives, every result will have helped shape the road to the Yates Cup.
The 2026 OUA football season kicks off August 29.
Schedule compiled from the official OUA schedule and 2026 schedules published by OUA member universities.
