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January 16, 2025

A deeper dive into the 2025 Blue Bombers schedule

Winnipeg Blue Bombers' fans celebrate a touchdown against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the first half of CFL Banjo Bowl action in Winnipeg Saturday, September 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and their loyal fan base will spend the opening week of the 2025 Canadian Football League season squeezing into their recliners and plopping down on their sofas to play the role of couch potatoes.

The league finally unveiled its 2025 schedule on Thursday and the Blue Bombers not only have a Week 1 bye but will not be featured in a Grey Cup rematch with the Toronto Argonauts — as was the case a year ago in a championship sequel against the Montreal Alouettes — until late July.

Yes, following a May 24th preseason home against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and their final dress rehearsal in Regina on May 30th, the 2025 edition of the Blue Bombers will then have to wait almost two weeks before the curtain lifts on the regular season. So, circle Thursday, June 12th on your calendars with with the B.C. Lions paying a visit — one week after the Ottawa RedBlacks visit Saskatchewan to open the ’25 CFL campaign on June 5th.

 

The playoffs begin with the East and West Semifinals on Saturday, November 1st, followed by the divisional finals on November 8th. The 112th Grey Cup will be held Sunday, November 16th right here at Princess Auto Stadium with the Blue Bombers attempting to make a sixth straight appearance AND end a three-game championship losing skid.

The other notable nuggets from the Blue Bombers schedule:

  • There are four back-to-back/home-and-home matchups leading up to and including the annual Labour Day Classic/Banjo Bowl doubleheader — albeit one with an asterisk. Winnipeg hosts the Lions for the season opener and then is in Vancouver nine days later and then meets Calgary twice in a row, with a Week 6 bye for the Blue Bombers in between. That’s followed by two straight against the Argos on August 1st and 9th and then the longstanding doubleheader with the arch-rival Roughriders at the end of the summer.
  • The Blue Bombers were the last team to enjoy a bye week a year ago, but this season will have two of their three breaks before the season is even a third done with byes in Week 1 and Week 6. Winnipeg’s third and final bye will go in late September, or Week 18 on the schedule.
  • The Blue Bombers will have five home dates before mid-August and then twice in the final nine weeks of the season will be on the road for back-to-back dates — August 21st and 31st in Montreal and Saskatchewan and then September 12th and 20th in Hamilton and Ottawa.
  • The club will then have three of its final four games at Princess Auto Stadium with visits from Hamilton, Saskatchewan and Montreal.
  • Of the nine regular-season home days, three come on Thursday nights, three more on Friday and three Saturday afternoon matinees in the back chunk of the season — the Banjo Bowl on September 6th, a visit from the Tiger-Cats on September 27th and the finale against the Alouettes on October 25th.

Here’s a more detailed look at the Blue Bombers slate of regular-season games, after the preseason contests against the Roughriders (all times Central):

GAME 1 | vs B.C.

When: Thursday, June 12th, 7:30 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers dropped their home opener to Montreal a year ago, ending a four-game win streak in their home debuts dating back to 2019. Winnipeg is 5-5 in home openers since Mike O’Shea became head coach in 2014 — 4-1 in its last five.

GAME 2 | at B.C.

When: Saturday, June 21st, 6 p.m.

Notable: A number that says everything about the Blue Bombers run of recent years – Winnipeg was 7-3 against West Division opponents in 2024 and over the past four seasons is a remarkable 41-10 against divisional rivals.

GAME 3 | vs Edmonton

When: Thursday, June 26th, 7:30 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers have won 12 straight games against Edmonton, with their last loss coming in the 2018 regular-season finale in the Alberta capital when some starters were rested, and others had their snap counts limited with the playoffs looming.

The average margin of victory in that 12-game streak? A whopping 16.7 points.

GAME 4 | at Calgary

When: Thursday, July 3rd, 8 p.m.

Notable: Winnipeg is 11-3 in its last 14 games against the Stamps, including playoffs, since the start of 2019. That run includes a perfect 8-0 stretch at home and 3-3 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

GAME 5 | vs Calgary

When: Friday, July 18th, 7:30 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers led the CFL in attendance for the third straight season in 2024, averaging 31,196 fans per game. Since 2022 and including last year’s Western Final, the Blue Bombers have had 18 crowds of 30,000 or more. That total is more than all the other teams combined.

GAME 6 | at Toronto

When: Saturday, July 26th, 6 p.m.

Notable: BMO Field hasn’t been that kind to the Blue Bombers since the Argos vacated Rogers Centre and set up shop there in 2016, with the club sporting a 3-4 record at the venue including last year’s 16-14 loss in overtime.

GAME 7 | vs Toronto

When: Friday, August 1st, 7:30 p.m.

Notable: Duty obligates us to point this out, as painful as it will be for Blue Bomber loyalists — Winnipeg lost all three meetings against the Argos last year; 16-14 in OT in Toronto, 14-11 in Winnipeg in October and then 41-24 in the Grey Cup.

GAME 8 | at Calgary

When: Saturday, August 9th, 6 p.m.

Notable: This meeting marks the third time over a five-game span from July 3rd-August 9th that the Blue Bombers will face the Stamps. Winnipeg plays Calgary and Saskatchewan three times each this season, with a home-and-home against the other six rivals.

GAME 9 | vs Ottawa

When: Thursday, August 14th, 7:30 p.m.

Notable: Winnipeg is 62-24 in the regular season over the last five years, by far the best record in the CFL over that span (Toronto is second at 50-36). The RedBlacks, coming off a solid 9-8-1 season a year ago, but nonetheless have the worst overall record during that span at 23-62-1.

GAME 10 | at Montreal

When: Thursday, August 21st, 6:30 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers have won three straight in Montreal, including last year’s wacky 28-27 victory that clinched first place in the West Division. Winnipeg is a solid 7-3 in 10 trips to Montreal since O’Shea became boss.

GAME 11 | at Saskatchewan – The Labour Day Classic

When: Sunday, August 31st, 6 p.m.

Notable: Zach Collaros is 14-5 against the Roughriders as the Blue Bombers starting QB, including playoffs. And munch on these numbers: his TD-to-interception differential in those 19 games is a remarkable 35:8.

GAME 12 | vs Saskatchewan – The Banjo Bowl

When: Saturday, September 6th, 3 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers are 8-1 in the last nine Banjo Bowl games, are on a five-game winning streak in the featured event and lead the overall series since its inception 13-7.

GAME 13 | at Hamilton

When: Friday, September 12th, 6 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers ended a four-game regular-season losing streak in Hamilton — not including the 2021 Grey Cup win — with a 31-10 victory in Steeltown last October 4th. Winnipeg was 5-4 on the road in 2024, marking the fourth straight year it has posted a winning record away from home.

GAME 14 | at Ottawa

When: Saturday, September 20th, 2 p.m.

Notable: Winnipeg has lost its last two visits to the capital, falling 23-19 in a lightning-delayed contest a year ago and 31-28 in OT in 2023. Tight games like that are the norm for the Blue Bombers over the years in Ottawa, with Winnipeg winning 19-12 in 2022, 29-14 in 2019,40-32 in OT in 2018 and 33-30 on a last second Justin Medlock field goal in 2017.

GAME 15 | vs. Hamilton

When: Saturday, September 27th, 2 p.m.

Notable: Two-time rushing champion Brady Oliveira has 17 100-yard rushing games in his career and at least one against every CFL team. He has cracked the century mark against Hamilton four times in his career, matching his total against Edmonton as the most against any team.

GAME 16 | at Edmonton

When: Saturday, October 11th, 6 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers will head into Edmonton coming off their third and final bye of the regular season. The team heads into 2025 on an 11-game winning streak coming off a bye, including 3-0 a year ago. Consider this: entering the season the club holds a 18-4 record since 2015 after a bye week – best in the CFL over that span.

GAME 17 | vs. Saskatchewan

When: Friday, October 17th, 7 p.m.

Notable: The Blue Bombers enter this season with an eight-game home winning streak against Saskatchewan, which last won in Winnipeg in the 2018 Banjo Bowl.

GAME 18 | vs. Montreal

When: Saturday, October 25th, 2 p.m.

Notable: Winnipeg will complete its regular-season schedule with two straight at Princess Auto Stadium and three of its final four at home. The Blue Bombers have finished first in the division for four straight years. The last time the club finished first in its division for five straight years was from 1958-62.