09.12.2026 | Game Preview: VS Stampeders

The Edmonton Elks host the Calgary Stampeders in their annual Labour Day Classic rematch, at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday (5 p.m. MT).

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Catch the action live on TSN, 880 CHED and CFL+ The atmosphere will be electric for this Week 15 tilt, which comes just five days Edmonton rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat the Stampeders by a score of 38-28 at McMahon Stadium. “It’s a big deal in the province. It’s a big deal in both cities. It’s a big deal for everybody involved,” Elks coach Mark Kilam said. “For some fans that’s the only game that they go to, just because there’s so much tradition to it. But we took care of business down there, and we’re going to try to do the same up here.” The Elks sit atop the CFL West Division standings with a record of 9-3. Edmonton has an eight-point lead over the Stampeders, who are last in the division with a 5-7 mark. Running it Back Edmonton stunned the Stampeders on Labour Day, ending the game with 24 unanswered points. The Elks were trailing 25-7 late in the third quarter before outscoring Calgary 31-3 over the final 19 minutes. With such a short turnaround between the Labour Day Classic and rematch, there isn’t a lot of time for adjustments. Ultimately, it’s up to the players to strap up and do what they know best. “It’s a chess match, for sure. It’s a ‘what if’ game, and you kind of play all these scenarios through your head,” veteran Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “For me, in these back-to-backs, you just want to get back out there, you honestly just want to play, because you spend so much energy and thought into “what are they going to do?” and then you get to the game and it kind of just goes out the window.” Edmonton is looking to sweep the Labour Day Classic and rematch for the seventh time in club history. The Green and Gold most recently accomplished that feat in 2024, winning by scores of 35-20 at McMahon Stadium and 37-16 at home. Managing Momentum The Elks also staged a huge comeback in their game prior to the Labour Day Classic, rallying from a 16-point deficit to beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22-19 at Commonwealth Stadium in Week 12. With three consecutive victories, the Elks have the longest active win streak in the CFL. They’ve had two other three-game win streaks this season but are yet to reel off four wins in a row. “Momentum is a funny thing,” Kilam said. “It’s more about, we try to go 1-0 every week. We try to prepare ourselves to play winning football every week. You can say that’s cliché, (but) that’s literally how we control ourselves and that’s how the conversations go in our building.” Second Half Dominance In a remarkable display of three-phase dominance, the Elks have outscored the opposition 78-16 in the second half, including 48-6 during the fourth quarter, over their current win streak. However, the Elks has been outscored 43-24 during the first half over the last three games. Fajardo credits Edmonton’s defence for keeping the team in the game until the offence starts clicking. “When we put together four quarters, it’s going to be pretty fun to be a part of, because I personally think (in) our best game we’ve played three quarters, maybe three-and-a-half,” Fajardo said. “We have yet to see a four-quarter game offensively, and the challenge in the second half of the season is going to be finding a way to play four quarters as an offensive unit.” Concrete Castle of the North Going back to August 2025, Edmonton has won nine of its last 11 games at Commonwealth Stadium, or, as Kilam has dubbed it, the “Concrete Castle of the North.” “It’s just having that 1-0 mindset every single day in everything that you do, just trying to be great at it” said Elks linebacker Nick Anderson. “Trying to win and just go 1-0 each time you touch this field.” This season, the Elks are 5-1 at Commonwealth Stadium, which is the best home record in the West Division. Only the Montreal Alouettes, at 7-0, have a better record at home in the CFL. Playoff Possibilities With a win on Saturday, Edmonton will become the first team in the West Division to clinch a spot in the 2026 CFL Playoffs. The East Division-leading Alouettes punched their postseason ticket last week. Edmonton has not been to the playoffs since 2019, when the Green and Gold crossed over into the East Division and knocked off Montreal before falling to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final. “What a great opportunity for us here at home in front of our incredible fans,” said Fajardo. “An opportunity to clinch a playoff spot, which this organization has talked about all off-season. “There are so many implications in this game: clinching a playoff spot against your rival team at home in front of a great crowd. There’s a lot of reason to be playing football and be excited about it, so guys are going to be excited about this one.”