Football | 3/26/2026 1:15:00 PM

The OUA released its 2026 football schedule on Thursday afternoon, and for a fifth straight year, the York University Lions will kick off their season on home soil.

York is coming off a season in which they won their first season opener since 2016 with a 31-24 win over the McMaster Marauders and picked up their second consecutive Red & Blue Bowl victory – winning two of their first three games in a season for the first time since that 2016 season which included triumphs over the Waterloo Warriors and Windsor Lancers. Additionally, the Lions 28 points scored against the Western Mistangs were the most in a game against the perennial Yates Cup contenders since 1991 when they also put up 28.

The Lions enter 2026 looking to make a return to the postseason and earn their first 3+-win season since 2018.

York's full 2026 season schedule is detailed below:

• The Lions open up the season against the Ravens in the season opener in a rematch of arguably the most entertaining game of 2025, a 48-36 Carleton victory/

• The first road game of the season takes the Lions down to Western Alumni Stadium to battle the Mustangs in a rematch of senior night last season. This is the Lions first trip to London since the Week 4 of the 2018 season.

• York returns home to host the McMaster Marauders in Week 3. The Lions entertain McMaster for a second straight year, after the teams met to begin the 2025 season. That game saw former Marauder quarterback Keagan Hall led his new team to a season-opening 31-24 win over his former mates.

• After enjoying a bye in Week 4, the Lions head to Waterloo to battle the Laurier Golden Hawks. The teams meet for the first time since the 2022 season opener, and do battle for the first time at Knight-Newbrough Field at University Stadium for the first time since the opening game of the 2021 campaign.

• York closes out a two-game Western Ontario road swing in Windsor when they lock horns with the Lancers in Week 6. The two teams were non-combatants last season, with the last meeting coming at York Lions Stadium in Week 4 of the 2024 season. The Lions travel to Windsor for the first time since the 2023 season finale.

• The squad returns home in Week 7 to go head-to-head with the Ottawa Gee-Gees. This game is a rematch of head coach Dexter Janke's first OUA game in 2024, when the Lions hosted Ottawa to kick off a new era for the program on Aug. 31, 2024.

• York looks to retain Toronto bragging rights as they make the trip down Line 1 to tangle with the Toronto Varsity Blues in the 57th-annual Red & Blue Bowl. The Lions are 2-0 in the annual affair under Janke after a pair of thrilling victories – the latest a 33-32 overtime triumph on Sept. 6, Week 3 of last season. 

• The season comes to a close a week before Halloween when the Lions welcome the Waterloo Warriors to town on senior day. The game is a rematch of a heartbreaking 34-33 loss to the Warriors in Week 7 a season ago, and also of the Lions first win at York Lions Stadium, which came on Oct. 5, 2024. 

YORK 2026 SCHEDULE: 

Week 1: Aug. 29 vs. Carleton (1:00 pm) 

Week 2: Sept. 6 at Western (7:00 pm) 

Week 3: Sept. 12 vs. McMaster (1:00 pm) 

Week 4: BYE 

Week 5: Sept. 26 at Laurier (1:00 pm) 

Week 6: Oct. 3 at Windsor (7:00 pm) 

Week 7: Oct. 10 vs. Ottawa (1:00 pm) 

Week 8: Oct. 17 at Toronto (1:00 pm) 

Week 9: Oct. 24 vs. Waterloo (1:00 pm) 

To view the full OUA football schedule, click here.