112th Grey Cup Playoffs: Division Semifinals Recap

This past Saturday began the month November, and there was a lot going on in Canada. For one, the MLB season came to an end with Game Seven of the World Series in Toronto, and the earlier hours of November 1, 2025 saw the beginning of the 112th Grey Cup Playoffs, which will end in Winnipeg with the Grey Cup Championship. Speaking of Winnipeg, that's who kicked off this year's playoff, as they were the CFL's first crossover team in six years, and they were in Montréal, Quebec against the Alouettes in the Eastern Semifinal.

No crossover team has ever won the Grey Cup, and that would remain after this year's Eastern Semifinal. The Alouettes dominated the first half, going up 17-0 after the first quarter, and taking 25-8 lead into the half. It wasn't over quite yet, though. Winnipeg threatened a big comeback in the third, but it was too little, too late. The deficit was too insurmountable, and in the end, the Alouettes won, 42-33, meaning that for the first time since 2018, the Bombers will not be in the Grey Cup game. The Bombers being the crossover team guaranteed that the West would have a different representative, but their elimination ends a five-year-streak of appearing in the championship--a streak that saw them win back to back Cups in 2019 and 2021 (there was no 2020 season due to COVID), but they lost the last three.

Next up was the Western Semifinal in Vancouver, British Columbia between the BC Lions and the Calgary Stampeders, and in the years that I've watched the CFL and the Grey Cup Playoffs, I've noticed that the West games can be quite high scoring. This game was 3-3 after the first quarter, a surprisingly low-scoring start. However, the offensive explosion did occur later on, and when the dust settled, the Lions stood tall, winning 33-30 and ending the Stamps' aspirations. The Calgary Stampeders remain the last to represent the West in the Grey Cup before Winnipeg's streak, doing so in 2018 and defeating the Tiger-Cats.

The Division Finals is all set, and on Saturday, November 8, it will kick off with the Eastern Final in Hamilton, Ontario. This year, it's the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hosting the Montréal Alouettes for the right to represent the East in the 112th Grey Cup. Hamilton know the goal: to end the drought. They are the only team in the league to have not won the Grey Cup in this century; the TiCats' last championship came in 1999. They've been to the game quite a bit, the last time in 2021, but no go there. As for the Als, they are two years removed from their championship, and they are in the Eastern Final for the third straight year, sitting just two wins away from their ninth Grey Cup. The Tiger-Cats swept the season series from the Als this year.

The Western Final will take place in Regina, Saskatchewan, and feature the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the BC Lions--two teams with long Grey Cup droughts. The Riders exploded and won two-thirds of their games, coming off losing two-thirds of their games last year, yet they still made the playoffs. It's been a minute since the Riders won the whole thing. 2013 was their last championship; the very first Grey Cup game that I watched. BC's had a slightly longer wait. They have not won the Grey Cup since the number reached triple digits. The 99th Grey Cup in 2011 was British Columbia's last win, and they haven't been to the big game since then. The Riders won the season series from BC this year, though BC did win the last meeting in Week 21--but that was against a Riders' team who was resting players.

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The Division Finals will air on TSN in Canada, and on CFL+ (on the CFL website) for viewers outside of Canada. The 112th Grey Cup will take place on Sunday, November 16 in Winnipeg, and will feature the two winners from the Division Finals. That game will also air on TSN in Canada, but will also air on CBS Sports Network here in the United States, with viewers outside both countries being able to watch on CFL+. We are down to the Final Four in the Canadian Football League, and it will be interesting to see which two teams will be off to Winnipeg!