Ben Major headlines officiating crew for Grey Cup contest Sunday

CALGARY — Ben Major will serve as the referee for the Grey Cup on Sunday.

The Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Elks will meet in the CFL championship game at McMahon Stadium.

Major will work his ninth Grey Cup.

His crew will consist of umpire Kyle Mikulik (first Grey Cup); down judge Andrew Wakefield (fourth Grey Cup); line judge Dan Mulvihill (second Grey Cup); side judge Pierre Laporte (third Grey Cup); back judge Iain Cropper (second Grey Cup); and field judge Jason Maggio (eighth Grey Cup).

The backup referee is Tim Kroeker (eighth Grey Cup). Ritchie Miller (seventh Grey Cup), Walt Hawrysh (third Grey Cup) and Chris Donaldson (first Grey Cup) are the backup officials.

The off-field officiating team will be replay official Dave Foxcroft, video official Andy Fantuz and supervisor, officiating Boris Velcic.

CFL ATTENDANCE DOWN: CFL attendance was down somewhat in 2026.

An average of 22,578 fans attended regular-season games this year, down 1.6 per cent from 2025 (22,942). But the Toronto Argonauts played three of their home games in Regina, Winnipeg and Hamilton due to the World Cup. But the B.C. Lions saw a boost of 13.9 per cent in their attendance even though they played twice at Kelowna, B.C.

Saskatchewan, Edmonton, and Montreal were all up at the turnstiles.

But during his state of the league address Friday, CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said game-day revenues increased by two per cent, the fourth straight year of growth. He added TV viewership in the 18- to 24-year-old demographic was up 16 per cent.

SPREAD THE WEALTH: The CFL hasn’t established its salary cap for 2027 but with the Toronto Argonauts signing quarterback Chad Kelly to a five-year extension worth over $1 million annually, the expectation is it will rise.

Trouble is, when the cap does increase, a large portion tends to go to quarterbacks. CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston would like to see everyone benefit.

“It’s my belief a rising ocean should raise all boats,” Johnston said during his state of the league address. “That should affect all players in our game.

“That should affect all operations teams at the club level, that, of course, deliver for our owners and ultimately give us the ability to invest in our communities.”

The CFL’s minimum salary is $70,000 and Johnston said discussions on possibly increasing that have been held with the CFL Players’ Association

“The minimums are outlined in the current CBA and the CBA expires at the end of 2028,” Johnston said. “We’ve had good discussions with the leadership at the CFLPA.

“All of us are aligned to try and figure out a way, whether it’s before the expiry of the current CBA or moving forward to increase or impact the minimum salaries.”

NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT: The CFL will adopt a new playoff format next year that will feature three rounds and eight of its nine teams making the post-season.

The first- and second-place teams in each division will play each other in divisional showdowns. The winners earn a bye to the semifinals and home-field advantage.

The losers will drop to a second round and host an elimination game. Meanwhile, the fifth- and sixth-place teams will host the seventh- and eighth-place squads for play-in contests.

The winners will advance to the second round against the divisional showdown losers.

The second-round winners will advance to the Grey Cup semifinals. The victorious squads of those contests will meet in the Grey Cup on Nov. 7 in Regina.

While the new format can result in a longer path to the Grey Cup for the last four teams, CFLPA executive director David Mackie likes the setup.

“We’ve got members that are very excited about it and some members that are indifferent but everyone is looking forward to 2027,” Mackie said during the CFLPA’s state of the league address Friday. “Ultimately it’s another opportunity to win a Grey Cup.

“That’s ultimately why these guys play the game, to win that final game and be here at this week.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

The Canadian Press