Calgary's Stampeders miss the playoffs and watch the Grey Cup from outside their own home party

The Calgary Stampeders finished their 2026 regular season at 9-9 and missed the playoffs, a result that stings even more with the Grey Cup set for Nov. 15 at McMahon Stadium.

The door closed Friday night. The Stampeders needed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to lose to make the playoffs, and the Bombers beat host BC Lions 34-10 instead. Calgary had lost to Winnipeg 33-28 a week earlier, and the BC Lions had rested key starters in that game.

Head coach and GM Dave Dickenson said it was a tough night. "I'm just disappointed that we couldn't keep playing," he told reporters. Defensive leader Marquel Lee called it "disappointing," and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. said the team has to "handle business earlier on in the season."

The season had real highs. Calgary won four of its final five games, and seven of its nine losses were decided by one score. Adams threw 36 touchdown passes with six interceptions, and the Stampeders' offence scored 632 points, the most in the CFL. Tyreik McAllister, in his debut year, had two return touchdowns and is a candidate for special teams player of the year. René Paredes kicked a career-long 62-yard field goal to beat the Ottawa Redblacks at the final whistle, the last game of his hall-of-fame career.

The team also loses free agent Jalen Philpot, who had more than 1,000 rushing and receiving yards this season. Dickenson said he was proud of the group. "I loved our group. They competed hard, they gave great effort, and they're good people."