CFL releases 2022 schedule; Riders to open at home against Hamilton

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ journey to play in a Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium will begin in Regina on June 11.

The CFL released its 2022 schedule Thursday and all nine CFL teams will try to make their way to the Nov. 20 Grey Cup game in Regina.

The 2022 CFL schedule is currently set to return to an 18-game season after a reduced 14-game slate in 2021.

The Riders will play in two pre-season games — May 23 at home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and then on the road against the B.C. Lions on June 3.

Then the Green and White will play their first regular-season game on June 11, when they play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Riders will have an even split between road and away games with nine apiece.

Saskatchewan will play three games against each of Winnipeg, B.C., and the Edmonton Elks. There is only one game against the Ottawa Redblacks on the schedule (at Mosaic Stadium on July 8). The Riders will play the other CFL teams — the Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes, Toronto Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders — twice.

The Riders are to play the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic on Sept. 4 and then in the Banjo Bowl a week later. Just a few weeks after that, the Riders will once again be in Winnipeg for a Sept. 30 game.

Saskatchewan won’t face the Stamps until the final two weeks of the regular season, where the clubs will meet in back-to-back weeks.

The Riders have seven meetings against CFL East Division teams compared to 11 West Division showdowns.

Six of the Riders’ first seven games will be against East Division opponents.

With the return to the 21-week schedule, the Riders will have three bye weeks — weeks 9, 16 and 19.