'This year is our year': Ticats fans say 27

'This year is our year': Ticats fans say 27-year Grey Cup drought ends this season

Tiger-Cats lose season-opener against Montreal

It's been 27 years since the Hamilton Tiger-Cats lifted the Grey Cup, the longest active championship drought in the CFL.

"I'm massively confident," said 22-year-old Zach Jansons, who has been attending games since childhood. "We got Bo Levi — that's an MVP right there."

Optimism was running high Thursday night at the team's season-opener at Hamilton Stadium despite the game ending in a 30-27 loss to Montreal.

"A Grey Cup's coming, baby. It's been too long."

Hamilton enters the season with much of the core that helped the club post an 11-7 record in 2025. Veteran quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell returns after leading the CFL in passing yards and touchdowns last season, while star receiver Kenny Lawler signed a three-year contract extension last week.

The club also added linebacker Wynton McManis, receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and quarterback Tre Ford, from Niagara Falls, Ont., in the offseason.

For Francesco Citino, a season-ticket holder who said he has supported the Tiger-Cats for as long as he can remember, that combination is reason enough to believe in this team.

"I would say an eight out of 10," he said when asked about his confidence level heading into the season.

But there's unfinished business.

Hamilton's 2025 season ended one game short of the Grey Cup with a 19-16 loss to Montreal in the East Final, making Thursday's opener against the Alouettes an immediate reminder of what slipped away.

"Honestly, that was probably as devastated as I've ever been after a loss," Citino said. "I'm excited for some redemption this year."

The 2026 season also begins with several CFL rule changes.

Among the most significant is a new 35-second play clock, replacing the previous 20-second clock for most of the game before reverting to 20 seconds during the final three minutes of each half.

The league has also eliminated regular-season ties, meaning teams will continue with alternating two-point conversion attempts if they remain deadlocked after overtime mini-games.

Fans at Hamilton Stadium generally welcomed the changes.

"I like them all," Jansons said. "I think it'll be great for the flow of the game."

"I'm not really sure what they're getting with the new play clock," he said.

Both fans supported the league's decision to eliminate ties.

"Nobody likes a tie," Citino said.

Other changes this season include automatic replay reviews on turnovers on downs and team benches being placed on opposite sides of the field.

Can the CFL attract younger fans?

Whether it's die hard fans or casual viewers, some say changes to the game means the league is looking at ways to grow its fanbase.

Jay Morgan, attending Thursday's opener, said the atmosphere around the Tiger-Cats remains one of the league's strengths.

"It's electric," Morgan said. "These Hamilton fans, they do not play about the Ticats."

Morgan said football continues to grow in popularity across Canada and pointed to increasing participation among women and girls as a positive sign for the sport's future.

"I think they're always going to have fans," Morgan said.

Others said the league's willingness to adjust rules and experiment with the game could help attract new viewers while preserving the CFL's distinct identity.

"I think it's still our game," Jansons said.

Despite more than a quarter-century without a Grey Cup title, some fans say they could never turn their back on their team.

"This is our team, baby," Jansons said. "I'll never stop supporting. We could go another 50 years. I'll still be here."

Citino said he'll be there too.

"It's just going to taste so much sweeter if you sit through all the years of hardship," he said.

What would it mean if the Tiger-Cats were crowned Grey Cup champions?

"Oh, I would certainly cry," Citino said.

And Jansons said "that would mean the world. This year is our year."

Jeffery is a reporter with CBC Hamilton. He previously worked as a reporter at CBC Saskatchewan in Regina, and was an associate producer at CBC Toronto. You can reach him at jeffery.tram@cbc.ca.