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Uni Watch 2025 Canadian Football League Uniform Preview (Part I)

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Good morning, Uni Watchers! It’s Friday — we made it.

The Canadian Football League kicked off last night. The 2025 CFL season is the 71st season of modern professional Canadian football. Officially, it is the 67th season of the Canadian Football League. Winnipeg is scheduled to host the 112th Grey Cup on November 16, 2025.

As he has done in the past, our Canadian University Uni Watcher Wade Heidt (for those of you who follow Sunday Morning Uni Watch) is back for another preview of the three-down, 110-yard-long game played up north. There’s a lot to get to, and as in years past, this will be split into two parts. Part I will look at the East Division, while Part II will cover the West.

I’ll turn it over to Wade right now. Enjoy!

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2025 CFL Uniform Preview (Part I)
by Wade Heidt

Oh my! It is that time. You know what time it is. Time for another season of professional Canadian football!

The Canadian Football League regular season started on June 5 with Ottawa visiting Saskatchewan. The rest of Week 1 will be played this weekend.

The CFL season is always an epic journey that starts in the summer heat and ends with the teams battling it out in the crisp, cold fall weather. All nine teams are driven with ambition to play in the 112th Grey Cup game on November 16 in Winnipeg. One should pack a toque, mitts, and a heavy winter jacket if going to the Grey Cup game this year. Better safe than sorry. In 1991, Winnipeg was the site of the coldest Grey Cup game ever played.

As with any season, there are some uniform changes. We will touch on some league-wide matters first.

  • New Era remains the uniform supplier. They have been the uniform supplier since 2019. Back then, it seemed unusual for New Era to be entrusted as the uniform outfitter for a pro football league. We knew them for their hats. However, I have no complaints about the fantastic job they have done to this point.
  • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada is September 30. For the first time in 2024, the league was able to get all nine teams on board. Only six of the nine teams had participated in 2023. Every team had Indigenous-themed team logos created by local Indigenous artists. All teams wore the logo on their helmets for at least one game in 2024. It feels quite certain the teams will wear Indigenous-themed logos on the helmets at least one game again this season.
  • The CFL abolished the one-shell helmet rule in 2024. Yet, there was no helmet addition free-for-all. Only the Saskatchewan Roughriders added a second helmet with a different colour shell. The darker Obsidian green helmet for the Rider Nation alternates. At the time of publication, the Riders remain the only team still. Interesting to see if this changes during the season.

The power has been fired up at Uni Watch Canadian Football Headquarters! Let’s take a look at what’s new (and the same) for what the teams are wearing on the Canadian gridiron in 2025.

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East Division

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

Like I said last season, the Ticats enjoy having a little mystery and intrigue with their uniform affairs. It appears the team may continue an unusual uniform practice. They have done it for two seasons now. The team wears yellow pants with black stripes and black pants with yellow stripes as seen above. Hamilton will also randomly wear yellow pants with no stripes and black pants with no stripes.

I would guess this uniform practice will continue based on the following evidence from this season. The Tabbies wore black pants with yellow stripes in the TSN preseason media shoot, then wore the solid black pants in the preseason games.

The Tiger-Cats usually wear white pants on the road one time a season (seems like only when they visit Vancouver). No guarantee we will see the white pants this year but I wouldn’t rule it out.

And then more mystery and intrigue…

Hamilton posted their uniform schedule on social media. It hints there will be a yellow jersey primarily worn at home this season. There have been no leaks or mention of a yellow jersey before this. From the graphic, it appears the jersey will have four black stripes on the sleeves and will be the reverse of the black jerseys.

Though it feels odd that Hamilton would not wear primarily the black jerseys at home, this isn’t unprecedented. The Tiger-Cats had worn primarily yellow jerseys at home in the 1950s. It was the only colour jersey they wore in 1953.

The Made in The Hammer grey alternate uniforms will be back for two games. One of the games on the road. They have been worn often in colour vs. colour games. I respect the detail in the logo for this uniform. The negative space in the “H’ forming sledgehammers.

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MONTREAL ALOUETTES

No new uniform news coming out of Montreal. Expect to see mono-navy at home. I imagine we will see both navy and white pants on the road. The red alternate is likely to be used as well.

The current logo was introduced in 2019. It was an upgrade from the prior cartoony logo. The logo now is brilliant because it is simple, yet can be interpreted in many ways. Is it a Royal Canadian Air Force Alouette Squadron fighter jet? Is it a skylark soaring in the air? It is definitely an “M”. It is also a perfect logo for fans to paint on their face WWE Ultimate Warrior-style!

The Als mix-and-match with pants on the road. I wish they would consider doing so at home and wear navy over white.

We did get to see navy over white in 2024 with the 1974 throwback-style uniform. Loved this look for a game. Montreal even mixed the white throwback pants in with their regular road jerseys for a game.

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OTTAWA REDBLACKS

There are no new uniform changes this year to report out of the nation’s capital. The Redblacks redesigned only their home uniforms last season. Before that, they had redesigned only their road uniforms while keeping the previous home look.

This has led to the trend of the Redblacks having an inconsistent uniform look at home and on the road. Including wearing different sets of decals on the black helmets at home compared to on the road. The team does embrace this, it appears. Each end zone features the notched R logo with and without the saw blade.

I appreciate the Redblacks incorporating plaid into their team identity but I would like to see the road uniform be redesigned to have a consistent look with the new home uniform. Though the road and alternate helmet is the original Redbacks lid, I prefer the newer home one. It has the stiping and is a modern take of the look worn by the old Ottawa Rough Riders.

The Redblacks started to wear the black pants more frequently on the road. Expect we will see the same and a sprinkling of the red alternate uniforms.

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TORONTO ARGONAUTS

The defending Grey Cup champion Argos will stick with the winning look. Nothing new has been announced for the uniforms.

We again expect to see a lot of mix-and-match from the Double Blue. They love to do this. The Boatmen have three sets of pants and socks in Oxford blue, Cambridge blue, and white. Creates so many uniform combo options.

Surprised still to not see an alternate Oxford blue jersey make its way into the uniform set. I think it would be a superb look with the Cambridge blue helmets and white pants.

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Super excited for the season to start! Looking forward to seeing uniform changes the future holds.

Unfortunately, I am not going to the Grey Cup in person this year. Though pretty pumped about attending the BC Lions home opener on June 7. Will get to see the new BC and Edmonton uniforms changes in action! Well, it will be more exciting as there is expected to be a sellout crowd of over 50,000 because Snoop Dogg will be playing a pregame concert.

Also, I already have plans to travel to my OG hometown in mid-September to see the Saskatchewan Roughriders play at home. Let the fun begin!

• • • • •
Thanks, Wade — fantastic rundown/preview! And we’ll be back with Part II shortly.

Readers? What say you?

 

 
  
 

Guess the Game from the Scoreboard

Guess The Game…

…From The Scoreboard

Today’s scoreboard comes from Ward Christopher.

The premise of the game (GTGFTS) is simple: I’ll post a scoreboard and you guys simply identify the game depicted. In the past, I don’t know if I’ve ever completely stumped you (some are easier than others).

Here’s the Scoreboard. In the comments below, try to identify the game (date and location, as well as final score). If anything noteworthy occurred during the game, please add that in (and if you were AT the game, well bonus points for you!):

Please continue sending these in! You’re welcome to send me any scoreboard photos (with answers please), and I’ll keep running them.

 

 

Guess the Game from the Uniform


Based on the suggestion of long-time reader/contributor Jimmy Corcoran, we’ve introduced a new “game” on Uni Watch, which is similar to the popular “Guess the Game from the Scoreboard” (GTGFTS), only this one asked readers to identify the game based on the uniforms worn by teams.

Like GTGFTS, readers will be asked to guess the date, location and final score of the game from the clues provided in the photo. Sometimes the game should be somewhat easy to ascertain, while in other instances, it might be quite difficult. There will usually be a visual clue (something odd or unique to one or both of the uniforms) that will make a positive identification of one and only one game possible. Other times, there may be something significant about the game in question, like the last time a particular uniform was ever worn (one of Jimmy’s original suggestions). It’s up to YOU to figure out the game and date.

Today’s GTGFTU comes from Jimmer Vilk.

Good luck and please post your guess/answer in the comments below.

 

 

And finally...

…that’s going to do it for the early article. Big double-plus-thanks to Wade for the tremendous CFL uniform preview, and it’s just the beginning. Part II will run shortly.

I hope everyone has a good Friday and a better weekend. Anthony will take you through till Monday, when I will catch you again.

Peace,

PH

Comments (17)

    The clue i’m goimg by is Tenn 10 at Jax 3, only one final score existed like that in their teams playing history. Therefore i’ll go with Vikes 24, Falcons 3, Sept 9, 2007 opening day at HHH Metrodome.
    The late Tarvaris Jackson in his first full season as starter with Vikes.

    GTGFTS: 9 Sep 2007, Week 1, Falcons 3 – 24 Vikings.
    The Titans-Jags game seen in the scoreboard would end 13-10.

    GTGFTU: June 22, 2014. Belgium beats Russia in group play during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Origi puts in the only goal in the 88th minute to defeat Russia and Belgium moves on to the round of 16.

    As a Seattle resident I like keeping up to date with the CFL uni story so I can banter with my Canadian friends!

    I’m confused by the Argos’ pant stripe.

    Is that supposed to be a sword? Or something abstract? Anyone know?

    I think I remember reading it’s supposed to be an oar, like you would see sticking out from a galley ship.

    Yes, it is supposed to represent an oar. Oars on the shoulder design too.

    Way, way back in the 1870s, the Toronto Argonauts were a rowing club that took up rugby-football to keep fit in the summer. Ties in with the club identity. I would prefer they went back to more normal looking pant stripes

    I miss the Ti-Cats wearing yellow lids, and that Als throwback is one of my favorite uni sets ever.

    Thanks for the CFL preview, Wade!

    Thanks Eric! 1974 Als throwback was nice. I also enjoyed the Als’ red and white 1960s throwbacks worn in 2009 and 1970s throwbacks (with the royal blue) in 2010.

    The Tiger-Cats belong in the yellow helmets. Hoping we see them again real soon, at least as an alternate. We haven’t seen everything that will be new this year with the Ticats.

    I love the CFL, but really don’t like the Argo’s light blue lids. The navy ones look much better IMHO.

    In an ideal world (or at least an ideal Canada), the Argos would wear dark helmets and the Ti-Cats would wear the yellow/gold. Such a wonderful contrast.
    link
    Thanks, Wade!

    With no more one-shell rule, this could be a possibility sometime soon. We will see what the future holds.

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