The Waterloo Warriors will host the 2026 East-West Bowl
The Waterloo Warriors will host the 2026 East-West Bowl, May 9, at 12:30 PM (EDT) at Warrior Field.
The event features the top 107 Canadian university football players eligible for the 2027 CFL Draft as they look to showcase their skills to coaches, general managers, and personnel from the Canadian Football League. A minimum of three players in their third or fourth year from each of the 27 U SPORTS football programs will attend the game.
The event will also feature a virtual coaches clinic on April 11 and 12. New this year is the East-West Bowl Test the Best Combine-Camp, which gives high school football players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of all 27 U SPORTS football programs and will take place on May 8 at 5:00 PM.
This is the third consecutive year the event will be hosted by the University of Waterloo. 41 participants from the 2024 edition were selected in last year’s CFL draft. Of the 106 participants in the 2025 East-West Bowl, 76 were invited to this year’s CFL combines, the first of which also took place on Waterloo’s campus this past Friday, March 6.
This year, 12 All-Canadians and 25 Conference All-Stars were selected to participate.
The full rosters and coaching staffs will be announced at a later date.
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased for the game here.
There is a $1.00 service charge on purchasing tickets online.
Adult - $12, Senior (65+) - $8, Child (6-12) - $5, Child (5 & under) – Free, UWaterloo Alumni - $8, UWaterloo Student – Free, Non UWaterloo Student - $8
Admission for University of Waterloo students is free with a valid WatCard.
VIRTUAL COACHES CLINIC
This year, the East-West Bowl Coaches Clinic will be held virtually in advance of the event on April 11 and 12.
All amateur football coaches (minor, high school, OSFL, PSO’s, CJFL, U SPORTS) are invited to sign up for the event. The 20-coach lineup includes head coaches and front office executives from the CFL, U SPORTS head coaches, coordinators, and position coaches, all exploring different topics on leadership, player positional skill development, planning, sports psychology, team culture, and offensive/defensive systems.
Presenters Include:
Mike O’Shea – Head Coach – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Greg Marshall – Retired Head Coach – Western Mustangs, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and McMaster Marauders
Stefan Ptaszek – Head Coach – McMaster Marauders
Brad Collinson – Head Coach – Concordia Stingers
Kevin Regimbald – Head Coach – Sherbrooke Vert et Or
Darrell Adams – Head Coach – Toronto Varsity Blues
Cherif Nicolas – Head Coach – Bishop’s Gaiters
Joe Circelli – Offensive Coordinator – Windsor Lancers
Kelly Jeffrey – Offensive Coordinator – Mount Allison Mounties
Jon Svec – Defensive Coordinator – StFX X-Men
Sheldon Gray – Defensive Coordinator – Regina Rams
Matt Berry – Defensive Coordinator – Guelph Gryphons
Mike Daly – Special Teams Coordinator & Defensive Backs Coach – Laurier Golden Hawks
Sean Oleksewycz – Special Teams Coordinator & Recruiting Coordinator – Manitoba Bisons
Joe Cappiello – Defensive Line – Guelph Gryphons
Marc Glaude – Offensive Line & Mental Performance – McGill
Alex Lothian – Co-Pass Game Coordinator, Head of Recruiting – Carleton Ravens
Details:
Saturday, April 11th and Sunday, April 12th
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM each day
Registration Cost:
Live Clinic: $80.00 + HST
Live Clinic & Access to Replays for 30 days: $110.00 + HST
TEST THE BEST COMBINE-CAMP
High school football players can showcase their abilities to all 27 U SPORTS teams in a series of tests and competitive periods. This talent showcase will consist of multiple testing stations including the 40-yard dash, 5-10-5 Shuttle, L-Cone Drill, Broad Jump, and Vertical Jump test. After testing, there will be individual position group sessions followed by a competitive 1-on-1 period.
Details:
Friday, May 8th
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Warrior Field
Registration Cost:
$75 - includes a T-shirt and ticket to the East-West Bowl.