What to watch this weekend in Canadian sports
CBC
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Football: Winnipeg and Toronto play for the Grey Cup
A lot of signs point to the Blue Bombers winning their third CFL championship since 2019 on Sunday in Vancouver. They have the experience (this is Winnipeg's fifth consecutive Grey Cup appearance), they have the best player in the league (hometown running back Brady Oliveira won the Most Outstanding Player award last night) and they have the top-rated defence. They're also favoured by nine points, implying about an 80 per cent chance of winning.
But the Bombers have been burned before. Toronto and Montreal upset them in the last two Grey Cups, and another defeat on Sunday would make Winnipeg the first team in 68 years to lose three in a row.
The Argos have a real shot here if their league-best pass rush can disrupt Winnipeg's two-time MOP quarterback Zach Collaros. But Toronto's hopes of pulling off another stunner might rest on an unproven backup QB.
Nick Arbuckle did his job last week after starter Chad Kelly went down with a broken ankle late in the East final, helping the Argos seal their upset of Grey Cup champion Montreal. But can he step up against the CFL's best defence on the brightest stage in Canadian football? We'll find out Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
WATCH | Grey Cup, Billie Jean King Cup headline this weekend in Canadian sports:
If you missed yesterday's newsletter, here's our full Grey Cup preview.
It's also a big weekend for Canadian university football as the Vanier Cup matchup will be decided in Saturday's national semifinals. Second-ranked Laurier visits No. 6 Bishop's in the Uteck Bowl at noon ET before No. 3 Laval visits unranked Regina in the Mitchell Bowl at 3 p.m. ET. Laval took out Vanier Cup champion Montreal, the top-ranked team in the country, in last week's Quebec conference final. Watch both bowl games live on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
The best NFL matchup of the week sees Kansas City (9-0) visit rival Buffalo (8-2) for a clash of top Super Bowl contenders. What's the Canadian connection? Well, Taylor Swift opened her run of Toronto concerts last night and has Sunday off. So she's expected to make the short trip down to Orchard Park, N.Y., to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce play the Bills. Here's a look at Swift's place in sports from Shireen Ahmed.
Tennis: Canada defends the Billie Jean King Cup
A year ago, Canada won this event (formerly known as the Fed Cup) for the first time in its 60-year history. Leylah Fernandez was the MVP of the 12-team Finals, winning all four of her singles matches and teaming with Gabriela Dabrowski for a do-or-die doubles victory in the semis. Unknown teenager Marina Stakusic was terrific too, going 3-1 in singles. All three players are back along with Rebecca Marino, who was on the team last year but didn't see the court.
This year's Finals are taking place in Malaga, Spain. Each matchup (or "tie") consists of two singles matches followed by a doubles decider if necessary.
Canada received a bye to the quarterfinals, where it will face the winner of today's first-round matchup between Germany and Great Britain on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Watch live on CBC Sports' streaming platforms.
