The Vanier Cup is a post season university football championship game, used to determine the national champion in U Sports football. The game is the final for the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. In turn, the participating teams are determined by the winners of 4 bowl games: the Loney Bowl (AUS), Hardy Cup, Dunsmore Cup (RSEQ), and Yates Cup (OUA).
The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this game goes on to play against the Uteck Bowl champions for the Vanier Cup. The home of the Mitchell Bowl, as well as the two conference champions, changes each year on a rotating basis. The Mitchell Bowl was named after Douglas H. Mitchell, a former Canadian Football League commissioner and member of the National Hockey League board of governors.
The Uteck Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the easternmost of the two semifinal venues. The Uteck Bowl champion moves on to face the Mitchell Bowl champion for the Vanier Cup. It was named for Larry Uteck, a former professional football player and university coach who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2002.
The 2008 CIS football season began on August 23, 2008, and concluded with the 44th Vanier Cup national championship on November 22 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, with the Laval Rouge et Or winning their fifth championship. Twenty-seven universities across Canada compete in CIS football, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
The 44th Vanier Cup was played on November 22, 2008, at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, and decided the CIS Football champion for the 2008 season. The Laval Rouge et Or dominated the Western Mustangs to win the championship 44-21, en route to a perfect 12-0 season. The win gave Laval its fifth Vanier Cup in school history and its fourth in the last six years.
The 46th Vanier Cup took place on November 27, 2010, at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec, determining the CIS Football champions for 2010. The Laval Rouge et Or defeated the Calgary Dinos 29–2 to win their sixth national title in twelve years. Including the playoffs, the Rouge et Or won thirteen games, a single season record. Laval's defence held Calgary to 147 yards on offence; the Dinos' only points came on a conceded safety in the second quarter.
The 2012 Vanier Cup, the 48th edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on Friday, November 23, 2012 at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The game featured a rematch of the previous year's Vanier Cup game as the McMaster Marauders attempted to become repeat champions against the Laval Rouge et Or. This was the second time in Vanier Cup history that the same two teams played each other in consecutive years.
The 2014 CIS football season began on September 1, 2014 with ten Ontario University Athletics teams playing that day. The season concluded on November 29 with the 50th Vanier Cup championship at Molson Stadium in Montreal. This year, 27 university teams in Canada are scheduled to play Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
The 53rd Vanier Cup, the 2017 edition of the U Sports football championship, was held on November 25, 2017, at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. The defending champion Laval Rouge et Or made their 11th Vanier Cup appearance while the Western Mustangs made their nation-leading 13th appearance. This was a rematch of the 44th Vanier Cup which was won by Laval and also played in Hamilton. Western defeated Laval, 39–17, to win its first national championship since 1994.
The Laval Rouge et Or football team represents Laval University in Quebec City in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The program began its first regular season in 1996 and has quickly become one of the most successful programs in Canadian university football history. The Rouge et Or have won a record 12 Vanier Cup championships and their most recent victory occurred at the 59th Vanier Cup in 2024. They are also the only program to have played in four straight Vanier Cups and have a record of 12–2 in Vanier Cup games. The Rouge et Or have also won the Dunsmore Cup 17 times since 1999, demonstrating their historical dominance in their conference.
The Montreal Carabins football team represents the University of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Carabins program has been in operation since its resurrection in the 2002 football season and has established itself as a provincial and national powerhouse with five RSEQ conference championships and two national championships, in 2014 and 2023.
The 2017 U Sports football season began on August 25 with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men visiting the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Montreal Carabins visiting the Concordia Stingers in Montreal, Quebec. The season concluded on November 25 with the 53rd Vanier Cup championship at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. This season saw the first conference shift since 2001 with the Bishop's Gaiters moving from the Quebec Student Sport Federation to the Atlantic University Sport conference. 27 university teams in Canada participated in the newly re-branded U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football. The Western Mustangs defeated the Laval Rouge et Or, 39-17, to win their first Vanier Cup since 1994.
The 2018 U Sports football season began on August 24, 2018, with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men visiting the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Quebec Student Sport Federation teams played an hour later with the Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or and the McGill Redmen playing the Montreal Carabins. The Ontario University Athletics teams began play on August 25, 2018, and the Canada West teams opened their season one week later on August 31, 2018.
The 2019 U Sports football season began on August 23, 2019, with the Concordia Stingers hosting the Montreal Carabins in Montreal, Quebec. The Atlantic University Sport conference started play the following day and the Ontario University Athletics conference began play on August 25, 2019. The Canada West teams began play during the following weekend, on August 30, 2019. All 27 U Sports football teams played eight regular season games against opponents within the same conference.
The 2021 Vanier Cup, the 56th edition of the Canadian university football championship, was played on December 4, 2021, at Telus Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec. The OUA champion Western Mustangs defeated the Canada West champion Saskatchewan Huskies by a score of 27–21. The Mustangs made their U Sports–leading 15th Vanier Cup appearance and won their eighth championship. The Huskies made their tenth appearance in the title game, and first since 2006, but lost a record-tying seventh Vanier Cup game.
The 2021 U Sports football season began on August 28, 2021, with the Sherbrooke Vert et Or hosting the Montreal Carabins in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The Atlantic University Sport conference began play on September 17, 2021, and ten Ontario University Athletics teams opened their seasons on September 18, 2021. The Canada West conference began their regular season last with all six teams playing on September 25, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, all conferences except the RSEQ played six regular season games while the RSEQ played eight.
The 2022 Vanier Cup, the 57th edition of the U Sports Football Championship, took place on November 26, 2022 at Western Alumni Stadium in London, Ontario. The game determined the U Sports football national champion for the 2022 season.
The 2024 Vanier Cup was the 59th edition of the Canadian university football championship, held on November 23, 2024, at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ontario. It took place between the Uteck Bowl champions, the Laurier Golden Hawks and the Mitchell Bowl champions, the Laval Rouge et Or.
The 2025 Vanier Cup, the 60th edition of the Canadian university football championship, is scheduled for November 22, 2025 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The 2026 Vanier Cup, the 61st edition of the Canadian university football championship, is scheduled for fall 2026 at Telus Université Laval Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec.
