CF Montreal is on the verge of getting some good news.
The Quebec government is poised to green-light interior renovations for Olympic Stadium, according to multiple reports.
La Presse was first to report the news. The renovated stadium is expected to reopen in 2028.
The city’s MLS franchise has been pushing for interior renovations to the current 56,000-seat stadium with the league set to start playing winter games next season. A new roof was approved several years ago.
MLS commissioner Don Garber has said renovations of Olympic Stadium were critical to the club, which currently plays at outdoor Stade Saputo.
The CFL’s Montreal Alouettes left Olympic Stadium in 1998 to play at outdoor Molson Stadium in the city’s core on the McGill University campus.
Famously, a U2 concert at Olympic Stadium forced the Alouettes to play a 1997 playoff game at the more intimate Molson Stadium, which ended up being a big hit. The Als then decided to make the McGill facility their regular home.
While the Alouettes have not made any statement about potentially moving back, a renovated Olympic Stadium could be a good site for a Grey Cup.
The last Grey Cup in Montreal was played in 2008 at Olympic Stadium, where a crowd of 66,308 watched the Calgary Stampeders beat the Alouettes.
Olympic Stadium was originally built for the 1976 Summer Games along with MLB’s Montreal Expos.
The Toronto Blue Jays played several pre-season games at Olympic Stadium before the facility went out of use.