[5][6] 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 (Western had solely held the record with seven losses).

The 2021 game was scheduled one week later than originally intended in order to accommodate delays in the regular season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

In 2021, the Yates Cup Ontario championship team, the Western Mustangs, defeated the Atlantic conference's Loney Bowl championship team, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, by a score of 61–6 to win the Mitchell Bowl.

[5] The winners of the Canada West Hardy Trophy champion, Saskatchewan Huskies, defeated the Québec conference Dunsmore Cup champion, Montreal Carabins, in the Uteck Bowl with a last minute touchdown to win 14–10.