Upcoming season or competition: 2026 CBL season | |
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| Formerly | Intercounty Baseball League (1919–2025) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Commissioner | Ted Kalnins |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country | Canada |
| Confederation | WBSC Americas |
| Most recent champion | Welland Jackfish (2nd) |
| Most titles | Stratford Nationals (16) |
| Broadcasters | |
| Official website | cbl |
TheCanadian Baseball League (CBL) is aprofessionalindependent baseball league based in the Canadian province ofOntario. It is composed of nine teams, who annually play ahome-and-away season from May to August. The top eight teams at the end of the season qualify for apostseason tournament in September that determines the league's champion, who are awarded theDominico Cup.
The league was founded in 1919 as theIntercounty Baseball League (IBL), and was asemi-professional league for the majority of its existence. It was fully-professionalized and rebranded to the CBL ahead of its2026 season. More than 23 franchises have competed in the league in its 107-year history, with theGuelph Royals andKitchener Panthers – both charter members – being the longest-tenured. As of its 2025 season, theWelland Jackfish are the current champions, while theStratford Nationals, a defunct franchise, have won the most championships (16).
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) was founded in 1919 with just four cities represented —Galt,Guelph,Stratford andKitchener, and is the oldest amateur men's league in Canada.[1] During the early years, the league expanded to include the cities ofWaterloo,Brantford,Preston,London, andSt. Thomas.
It was previously known as the Intercounty Major Baseball League and the Senior Intercounty Baseball League. Teams compete for the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy, which is awarded to the league champions. The trophy is named for the late owners of theToronto Maple Leafs baseball team, husband and wife Jack and Lynne Dominico.
On December 3, 2024, theToronto Maple Leafs announced they had signedAyami Sato, making her the first female player in the league as well as the first female player chosen to play professional baseball in Canada.[2] She began playing on May 11, 2025.[3]
In 2025, IBL commissioner Ted Kalnins stated that league was transitioning from being a semi-professional to fully professional league and would be expanding to a total of 10 teams as a part of that effort.[4] In addition to being a fully professional league, the league would now be known as the Canadian Baseball League and see the amount of regular season games played increase from 42 to 48, as well as a 5-team playoff structure. Further changes to the league are set to be announced in by the end of 2025.[5]
On July 8, 2006, inBarrie, the league's New Era IBL All-Star Classic game between the Barrie Baycats and the IBL All-Stars; Barrie won 7–2.
On August 21 and 22, 2010 inOttawa, the Fat Cats hosted the New Era All-Star Classic between the IBL All-Stars and the All-Stars fromLigue de Baseball Senior Élite du Québec (LBSEQ).[6]
Barrie hosted the league's All-Star Game on July 11, 2015, with the IBL All-Stars defeatingBarrie Baycats 13–4.
Following a several-year hiatus the IBL announced they will be hosting a mid summer classic on July 20, 2024 in Welland.[7]
All-Star Game results (2024 - present)
| Year | Venue | Host team | Result | MVP | Home Run Derby winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Welland Stadium | Welland Jackfish | South 13 - North 6 | Matteo Porcellato (Welland Jackfish) | Tyler Duncan (Hamilton Cardinals) |
| 2025 | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | Hamilton Cardinals | North 5 - South 4 | Yunior Ibarra (Kitchener Panthers) |
On November 24, 2025, the league announced that, beginning with the 2026 season, the league would be changing its name from the Intercounty Baseball League, which had been in use since the league's founding in 1919, to the Canadian Baseball League. The change was made due, in part, to the growing popularity of the league across the country, as well as the move from its former semi-professional standing to a fully professional structure. The league also announced that it would be expanding its regular season from 42 games to 48, and setting the number of playoff teams at five.
Under the new playoff system, the fourth- and -fifth place teams will play in a win-or-go-home one-game playoff, followed by the remaining teams playing in two best-of-seven series to determine the winner of the Dominico Cup.[8]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Cap. | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie Baycats | Springwater | Athletic Kulture Stadium | 1,500 | 2001 |
| Brantford Red Sox | Brantford | Arnold Anderson Stadium | 2,000 | 1921 |
| Chatham-Kent Barnstormers | Chatham-Kent | Fergie Jenkins Field | 1,600 | 2024 |
| Guelph Royals | Guelph | Hastings Stadium | 1,400 | 1919 |
| Hamilton Cardinals | Hamilton | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 3,000 | 1958 |
| Kitchener Panthers | Kitchener | Jack Couch Park | 1,400 | 1919 |
| London Majors | London | Labatt Park | 5,200 | 1925 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto | Dominico Field | 1,000 | 1969 |
| Welland Jackfish | Welland | Welland Stadium | 3,241 | 2019 |
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The postseason championship team is awarded theJack and Lynne Dominico Cup[15].
Other awards presented include:
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† Player is an inductee of theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Although it is characterized as a semi-professional league on paper, the players who have come through the IBL's ranks have certainly blurred the lines. ... "We're now transitioning into a fully professional league, and as part of that, I'd like to add a 10th team. Expanding to 10 teams would allow us to grow our geographic footprint and create two divisions of five – which would help with travel savings and scheduling," said Kalnins.
Back in that inaugural season in 1919, the Panthers were known as the Kitchener McBrines [...] Their name would evolve a lot over the next century, from the Panthers to the Wolves, Bluetops, Legionnaires, Dutchmen and back to the Panthers again.
The Windsor Chiefs actually played in the league from 1979-81 [...] The Chiefs opted to move to the Detroit Federal League in 1982...
A franchise that dates back to 2000, when it was founded as the St. Thomas Storm, also played in Stratford and Mississauga before moving to Burlington in 2011.
