 | |
| Founded | May 6, 2017; 8 years ago (2017-05-06) |
|---|---|
| First season | 2019 |
| Country | Canada |
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North American Football Union) |
| Number of clubs | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup | Canadian Championship |
| International cup | CONCACAF Champions Cup |
| Current champions | Atletico Ottawa (1st title) (2025) |
| CurrentCPL Shield | Forge FC (3rd title) (2025) |
| Most championships | Forge FC (4 titles) |
| MostCPL Shields | Forge FC (3 titles) |
| Most appearances | Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson (153 as of 2024) |
| Top scorer | Terran Campbell (39 as of 2024) |
| Broadcaster(s) | OneSoccer TSN (Canada) Fox/FS1/FS2 (United States) |
| Website | canpl |
| Current:2026 Canadian Premier League season | |
TheCanadian Premier League (CPL orCanPL; French:Première ligue canadienne) is a professionalsoccer league inCanada and the highest level of theCanadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five ofCanada's ten provinces. Each team plays 28 games in the regular season which is followed by playoffs culminating in theCPL Finals.
The CPL champion and regular season winner earn berths in theCONCACAF Champions Cup, competing against teams from across North America, Central America and the Caribbean for a spot in theFIFA Club World Cup.[1] All CPL teams also play in theCanadian Championship, alongside Canadian clubs from other leagues. Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup is also available to CPL clubs by winning the Canadian Championship.
The league was officially sanctioned by theCanadian Soccer Association on May 6, 2017, and has played an annual season since 2019. The league's focus is to improve national soccer talent and the sport in Canada, with several rules in place to ensure this. These include a minimum quota of Canadian players on team rosters and starting line-ups, requirements for domestic under-21 players, and aCanadian university draft.
The CPL's first season included seven teams, while an eighth,Atlético Ottawa, joined for the second season in 2020.Vancouver FC debuted in 2023,[2] whileFC Edmonton folded before the start of that season.[3]Valour FC suspended operations following the 2025 season, shortly afterFC Supra du Québec announced they would join the league for the 2026 season.[4] The CPL is headquartered inToronto, Ontario.[5]
After the closure of the originalCanadian Soccer League in 1992, there was no fully professional first division domestic league ofCanadian soccer.[6] The only national Canadian competition was theCanadian Championship, a domestic cup which has been played since 2008. Canadian teams played in American leagues, such asMajor League Soccer,NASL and theUSL Championship, while theL1O andPLSQ were created as provincial-level leagues. Anew version of the Canadian Soccer League was briefly sanctioned as a third-division semi-pro league by theCSA from 2010 to 2013, losing the sanction after the CSA board of directors adopted a new soccer structure in Canada.[7][8]
A new fully professional Canadian soccer league was first publicly reported in June 2013.[9] The reports suggested thatHamilton Tiger-Cats ownerBob Young was part of a core group of investors working with theCanadian Soccer Association and its presidentVictor Montagliani to create a new set of fully professional teams or a league in Canada. The Tiger-Cats ownership group was granted exclusive rights by the Canadian Soccer Association until 2017 to establish a team that would play in the under-constructionTim Hortons Field inHamilton.[10]
In February 2016, reports of the league emerged again when Young spoke toHamilton City Council requesting permission to erect an air-dome over the Tim Hortons Field playing surface between December 1 and April 30 yearly to allow for year-round training for a professional soccer team owned by the Tiger-Cats that would call the stadium home.[9] During questions by the elected council members, it was revealed that the name of the league would be the Canadian Premier League and that the Hamilton team was expected to be the flagship franchise. Further details were expected following the Canadian Soccer Association's annual meeting in May 2016.[9] Reports in June 2016 indicated that the Canadian Premier League would avoid current Major League Soccer markets.[11]
On November 14, the first official employee of the Canadian Premier League was announced.Paul Beirne, a Canadian who was also the first employee ofToronto FC, was hired asproject manager for the new league.[12] On May 6, 2017, the creation of the league was unanimously approved and sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association.[13] Ownership groups inWinnipeg and Hamilton were also approved.[14] On May 5, 2018, the Canadian Soccer Association accepted club memberships forHalifax,York Region,Calgary, and "Port City" (later confirmed to be based inGreater Victoria, rather thanSurrey as speculated).[15][16]
The unveiling of the first team,York9 FC, took place on May 10.[17][18] This was followed by Calgary-basedCavalry FC on May 17, 2018,[19][20] Halifax'sHFX Wanderers FC on May 25,[21][22]Valour FC in Winnipeg on June 6,[23][24] and the rebranded formerNASL sideFC Edmonton on June 8.[25][26] After a break from announcements to accommodate the2018 FIFA World Cup, Hamilton'sForge FC was next unveiled on July 12,[27] followed byPacific FC ofLangford inGreater Victoria on July 20.[28]
On August 27, 2018, the CPL announced that it would hold a series of open tryouts in eight cities across Canada for players age 16 and older. The tryouts were led byAlex Bunbury and took place in front of CPL coaching staff from all teams.[29][30] On September 28, 2018, Italian sportswear companyMacron was announced as the official apparel supplier of the CPL. Macron supplies training gear and custom madekits for each CPL team.[31][32]
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TheCPL's inaugural match between Forge FC and York9 FC took place at Tim Hortons Field on April 27, 2019, and resulted in a 1–1 draw.Ryan Telfer ofYork9 FC scored the first goal in Canadian Premier League history in the third minute of the inaugural match.[33]
In advance of the2019 Finals, the league's trophy was unveiled. The North Star Shield is a crystal shield engraved with the logo of the Canadian Premier League.[34] The inaugural season finished on November 2, 2019, when Forge FC became the first Canadian Premier League Champions, defeating Cavalry FC 2–0 over two legs in the Finals.[35] Forge midfielderTristan Borges was named the first CPL Player of the Year.[36]
On January 29, 2020,Atlético Ottawa was confirmed to be the first CPL expansion team, joining for the 2020 season.[37] The 2020 season, set to start on April 11, was postponed indefinitely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[38] On July 29, it was announced that the entire 2020 season would be played inCharlottetown beginning August 13.[39] The shortened 2020 season, known as "The Island Games" ended on September 19 when Forge FC won their second Canadian Premier League title in a 2–0 victory over HFX Wanderers.[40]
The 2021 season did not begin until June 26 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, each team was able to play a full schedule of 28 matches.[41] The season culminated withPacific FC defeating Forge FC 1–0 in the2021 Final, held in December.[42]
On November 21, 2022, the Canadian Premier League announced that FC Edmonton would be removed from the league, effective immediately.[43] The league commissioner cited poor on-field performance as well as low attendance and an outdated stadium as reasons for the termination.[44] For the2023 season,Vancouver FC fromLangley, British Columbia entered the league, joining as an expansion team.[45] Following the2024 season, the league was valued at US$300M (CA$431M).[46]
On November 21, 2025, Valour FC announced that the club was suspending operations. The league had been covering operational costs for the club since the 2024 season.[47] The league will remain at eight clubs in 2026 with the addition ofGreater Montreal-basedFC Supra du Québec.
The inaugural2019 season of the league included asplit season format similar to soccer leagues in Latin America. The winners of the two seasons competed in the two-leggedCPL Finals.[48][49]
With the addition of an eighth club in2020, the league moved to a single season format with expanded playoffs. The Canadian Premier League regular season runs from April to October. Each team plays 28 games, including 14 at home and 14 away games.[50] Since 2023, the top five teams in the regular season qualify for the playoffs to determine which two teams play in the final.
On multiple occasions, then league commissioner David Clanachan stated his goal of having promotion and relegation in the Canadian soccer league system as more teams join the league.[51][52][53][54][55]
All Canadian Premier League teams also participate in Canada's domestic cup competition – theCanadian Championship. CPL teams compete against Canadian teams inMajor League Soccer andTier 3 league champions for a berth in theCONCACAF Champions Cup.[56] Since 2023, the CPL regular season and playoff champion have also qualified for the Champions Cup.[1]
From 2019 to 2022, one CPL club participated in theCONCACAF League and competed against teams fromCentral America and theCaribbean for one of six spots in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.[57] For the 2019 edition only, this slot was granted to one of the league's 'inaugural teams' (FC Edmonton,Forge FC, orValour FC) based on home-and-away matches amongst themselves in the2019 spring season.[58][59] In all other editions, the berth was awarded to the previous year's playoff champion.
Forge FC represented the CPL in CONCACAF League on three occasions. In the 2021 CONCACAF League, Forge advanced to the semi-finals of the competition to qualify for the2022 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first CPL club to do so.[60]
Eight clubs compete in the Canadian Premier League. Seven clubs competed in the inaugural season. Only FC Edmonton predated the CPL, having been members of theNorth American Soccer League, and also having competed in the Canadian Championship seven times before joining the league.[61] The league expanded to eight teams with the addition of Atlético Ottawa in 2020. For 2023, Vancouver FC was added as an expansion club, while FC Edmonton was dissolved, keeping the league at eight clubs. Similarly,FC Supra du Québec joined the league as an expansion team in 2026, while Valour FC folded the same year.
The province ofOntario has three teams,British Columbia has two clubs, whileAlberta,Quebec andNova Scotia each have one. There are two pairs of rivalries between teams in the same province: the905 Derby between Ontario's Forge FC and Inter Toronto FC,[62] and thePacific FC–Vancouver FC rivalry between the two BC-based clubs.
Matches between Pacific FC and HFX Wanderers FC require the third-longest away trips of any domestic professional soccer league in the world, with the two teams separated by 4,476 kilometres (2,781 mi).[62][63] The 905 Derby, between Forge and Inter Toronto, is the shortest distance between two clubs in the CPL at 80 kilometres (50 mi).[64]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Joined | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Edmonton | Edmonton, Alberta | Clarke Stadium | 5,148 | 2019[e] | 2022 |
| Valour FC | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Princess Auto Stadium | 32,343 | 2019 | 2025 |
Notes
* indicates championship winning season
As CPL commissioner, David Clanachan expressed on numerous occasions the league's plans to expand gradually up to 16 clubs by 2026. He also stated that the biggest issue for potential expansion teams is lack of facilities.[65] Clanachan mentioned that the league was looking at regions and owners inSt. John's,Moncton,Laval,Quebec City,Kitchener-Waterloo, theNiagara Region, theDurham Region,Mississauga,Regina,Saskatoon, andKelowna as well as the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia.[66] Other areas with CPL interest includeBarrie,Montreal, andSaint John.[67][68][69]
On August 25, 2022, ARS de Quebec's Director General Philippe Bernard was quoted inLe Journal de Québec announcing thatLéger Marketing had been commissioned to launch a market study to verify interest in the province for a CPL team. He also confirmed that Soccer Quebec had determined that Quebec City was the best market in the province for a new team. Although there isn't an ownership group yet, Bernard explained that the market study would help facilitate investment in a new team.[70][71] In March 2025, CPL commissioner Mark Noonan and executive Vice President of Infrastructure Marni Dicker met with Quebec City mayor Bruno Marchand to discuss potential stadium sites, as the league was taking on the task of securing a stadium site rather than leaving that task to potential ownership groups.[72]
Also in 2022, the CPL began considering a "serious expansion bid" for Kelowna that includes a multi-use development proposal for a stadium site at the city's Recreation Avenue Park.[73][74][75] In June 2024, Kelowna hosted a neutral site regular season game as part of the CPL's "On Tour" series.[76]
In January 2025,Kingston City Council passed a motion to work with Victory Grounds Ventures on developing a long-term lease for a multi-use stadium at the city'sMemorial Centre for a proposed CPL team.[77] Victory Grounds Ventures withdrew their proposal in March 2025, citing "potential legal issues" which were identified during the due diligence process, which "unfortunately made this project at the Memorial Centre not feasible."[78] In September 2025, theKingston Sentinels were announced as anOntario Premier League expansion team for the 2026 season, owned by Victory Group Ventures. Included in the release were intentions to build a soccer-specific stadium and found a Canadian Premier League team for the 2027 season.[79]
It had been speculated that then-existingUSL Championship sideOttawa Fury FC would join the league for its 2019 or 2020 season;[80][81] speculation fuelled by the Fury's acquisitions of Canadian players prior to the 2018 season.[82] While the club remained in the USL for 2019, two of the three governing bodies of the USL (United States Soccer Federation and CONCACAF) refused to sanction the Canadian club to continue play in the US league, and the club ceased operations in November 2019.[83][84]
In January 2020, there had been many reports of anOttawa-based team owned byAtlético Madrid being formed for the 2020 season.[85][86][87] These reports were later confirmed when the CPL announcedAtlético Ottawa as the league's first expansion team on January 29, 2020.[37]
On November 10, 2021, the CPL awarded an expansion club inVancouver to SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP to begin play in 2023.[88] On April 13, 2022, the CPL and SixFive announced that the club would begin playing inLangley, British Columbia at theWilloughby Community Park adjacent to theLangley Events Centre.[89] On November 2, 2022, the club announced its name asVancouver FC along with a crest and team colours.[90]
In August 2025, formerCF Montréal midfielder and sporting director ofCS Saint-LaurentRocco Placentino announced his involvement in establishing a franchise based in Quebec. Placentino is being positioned as the club’s president, with Matt Rizzetta as chairman and Montreal businessman Angelo Pasto among the ownership group.[91] The Canadian Premier League later confirmed in a statement that discussions with a group from Quebec were ongoing though no agreement had been reached yet.[92] On September 24, 2025, the CPL CommissionerJames Johnson announced that the team's name would beFC Supra du Québec and that it would be based inLaval, Quebec and begin play in 2026.[93]
On January 10, 2022, the CPL announced that commissioner David Clanachan had stepped down and was awarded exclusive expansion rights forWindsor, Ontario.[94] In June 2022, it was revealed that Clanachan had partnered withWindsor City FC owner Vancho Cirovski, setting a launch date goal of 2026. The pair had targetedWindsor Stadium as a potential home for the club.[95] In October 2022, Windsor MayorDrew Dilkens committed to supporting a new sports turf facility at McHugh Park to host a potential team;[96] the city later allocatedCA$3 million for turf upgrades at the park in its 2024 capital budget.[97][98]
On March 12, 2021, the CPL conditionally awarded an expansion club to Living Sky Sports and Entertainment Inc. (LSSE), a Saskatchewan-based company. The expansion was dependent on LSSE delivering asoccer-specific stadium, and the preferred location for that stadium isPrairieland Park inSaskatoon.[99] The team was targeting a debut of 2023 at the earliest.[100] As of April 2021, plans called for the former horse-racing grandstand at the park to anchor the north, shorter, end of the soccer pitch, with new stands facing its other sides.[101]
On September 5, 2023, LSSE and Prairieland Park Corporation announced that they had ended their efforts to bring a CPL team to Saskatoon, while a CPL spokesperson confirmed that LSSE's exclusivity to Saskatchewan had lapsed.[102]
Two trophies are awarded to teams at the end of a Canadian Premier League season. The North Star Cup (originally North Star Shield) is given to the playoff champion and has been awarded since the league's inception. TheCPL Shield was first revealed in 2023 and is won by the team that earns the most points during the regular season.[103] An award for the regular season winner was announced during the 2022 CPL season and will be awarded retroactively for previous seasons. In addition to equal cash prizes, both trophy winners earn a spot in theCONCACAF Champions Cup competing against teams from across North America, Central America and Caribbean for a spot in theFIFA Club World Cup.[104]
As of 2025, no team has yet won a CPLdouble;Forge FC were CPL champions in four of the league's first seven seasons but failed to win the championship in2021,2024 or2025, the only seasons to date they topped the regular season standings. WhileCavalry FC have two CPL Shields and one North Star Cup, none of these championships have overlapped.
No CPL team has won theCanadian Championship, withForge FC getting closest as runners-up in the2020 tournament held during the COVID-19 pandemic and in which the Canadian Premier League was guaranteed a finalist, whileVancouver FC were the first Canadian Premier League team to reach theCanadian Championship final though the normal draw in 2025, losing toMLS neighboursVancouver Whitecaps FC.
While a domestictreble is possible for both MLS and CPL teams, the sole Canadian treble to date was achieved byMLS-basedToronto FC in2017 when the club won theCanadian Championship,MLS Supporters Shield andMLS Cup.
Forge FC, as of 2025, have won seven titles in the Canadian Premier League, claiming one or the other of the two awards possible each year (except 2020, where they won the only available trophy) in every season of the league's history, but never yet both in the same year.
| Team | North Star Cup (league championship) | CPL Shield (regular season) | Total titles | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titles | Years | Titles | Years | ||
| Forge FC | 4 | 2019,2020,2022,2023 | 3 | 2021,2024,2025 | 7 |
| Cavalry FC | 1 | 2024 | 2 | 2019,2023 | 3 |
| Atlético Ottawa | 1 | 2025 | 1 | 2022 | 2 |
| Pacific FC | 1 | 2021 | 0 | 1 | |
| Year | Teams | North Star Cup (playoffs) | CPL Shield (regular season) | Playoff runner-up | Regular season runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 7 | Forge FC | Cavalry FC | Cavalry FC | Forge FC |
| 2020 | 8 | Forge FC | N/A[a] | HFX Wanderers FC | N/A[a] |
| 2021 | 8 | Pacific FC | Forge FC | Forge FC | Cavalry FC |
| 2022 | 8 | Forge FC | Atlético Ottawa | Atlético Ottawa | Forge FC |
| 2023 | 8 | Forge FC | Cavalry FC | Cavalry FC | Forge FC |
| 2024 | 8 | Cavalry FC | Forge FC | Forge FC | Cavalry FC |
| 2025 | 8 | Atlético Ottawa | Forge FC | Cavalry FC | Atlético Ottawa |
In April 2018, commissionerDavid Clanachan said that the league was looking at implementing a club-based structure for the Canadian Premier League, rather than a franchise-based system like in Major League Soccer.[105]
On January 10, 2018, David Clanachan, former president andchief operating officer ofTim Hortons, was named as the first commissioner of the league.[106] On January 24, he announced thatPaul Beirne had been named president. Having already worked with the league for over a year, Beirne took on the role of managing the day-to-day league operations.[107] On January 31, the Canadian Premier League namedJames Easton, a formerCanadian international, as vice-president of Soccer Operations.[108] On September 19, 2019, Clanachan announced that Beirne would step down as president of the CPL at the end of the 2019 season in October.[109] On January 10, 2022, David Clanachan resigned from his position as league commissioner.[94]
On August 25, 2022, American sports executiveMark Noonan was announced as the league's new commissioner as well as the new CEO of Canada Soccer Business (CSB) effective September 1.[110] He served in these roles until stepping down, effective June 30, 2025.[111] On May 22, 2025, global sports and entertainment executiveJames Johnson was appointed Group CEO of Canadian Soccer Business and Canadian Premier League.[112]
The Canadian Premier League uses asalary cap.[113] As of the 2025 season, clubs are required to spend betweenCA$750,000 and $1,282,000 on player compensation, with a minimum salary of $30,000 per player.[114][115] For players aged 21 and younger on standard contracts, only 50% of their salary counts towards the cap (up to $200,000 total).[116] There is also a separate salary cap for coaches and technical staff.
The league also has several other rules to give Canadian players more opportunities. This includes a minimum of six Canadian starters per game and a limit of seven foreign nationals per team. Additionally, three of the domestic players must be under the age of 21 and play at least 2,000 combined minutes per season.[117] Rosters are limited to a size of 23 players, although up to 9 players can be signed to a team's developmental roster.[114][115] Given the limit, most teams opt to carry only two goalkeepers, however, teams may sign an emergency goalkeeper, who does not count to the roster limit, when necessary.[118]
The CPL andU Sports hold an annual draft for university players. Drafted student-athletes are able to play for CPL teams in the spring and summer, and return to their university team by August 15, thereby preserving their eligibility. The firstCPL–U Sports Draft took place in Vancouver on November 12, 2018, after the conclusion of theU Sports men's soccer championship.[119]
The Professional Footballers Association of Canada (PFA Canada) is theunion representing CPL players. Following a members vote, PFA Canada was formally recognized by the league on December 20, 2022.[120][121]
The Canadian Premier League has used a mix of existing, built for purpose, and upgraded stadiums, many of which are shared with other teams.Princess Auto Stadium (Valour FC),TD Place Stadium (Atlético Ottawa), andHamilton Stadium (Forge FC) were existingCanadian Football League stadiums, and have had the largest capacities in the CPL.York Lions Stadium (Inter Toronto FC) andStarlight Stadium (Pacific FC) are both pre-existing stadiums that were upgraded in capacity before the 2019 season.[122]ATCO Field (Cavalry FC) andWanderers Grounds (HFX Wanderers FC) were new stadiums in 2019, built at pre-existing venues.
On February 20, 2019, it was announced thatMediapro had acquired the broadcast rights to the league as part of a ten year agreement.[123] A streaming service established in 2019,OneSoccer, carries all of the league's matches, including theCanadian Championship.[124][125] Twenty games throughout the inaugural season were also available throughCBC Sports, ten of which were on broadcast television, and all 20 onCBC Gem and the CBC website.[126][127]
CBC extended the deal with two games every Saturday during the league's second season, whileCHCH also acquired the rights for one game every Sunday.[128][129] In August 2020,Fox Sports became the CPL's first broadcast partner in the United States.[130] The season was also aired byStarTimes in Sub-Saharan Africa,1Sports in theIndian subcontinent, and Premier Football in the Philippines.[131] The group stage and final were broadcast in Latin America byDirecTV Go and Tigo Sports.[132] From 2022,BT Sport started showing live coverage of the league across Ireland and the United Kingdom.[133]
In January 2024, the broadcast agreement between the CPL and Mediapro was terminated with five years remaining in the 10-year deal due to a dispute.[134] Despite this, Mediapro's OneSoccer continued to broadcast the CPL in 2024 under a new agreement.[135] The2024 final was broadcast and streamed on CBC's platforms in addition to OneSoccer. During the 2025 season, select matches were broadcast onTSN, including the2025 final, which was played in heavy snow.[136]
| Region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Canada | OneSoccer TSN |
| Caribbean | Flow Sports |
| 1Sports | |
| BT Sport[133] | |
| Latin America | DirecTV Go Tigo Sports |
 Mexico | Hi! Sports TV[137] |
 Philippines | Premier Football |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | StarTimes[131] |
 United States | Fox Sports[130] |
At the conclusion of each season, the league presents the following awards:
You're going to have eight teams, eight coaches watching...
| Preceded by | Division 1 soccer league in Canada 2019–present | Succeeded by Current |
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