The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; french: Première ligue canadienne, links=no) is a professional men's
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
league in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. At the top of the
Canadian soccer league system, it is the country's primary national soccer league competition. The league consists of eight teams, from five of
Canada's ten provinces. Each team plays 28 games in the regular season which is followed by playoffs culminating in the
CPL Finals.
The CPL champion and regular season winner earn berths in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
, competing against teams from across North America, Central America and Caribbean for a spot in the
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
.
All CPL teams also play in the
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contes ...
, alongside Canadian clubs from other leagues. Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League is also available to CPL clubs by winning the Canadian Championship.
The league was officially sanctioned by the
Canadian Soccer Association
The Canadian Soccer Association (Canada Soccer) is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides ...
on May 6, 2017, and formally launched in 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 a
Canadian university draft.
The CPL's first season included seven teams, while an eighth,
Atlético Ottawa, joined for the second season in 2020.
Vancouver FC is scheduled to debut in 2023 as the league's ninth team. The CPL is headquartered in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
History
Since the closure of the original
Canadian Soccer League
The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (C ...
in 1992, there was no fully professional first division domestic league of
Canadian soccer
In Canada, soccer is the most popular sport in terms of participation rate. According to FIFA's Big Count, almost 2.7 million people played in Canada in 2006. Professional soccer in Canada is played in the Canadian Premier League and Major Lea ...
. The only national Canadian competition was the
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contes ...
, a domestic cup which has been played since 2008. Canadian teams played in American leagues, such as
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
,
NASL and the
USL Championship, while the
L1O and
PLSQ were created as provincial-level leagues. A
new version of the Canadian Soccer League was briefly sanctioned as a third-division semi-pro league by the
CSA from 2010 to 2013, losing the sanction after the CSA board of directors adopted a new soccer structure in Canada.
A new fully professional Canadian soccer league was first publicly reported in June 2013.
The reports suggested that
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fie ...
owner
Bob Young was part of a core group of investors working with the
Canadian Soccer Association
The Canadian Soccer Association (Canada Soccer) is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides ...
and its president
Victor Montagliani
Victor Montagliani (; born September 12, 1965) is a Canadian businessman, soccer executive, and the president of CONCACAF. He is a vice president of the FIFA Council.
Biography
He is a former player of amateur soccer club side Columbus F.C. In ...
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-construction
Tim Hortons Field in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilto ...
.
In February 2016, reports of the league emerged again when Young spoke to
Hamilton 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.
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.
Reports in June 2016 indicated that the Canadian Premier League would avoid current Major League Soccer markets.
On November 14, the first official employee of the Canadian Premier League was announced.
Paul Beirne
Paul Beirne (born April 16, 1966) is a Canadian sports executive, who is currently the Managing Director of Pacific FC.
He has also worked with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa ...
, a Canadian who was also the first employee of
Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...
, was hired as
project manager
A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined start and a defined ...
for the new league. On May 6, 2017, the creation of the league was unanimously approved and sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association. Ownership groups in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
and Hamilton were also approved. On May 5 2018, the Canadian Soccer Association accepted club memberships for
Halifax,
York Region,
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
, and "Port City" (later confirmed to be based in
Greater Victoria
Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) o ...
, rather than
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...
as speculated).
The unveiling of the first team,
York9 FC
York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium.
Histor ...
, took place on May 10. This was followed by Calgary-based
Cavalry FC on May 17, 2018, Halifax's
HFX Wanderers FC
HFX Wanderers Football Club, commonly known as HFX Wanderers, and spoken as Halifax Wanderers, is a Canadian professional soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League at the top of the Canadian soccer le ...
on May 25,
Valour FC
Valour Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home matches at IG Field.
The team is coached by Phillip Dos Santos and community owne ...
in Winnipeg on June 6, and the rebranded former
NASL side
FC Edmonton on June 8. After a break from announcements to accommodate the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
, Hamilton's
Forge FC was next unveiled on July 12, followed by
Pacific FC
Pacific Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League, playing home matches at Starlight Stadium located in Langford.
History
On May 5, ...
of
Langford in
Greater Victoria
Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) o ...
on July 20.
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 by
Alex Bunbury
Alexander Bunbury (born 18 June 1967) is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a striker.
He played mainly for Marítimo in Portugal during a 13-year professional career, and represented the Canadian national team during ...
and took place in front of CPL coaching staff from all teams. On September 28, 2018, Italian sportswear company
Macron was announced as the official apparel supplier of the CPL. Macron supplies training gear and custom made
kits for each CPL team.
Launch (2019–present)
The inaugural match of the Canadian Premier League 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
Ryan Telfer (born 4 March 1994) is a Trinidadian professional footballer who plays as a winger for USL Championship club Miami FC and the Trinidad and Tobago national team.
Club career
Early career
Born in Canada, Telfer was raised in Trin ...
of
York9 FC
York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium.
Histor ...
scored the first goal in Canadian Premier League history in the third minute of the inaugural match.
In advance of the
2019 Finals, the league's trophy was unveiled. The North Star Shield is a crystal shield engraved with the logo of the Canadian Premier League. 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. Forge midfielder
Tristan Borges
Tristan Daniel Borges (born 26 August 1998) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Canadian club Forge FC.
Early life
Borges began playing youth soccer with Vaughan SC, later moving on to Kleinburg-Nobleton SC fol ...
was named the first CPL Player of the Year.
On January 29, 2020,
Atlético Ottawa was confirmed to be the first CPL expansion team, joining for the 2020 season.
The 2020 season, set to start on April 11, was postponed indefinitely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. On July 29, it was announced that the entire 2020 season would be played in
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...
beginning August 13. 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.
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. The season culminated with
Pacific FC
Pacific Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League, playing home matches at Starlight Stadium located in Langford.
History
On May 5, ...
defeating Forge FC 1–0 in the
2021 Final, held in December.
On November 21, 2022, the Canadian Premier League announced that FC Edmonton would be removed from the league, effective immediately. The league commissioner cited poor on-field performance as well as low attendance and an outdated stadium as reasons for the termination.
Competition format
The inaugural
2019 season of the league included a
split season
A split season is a schedule format implemented in a variety of sports leagues. The season is divided into two parts, with the winners of both halves playing each other at the end for the overall championship.
Split seasons are usually found in sp ...
format similar to soccer leagues in Latin America. The winners of the two seasons competed in the two-legged
CPL Finals.
With the addition of an eighth club in
2020, 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. The top four 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.
Other competitions featuring CPL clubs
Canadian Premier League teams also participate in Canada's domestic cup competition – the
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contes ...
. CPL teams compete against Canadian teams in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
and
Tier 3 league champions for a berth in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
. Commencing in 2024, the CPL regular season champion and CPL playoff champion qualify directly to Round One of the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
.
From 2019 to 2022, the CPL playoff champion qualified for the
CONCACAF League and competed against teams from
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
for one of six spots in the CONCACAF Champions League. For the 2019 edition only, this slot was granted to one of the league's 'inaugural teams' (
FC Edmonton,
Forge FC, or
Valour FC
Valour Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home matches at IG Field.
The team is coached by Phillip Dos Santos and community owne ...
) based on their home and away matches in the
2019 spring season.
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 the
2022 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2022 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2022 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League) was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 57th edition of the premier football club competition orga ...
, becoming the first CPL club to do so.
Clubs
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 the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league ba ...
, and also having competed in the Canadian Championship seven times before joining the league. 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.
The province of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
has three teams,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
has two clubs, while
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
and
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
each have one. There are two pairs of rivalries between teams in the same province: the
Al Classico
AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media
* Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera
* Al (''Fullmetal ...
between Cavalry FC and FC Edmonton, deriving its nickname from the Spanish
El Clásico, and the
905 Derby
The 905 Derby is a soccer rivalry between Canadian Premier League clubs, Forge FC and York United FC, both based in Southern Ontario. The rivalry gets the "905" nickname from the 905 area code, which encompasses both Hamilton and York Region. F ...
between Forge FC and York United FC, named after the
area code
A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, r ...
shared by both teams.
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 .
The 905 Derby, between Forge FC and York United FC, is the shortest distance between two clubs at .
;Notes
Timeline
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Notes
* indicates championship winning season
Future teams
Expansion
While CPL commissioner, David Clanachan expressed, on numerous occasions, the league's plans to expand gradually up to 16 clubs in 2026. Clanachan also stated that the biggest issue for potential expansion teams is lack of facilities. Clanachan mentioned that the league was looking at regions and owners in
St. John's,
Moncton
Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because of ...
,
Laval,
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
,
Kitchener-Waterloo, the
Niagara Region, the
Durham Region
The Regional Municipality of Durham (), informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, Durham forms the east-end of the Greater T ...
,
Mississauga
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popu ...
,
Regina,
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
, and
Kelowna
Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ' ...
as well as the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia.
Other areas with CPL interest include
Barrie
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politicall ...
,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
, and
Saint John.
On August 25, 2022,
Soccer Quebec's general director Philippe Bernard was quoted in ''
Le Journal de Québec
''Le Journal de Québec'' is a French-language daily newspaper in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Printed in tabloid format, it has the highest circulation for a Quebec City newspaper, with its closest competitor being ''Le Soleil''.
It was found ...
'' announcing that
Léger 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.
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.
Ottawa
It had been speculated that then-existing
USL Championship side
Ottawa Fury FC would join the league for its 2019 or 2020 season; speculation fuelled by the Fury's acquisitions of Canadian players prior to the 2018 season. 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.
In January 2020, there had been many reports of an
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
-based team owned by
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based i ...
being formed for the 2020 season. These reports were later confirmed when the CPL announced
Atlético Ottawa as the league's first expansion team on January 29, 2020.
Saskatchewan
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 is dependent on LSSE delivering a
soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi- ...
, and the preferred location for that stadium is
Prairieland Park in
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
.
The team is targeting a debut of 2023 at the earliest. 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.
Vancouver
On November 10, 2021, the CPL officially awarded an expansion club in Vancouver to SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP. The team is set to debut in 2023. On April 13, 2022, the CPL and SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP announced that the club would begin playing in
Langley, British Columbia at the Willoughby Community Park adjacent to the
Langley Events Centre.
On November 2, 2022, the club announced its name as
Vancouver FC along with a crest and team colours.
Windsor/Essex County
On January 10, 2022, the CPL announced that commissioner David Clanachan had stepped down and was awarded exclusive expansion rights for
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...
.
In June 2022, it was revealed that Clanachan had partnered with
Windsor TFC
Windsor TFC is a Canadian soccer team based in Windsor, Ontario, that was founded in 2004. They have competed in the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) and Canadian Soccer League (CSL). Throughout their tenure in the CPSL/CSL, Windsor ...
owner Vancho Cirovski, setting a launch date goal of 2026. The pair have targeted
Windsor Stadium
Windsor Stadium is a 3,000-capacity stadium located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, the stadium is mainly used for Canadian Football and soccer, but has hosted rugby and other sports. It was home to the Ontario Football Conference team the Windsor ...
as a potential home for the club.
Results
Two trophies are awarded in the Canadian Premier League, one to the regular season champion that finishes in first place after 28 league matches, and one to a playoff champion. In addition to equal cash prizes, beginning in 2023 both champions earn a spot in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
competing against teams from across North America, Central America and Caribbean for a spot in the
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
. All CPL teams also play against Canadian clubs from other leagues in the
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contes ...
, the winner of which also earns a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League.
CPL results by team
CPL results by year
Organization
Ownership
In April 2018, commissioner
David Clanachan
David F. Clanachan (born 1962) was the commissioner of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) from 2018 to 2022. As Commissioner, Clanachan oversaw all aspects of the league along with the Canadian Soccer Business (CSB). Clanachan is also the Chairman o ...
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.
League executives
On January 10, 2018, David Clanachan, former president and
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if ...
of
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service res ...
, was named as the first commissioner of the league. On January 24, he announced that
Paul Beirne
Paul Beirne (born April 16, 1966) is a Canadian sports executive, who is currently the Managing Director of Pacific FC.
He has also worked with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa ...
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. On January 31, the Canadian Premier League named
James Easton, a former
Canadian international, as vice-president of Soccer Operations. 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.
On January 10, 2022, David Clanachan resigned from his position as league commissioner.
On August 25, 2022, American sports executive Mark Noonan was announced as the league's new commissioner as well as the new CEO of Canada Soccer Business.
Players
The Canadian Premier League uses a
salary cap. As of the 2023 season, clubs are required to spend between and $1,125,000 on player compensation, with a minimum salary of $30,000 per player.
For players aged 21 and younger on standard contracts, only 50% of their salary counts towards the cap (up to $200,000 total). 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. Rosters are limited to a size of 23 players. 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.
The CPL and
U Sports
U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the ...
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 first
CPL–U Sports Draft took place in Vancouver on November 12, 2018, after the conclusion of the
U Sports men's soccer championship.
The Professional Footballers Association of Canada (PFA Canada) is the
union representing CPL players. Following a members vote, PFA Canada was formally recognized by the league on December 20, 2022.
Stadiums
The Canadian Premier League has used a mix of existing, built for purpose, and upgraded stadiums, many of which are shared with other teams.
IG Field (Valour FC),
TD Place Stadium (Atlético Ottawa), and
Tim Hortons Field (Forge FC) are existing
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...
stadiums, and have the largest capacities in the CPL.
York Lions Stadium (York United FC) and
Westhills Stadium
Starlight Stadium (formerly Westhills Stadium) is a 6,000 seat multi-purpose stadium in Langford, British Columbia, Canada. It is used by Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League for soccer, by Rugby Canada for various events, and by the Wests ...
(Pacific FC) are both pre-existing stadiums that were upgraded in capacity before the 2019 season.
Spruce Meadows
Spruce Meadows is a multi-purpose sports facility near Calgary, Alberta built by the Southern family which opened in 1975.
The facility contains an equestrian show jumping complex that comprises . The current president and CEO of Spruce Mea ...
(
ATCO Field) (Cavalry FC) and
Wanderers Grounds
Wanderers Grounds is a sporting complex in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal p ...
(HFX Wanderers FC) were new stadiums in 2019, built in pre-existing venues. FC Edmonton continues to use
Clarke Stadium.
Broadcast rights
On February 20, 2019, it was announced that
Mediapro had acquired the broadcast rights to the league. A streaming service established in 2019,
OneSoccer, carries all of the league's matches, including the
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contes ...
.
Twenty games throughout the inaugural season were also available through
CBC Sports
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, CBCSports.ca, and CBC Radio One. (The CBC's French-langu ...
, ten of which were on broadcast television, and all 20 on
CBC Gem and the CBC website.
CBC extended the deal with two games every Saturday during the league's second season, while
CHCH
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River ...
also picked-up the rights for one game every Sunday. In August 2020,
Fox Sports became the CPL's first American broadcast partner.
The season was also aired by
StarTimes
StarTimes is a Chinese electronics and media company with strong presence in Sub-Saharan Africa.
StarTimes offers digital terrestrial television and satellite television services to consumers, and provides technologies to countries and broadc ...
in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
,
1Sports in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...
, and Premier Football in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
The group stage and Final were broadcast in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
by
DirecTV Go and Tigo Sports.
From 2022,
BT Sport started showing live coverage of the league across Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Records and statistics
Awards
At the conclusion of each season, the league presents the following awards:
*
Golden Boot
*Golden Glove
*Coach of the Year
*Player of the Year
*Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year
*Defender of the Year
*Players' Player of the Year
See also
*
Soccer in Canada
In Canada, soccer is the most popular sport in terms of participation rate. According to FIFA's Big Count, almost 2.7 million people played in Canada in 2006. Professional soccer in Canada is played in the Canadian Premier League and Major Lea ...
*
List of soccer clubs in Canada
This is a list of current soccer clubs in Canada. The Canadian soccer system consists of several unconnected leagues and it does not have promotion and relegation. Leagues in the Canadian system are classified as either professional, pro-am, o ...
*
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team (french: Équipe du Canada de soccer masculin) represents Canada in international soccer competitions since 1924. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Can ...
*
List of American and Canadian soccer champions
Despite each receiving FIFA-affiliated status in 1913, both the United States and Canada have lacked a consistent, multi-division soccer system until recently. Consequently, the determination of champions has been problematic at times. The United ...
References
External links
*
{{Sports leagues of Canada
Professional sports leagues in Canada
Soccer leagues in Canada
2017 establishments in Canada
Sports leagues established in 2017