98-596: The Canadian Premier League Shield or CPL Shield is a trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Premier League (CPL) club with the best regular season finish. Although this award does not signify a league championship, as that is decided during the Canadian Premier League Finals , the winning team is awarded an equal monetary prize to the eventual playoff champions, and a berth in the next season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup . At
196-556: A 1–1 draw. On August 6, 2021, the women's side won their first Olympic gold medal, at the 2020 Summer Olympics . On March 27, 2022, the men's side defeated Jamaica 4–0 on Matchday 13 to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup . This ended a 36-year drought since the first time Canada played in the FIFA World Cup, in 1986 . In the tournament, as part of Group F , Canada suffered three defeats again, being 1–0 for Belgium , 4–1 for Croatia (in which he scored his first goal in
294-543: A 1–1 draw. Ryan Telfer of York9 FC 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
392-651: 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 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 The league commissioner cited poor on-field performance as well as low attendance and an outdated stadium as reasons for
490-474: A CPL spokesperson confirmed that LSSE's exclusivity to Saskatchewan had lapsed. On January 10, 2022, the CPL announced that commissioner David Clanachan had stepped down and was awarded exclusive expansion rights for Windsor, Ontario . In June 2022, it was revealed that Clanachan had partnered with Windsor City FC owner Vancho Cirovski, setting a launch date goal of 2026. The pair had targeted Windsor Stadium as
588-739: A Canadian who was also the first employee of Toronto FC , was hired as project manager 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 and Hamilton were also approved. On May 5, 2018, the Canadian Soccer Association accepted club memberships for Halifax , York Region , Calgary , and "Port City" (later confirmed to be based in Greater Victoria , rather than Surrey as speculated). The unveiling of
686-547: A gold CPL logo (which is a stylized maple leaf) in the centre. The trophy sits on a removable wooden base. † – Trophy awarded retroactively Starting in 2023, the CPL Shield winner earned Canada's berth in the following year's CONCACAF Champions Cup . Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League ( CPL or CanPL ; French: Première ligue canadienne ) is a professional men's soccer league in Canada . At
784-465: 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. 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
882-411: A potential home for the club. In October 2022, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens committed to supporting a new sports turf facility at McHugh Park to host a potential team; the city later allocated CA$ 3 million for turf upgrades at the park in its 2024 capital budget. Two trophies are awarded to teams at the end of a Canadian Premier League season. The North Star Cup (originally North Star Shield)
980-805: A score of 2–1. In July 1946, the Dominion of Canada Football Association held reorganizational meetings in Winnipeg, Manitoba. On July 24, 1948, the Association again became a member of FIFA. On June 6, 1952, the Association officially changed its name to the Football Association of Canada. In 1958, the Association again changed its name, this time to the Canadian Soccer Football Association. It would change its name one more time in 1971, at that time becoming
1078-649: A second straight Hermann Trophy. In the wake of her record-setting season at Portland, Sinclair won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 2006 as the outstanding female athlete at a U.S. university. Also in 2006, long-serving CSA Chief Operating Officer Kevan Pipe was fired from his duties. The CPSL re-branded as the Canadian Soccer League . In 2007, Toronto FC began play in Major League Soccer as its first franchise located outside
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#17327867902351176-430: 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. 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
1274-644: A size of 23 players, although up to 9 players can be signed to a team's developmental roster. 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 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
1372-682: A spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup competing against teams from across North America, Central America and Caribbean for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup . As of 2024, no team has yet won a CPL double ; Forge FC were CPL champions in four of the league's first six seasons but failed to win the championship in 2021 or 2024 , the only seasons to date they topped the regular season standings. While Cavalry FC have two CPL Shields and one North Star Cup, none of these championships have overlapped. No CPL team has won
1470-612: A surge in youth participation throughout the 1980s, and in 1995 Canada qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time. Canada lost to England and Norway and drew with Nigeria at the tournament played in Sweden . Canada again qualified for FIFA Women's World Cup 1999 played in the United States, again going winless after drawing with Japan and losing to Norway and Russia . In 2000, Canada's men's team won
1568-475: Is Prairieland Park in Saskatoon . The team was 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. On September 5, 2023, LSSE and Prairieland Park Corporation announced that they had ended their efforts to bring a CPL team to Saskatoon, while
1666-639: Is also notable as the last time that the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland captains all played on the same side together. Following a rise in the popularity of the game after the global broadcasting of the 1966 World Cup , the North American Soccer League was formed in 1968. The league primarily based in the United States also had clubs in Canada and used many European professionals brought in to supplement domestic talent. Throughout
1764-400: Is given to the playoff champion and has been awarded since the league's inception. The CPL Shield was first revealed in 2023 and is won by the team that earns the most points during the regular season. 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
1862-428: Is one pair of rivalries between teams in the same province: the 905 Derby between Forge FC and York United FC, named after the area code 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 4,476 kilometres (2,781 mi). The 905 Derby, between Forge FC and York United FC,
1960-485: Is played; while in New Zealand, rugby holds greater popularity; Canadian football usurped association football. In 1869, the founding of Hamilton Football Club , who played what would become Canadian football, helped make that sport the dominant football code in Canada by the dawn of the twentieth century. Despite the difference in popularity of their respective professional leagues, soccer overtook ice hockey in
2058-404: 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 League Soccer . Canada also has many semi-professional and amateur soccer leagues. Canada's men's and women's national soccer teams are ranked 49th and 9th respectively in
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#17327867902352156-403: Is the shortest distance between two clubs in the CPL at 80 kilometres (50 mi). 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. Clanachan mentioned that the league
2254-461: 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 debuted in 2023, while FC Edmonton folded before
2352-551: The 2001 Confederations Cup in Japan, earning a memorable 0–0 draw with Brazil thanks to a stellar performance from Gold Cup Most Valuable Player, goalkeeper Craig Forrest . At the next Gold Cup in 2002 , Canada reached the semi-final for the second time but lost to the United States, on penalty kicks, who would go on to win the tournament. Despite their success in the Gold Cup, Canada's senior men's side failed to qualify for either
2450-479: The CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time. Canada had finished in a tie in group play with South Korea , but won the tie-breaking coin toss to advance to the quarter-final, where they beat Mexico 2–1 on an extra-time golden goal . In the semi-final, Canada beat Trinidad and Tobago 1–0, and beat invited side Colombia 2–0 in the final. As a result of being named CONCACAF champions, Canada travelled to
2548-567: The Canadian Championship , with Forge FC getting closest as runners-up in the 2020 tournament held during the COVID-19 pandemic and in which the Canadian Premier League was guaranteed a finalist. While a domestic treble is possible for both MLS and CPL teams, the sole Canadian treble to date was achieved by MLS -based Toronto FC in 2017 when the club won the Canadian Championship , MLS Supporters Shield and MLS Cup . In April 2018, commissioner David Clanachan said that
2646-617: The Czech Republic 2–1. In May 2008, the CSA inaugurated the Canadian Championship – a domestic cup competition open to professional clubs in Canada. The Montreal Impact won the inaugural season and qualified for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League season. In women's soccer, Canada qualified for the Women's Olympic Football Tournament for the first time. The team came within an extra-time goal of knocking off number-one ranked U.S. in
2744-520: The FIFA World Cup . Continuing in its good phase, Canada secured qualification for the 1986 World Cup after beating Honduras 2–1 in St John's, Newfoundland on September 14, 1985 at King George V Park in front of over 13,000 people. Canada had bid to host the final tournament, but their application was rejected in favour of Mexico , who qualified automatically as hosts, with Canada earning
2842-485: The FIFA World Rankings as of April 4, 2024. Soccer is played in Canada according to the rules of association football. What is called soccer in Canada today was generally known as football in Canada in the early days of the sport as it is known in much of the rest of the world today. The British Columbia Football Association was the first provincial football association formed in Canada in 1891. This
2940-477: The Langley Events Centre . On November 2, 2022, the club announced its name as Vancouver FC along with a crest and team colours. 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 a soccer-specific stadium , and the preferred location for that stadium
3038-688: The National Hockey League , playing a leading role in the PQFA's formation. The Alberta Football Association was incorporated in the same year. The first ever professional game was played in Vancouver between the Callies and Rovers in 1910. The "Dominion of Canada Football Association", today known as the " Canadian Soccer Association was founded in Winnipeg , Manitoba in July 1912. "At
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3136-583: The North American Nations Cup , hosting the three-team tournament. Canada won the tournament after a 1–0 win over the United States on May 6 and a 2–1 win over Mexico on May 13, all three goals scored by John Catliff , the tournament's top scorer. In 1991, Canada took part in the championship for the second time as defending champions. Mexico won the 1991 North American Nations Cup with Canada finishing in third place. After
3234-776: The Tulsa Roughnecks . Also in 1983 the Canadian Professional Soccer League played one shortened season after two years of aborted attempts to find enough clubs to play. Canada also lost the bid to host the 1986 World Cup in 1983 when Mexico was awarded the World Cup. Toronto Blizzard returned to the NASL Finals in 1984, but in losing to the Chicago Sting , came up short for the second consecutive year. The league folded prior to
3332-773: 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 owner Bob Young
3430-693: The 1970s and 1980s, Canada was represented by professional teams playing in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver with short-lived teams in Calgary and Edmonton . The NASL had a stormy relationship with FIFA and the USSF and their clubs did not compete in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup . The Olympic Summer Games were held in Montreal in 1976, but the soccer tournament featured only 13 teams instead of
3528-944: The 1980s and 1990s as the sport with the most registered players in the country. In 2008, there were 873,032 soccer players, compared to 584,679 registered hockey players in Canada in 2008–09. The following is a list of fully professional teams in Canada: The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is the highest level of professional soccer in Canada. The tier 1 soccer league began play in 2019 and includes eight Canadian teams, including Atlético Ottawa (Ottawa, Ontario), Cavalry FC (Foothills County, Alberta), Forge FC (Hamilton, Ontario), HFX Wanderers (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Pacific FC (Langford, British Columbia), Valour FC (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Vancouver FC (Langley, British Columbia), and York United FC (Toronto, Ontario). The CPL has announced conditional expansion clubs to Saskatoon and Windsor. The stated goal of
3626-446: The 1985 season. Despite these misfortunes, Canada qualified for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics soccer tournament played throughout the United States. In the first round, they drew with Iraq , lost to Yugoslavia and beat Cameroon to qualify for the quarter finals. After taking an early lead against Brazil , Canada were defeated on penalty kicks. The 1985 CONCACAF Championship was the fourth edition that doubled as qualification for
3724-782: The 1992 season, the CSL was forced to end operations with Vancouver 86ers and Montreal Impact joining the United States' APSL . In January 1993, the Toronto Blizzard also joined the APSL. The Winnipeg Fury , not meeting USSF Division 1 market size standards, and North York Rockets joined the National Soccer League, which changed its name to the Canadian National Soccer League in 1993. The Canadian women's national team benefited from
3822-550: The 2002 or 2006 World Cup. Also in 2002, Canada hosted the first ever FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship with games in Edmonton , Victoria , and Vancouver . The final between Canada and the United States was played at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium , with the U.S. winning on a golden goal . Canadian Christine Sinclair received the tournament's Golden Ball as MVP and Golden Boot as leading goal-scorer. Rounding out 2002, Canada's senior women's team, with several players from
3920-566: The 2011 season. An MLS franchise was awarded to Montreal in 2010 and began play in the 2012 season . Both the Vancouver and Montreal clubs were long-time organizations that had played in USSF-sanctioned Division 2 leagues — North American Soccer League and the USL Championship . In 2022, Toronto FC II and Whitecaps FC 2 began play in MLS Next Pro , a United States Soccer Federation -sanctioned division 3 league and
4018-609: The 2013 season as the CSA board of directors adopted a new soccer structure in Canada based on the Easton Report. Prior to being de-sanctioned, the CSL had been involved in a match-fixing scandal and a majority of the teams reportedly did not meet CSA requirements in the 2012 season. The league was founded in 1998 after a merger between the Canadian National Soccer League with the stillborn Ontario Professional Soccer League and previously featured academy clubs of Toronto FC and Montreal Impact. The CSL continued to play following
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4116-664: 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 -based team owned by Atlético Madrid being formed for the 2020 season. These reports were later confirmed when
4214-549: The CPL announced Atlético Ottawa as the league's first expansion team on January 29, 2020. On November 10, 2021, the CPL awarded an expansion club in Vancouver to SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP to begin play 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
4312-543: 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 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. The CPL's inaugural match between Forge FC and York9 FC took place at Tim Hortons Field on April 27, 2019, and resulted in
4410-585: The CPL, having been members of the North American Soccer League , 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 has three teams, British Columbia has two clubs, while Alberta , Manitoba and Nova Scotia each have one. There
4508-526: 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 ,
4606-613: The Canadian Soccer Association. In 1957, Canada entered qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time and met the United States and Mexico in qualifying for the finals in Sweden in 1958. Canada won its first World Cup qualifying game 5–1 against the U.S. in Toronto, but played Mexico twice in Mexico City and lost 2–0 and 3–0. In the final group game, Canada beat the U.S. 3–2 in St. Louis , but group winners Mexico advanced to
4704-667: The Canadian Soccer Football Association in 1958 and then to the Canadian Soccer Association in 1971. One of the earliest soccer games was played in Toronto in 1859 between the St. George's Society and a team of Irishmen. Games were played in New Westminster in 1862 and in Victoria in 1865. The first game played under modern rules took place in Toronto in 1876, after which the Dominion Football Association,
4802-412: The Canadian soccer league system as more teams join the league. All Canadian Premier League teams also participate in Canada's domestic cup competition – the Canadian Championship . CPL teams compete against Canadian teams in Major League Soccer and Tier 3 league champions for a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup . Since 2023, the CPL regular season and playoff champion have also qualified for
4900-637: The Caribbean for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup . All CPL teams also play in the Canadian 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 the Canadian Soccer Association on May 6, 2017, and has played an annual season since 2019. The league's focus
4998-622: The Champions Cup. From 2019 to 2022, one CPL club participated in the CONCACAF League and competed against teams from Central America and the Caribbean for one of six spots in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. For the 2019 edition only, this slot was granted to one of the league's 'inaugural teams' ( FC Edmonton , Forge FC , or Valour FC ) based on their home and away matches in the 2019 spring season . In all other editions,
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#17327867902355096-876: The Finals. From the 1940s through 1960s, Canada's four major leagues were the Pacific Coast League (re-established in 1939–40), the National League of Ontario/Quebec (re-established in 1947), the Eastern Canada Professional League (established in 1961), and the Western Canada League (established in 1963 ). Canadian teams also played in the American-based North American Soccer Football League in
5194-570: The Finals. Forge midfielder Tristan Borges 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 . On July 29, it was announced that the entire 2020 season would be played in Charlottetown 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
5292-514: The U-19 squad, met the United States in the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup final, where the U.S. won on yet another golden goal. Still later that year, Sinclair led the U.S. NCAA Division I in goals scored as she helped the University of Portland win the national championship . The senior women's side again qualified for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup . In the group stages they lost to Germany before beating Japan and Argentina for their first wins in World Cup history (men or women). In
5390-469: The United States. Canada's national team reached the semi-final at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup , losing again to the U.S. who would again win the tournament as in 2002. Dale Mitchell was named coach of Canada's senior men's team, to begin duties after the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup , held in Canada. The host went out without scoring a goal and losing all three matches. The final was held in front of 20,000 people at BMO Field in Toronto, with Argentina beating
5488-418: The Western Football Association sent teams to New Jersey to play both indoor and outdoor matches against teams representing the American Football Association , then the unofficial governing body of soccer in the United States. In the first unofficial international between the two countries in 1885 Canada defeated the United States 1–0 in East Newark , New Jersey . A year later the American side won 3–2 on
5586-432: 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 the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League , becoming the first CPL club to do so. Eight clubs compete in the Canadian Premier League. Seven clubs competed in the inaugural season. Only FC Edmonton predated
5684-444: 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
5782-579: 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. 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), and Tim Hortons Field (Forge FC) were existing Canadian Football League stadiums, and have
5880-417: The creation of their own soccer federation in 2014 which was unsanctioned by FIFA . On May 6, 2017, the creation the Canadian Premier League was unanimously approved and sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association as a division 1 league. On December 9, 2017, Toronto FC became the first MLS team to complete a domestic treble with their 2–0 win over the Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS Cup , as well as
5978-404: The end of the 2022 Canadian Premier League season , the league announced that they would begin to recognize the regular season accomplishments of its member clubs to have more similarity with soccer competitions around the world, which put less emphasis on post-season results. At the time, the Canadian Premier League did not recognize a regular season winner. The CPL Shield was first unveiled near
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#17327867902356076-430: The end of the 2023 Canadian Premier League regular season. Cavalry FC were the first team to hoist the trophy following their 2023 regular season championship. The CPL Shield was also awarded retroactively to the clubs with the best regular season records from all previous seasons, meaning that Cavalry FC were also the first de-facto winners of the trophy for their first place finish in the inaugural 2019 season . Due to
6174-407: The example of British associations in a dispute over broken time payments to amateurs. Hamilton's Whitey McDonald was signed by Scottish club Rangers in the 1920s, who spotted him while on tour in North America. The Great Depression of the 1930s meant that the DCFA struggled financially and could not afford to hold annual meetings in 1932 and 1933 and from 1935 to 1940. In those years, business
6272-455: The first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup. On June 13, 2018, Canada, Mexico and United States joint bid was chosen to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup 69 votes ahead of Morocco 134–65 at the FIFA Congress in Moscow. Canada will host 10 matches in Vancouver and Toronto. The first match of the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League took place between Forge FC and York9 FC at Tim Hortons Field on April 27, 2019, and resulted in
6370-438: The first edition of the tournament that is still running. They represented the WFA at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri , winning the gold medal. Only two other teams participated, both American clubs. In 1905, the Saskatchewan Football Association was formed in the province of Saskatchewan , and by 1911 the Province of Quebec Football Association was formed in Montreal with Frank Calder , first president of
6468-612: The first recorded football association outside the British Isles , was formed in Toronto in 1877 to foster competition between local sides. In 1880, the Western Football Association was formed in Berlin (now Kitchener ), Ontario and played a major role in the subsequent development of the sport throughout southern Ontario . In the time around 1900, the WFA had teams throughout Western Ontario in various municipalities including Seaforth , Mildmay , Listowel , Woodstock , Ingersoll , Brussels , Dundas , Aylmer , Ayr , Tavistock , Preston , Galt and Berlin . In 1885 and 1886,
6566-485: The first team, York9 FC , took place on May 10. This was followed by Calgary-based Cavalry FC on May 17, 2018, Halifax's HFX Wanderers FC on May 25, Valour FC 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 , Hamilton's Forge FC was next unveiled on July 12, followed by Pacific FC of Langford in Greater Victoria on July 20. On August 27, 2018,
6664-417: The four men's leagues are given berths into the Canadian Championship . Starting in 2022, the champions of the three women's leagues, along with a second team from the host league, compete at a single location in an interprovincial championship. In 2022, League1 Canada was launched as an alliance for Ligue1 Québec , League1 Ontario and League1 British Columbia to unify and elevate the sport of soccer at
6762-416: The largest capacities in the CPL. York Lions Stadium (York United FC) and Starlight Stadium (Pacific FC) are both pre-existing stadiums that were upgraded in capacity before the 2019 season. ATCO Field (Cavalry FC) and Wanderers Grounds (HFX Wanderers FC) were new stadiums in 2019, built at pre-existing venues. On February 20, 2019, it was announced that Mediapro had acquired the broadcast rights to
6860-711: The late 1940s. The Western Canada League was the first-ever league to feature teams across three and then four provinces, although the league folded in 1971. During the 1960s there was a concerted effort to push professional soccer in Canada. The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was formed in 1961 and featured teams in Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, and (for one season) Buffalo, New York. One club, Toronto City , even featured some very prominent British soccer stars during its inaugural season, including Northern Ireland international Danny Blanchflower , England internationals Stanley Matthews and Johnny Haynes and Scottish internationals Jackie Mudie and Tommy Younger . This
6958-466: The league across Ireland and the United Kingdom. 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. Despite this, Mediapro's OneSoccer continued to broadcast the CPL in 2024 under a new agreement. The 2024 Canadian Premier League final will be broadcast and streamed on CBC's platforms in addition to OneSoccer. Soccer in Canada In Canada , soccer
7056-463: The league as part of a ten year agreement. A streaming service established in 2019, OneSoccer , carries all of the league's matches, including the Canadian Championship . Twenty games throughout the inaugural season were also available through CBC Sports , 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
7154-545: 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
7252-582: 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
7350-429: The league is to develop Canadian soccer talent, and as such will have a minimum number of Canadian players on each roster and an annual draft of U Sports players . Major League Soccer (MLS) is the highest level of professional soccer in the United States. There are three MLS teams located in Canada. Toronto FC became the first Canadian club in 2007. An MLS franchise was awarded to Vancouver in 2009 and began play in
7448-489: 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. On January 10, 2018, David Clanachan, former president and chief operating officer of Tim Hortons , was named as the first commissioner of the league. On January 24, he announced that Paul Beirne had been named president. Having already worked with
7546-716: The league's second season, while CHCH 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 in Sub-Saharan Africa , 1Sports in the Indian subcontinent , and Premier Football in the Philippines . The group stage and Final were broadcast in Latin America by DirecTV Go and Tigo Sports. From 2022, BT Sport started showing live coverage of
7644-693: The meeting, the Manitoba Football Association joined with the provincial associations of Ontario, New Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta to form the national association." The organization became a member of FIFA December 31, 1912. In 1926, the National Soccer League was formed with teams in Ontario and Quebec. On June 21, 1926, the DCFA resigned from FIFA and remained outside the world governing body, following
7742-658: The normal 16 after the African nations boycotted the games in protest against South Africa 's apartheid policies. Canada opened against the Soviet Union in the Olympic Stadium , losing 2–1. Canada lost its second game in Toronto against North Korea and was eliminated from the tournament. The same year, Toronto Metros-Croatia won the Soccer Bowl , the North American Soccer League championship. The final
7840-504: The pro-am level through sharing of resources, best practices, and coordination of national commercial partnerships. USL League Two is a U.S.-based, men's amateur league. For the 2024 season, Thunder Bay Chill , based in Thunder Bay , Ontario, is the only Canadian team in the league. Four Canadian teams have previously won the league championship: United Women's Soccer is a U.S.-based, women's pro-am league. Calgary Foothills WFC
7938-411: The quarter-final. At the youth level, Canada won its second CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship . In March 2011, it was announced Canada would host the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time, where they reached the quarterfinals. On January 31, 2013, the Canadian Soccer Association announced they were withdrawing sanctioning of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) as a division 3 league following
8036-611: The quarter-finals, Canada upset China 1–0 before losing to Sweden in the semifinal. They were again beat by old rivals the U.S. in the 3rd place game. The under-19 women's side qualified for the 2004 world championship in Thailand , losing in the quarterfinals to China. For the second straight tournament, a Canadian won the Golden Boot, with Brittany Timko the top-scorer. Sinclair set an NCAA Division I record in 2005 with 39 goals as she led Portland to another NCAA title and earned
8134-927: The remaining CONCACAF spot and winning the CONCACAF Championship (now the Gold Cup ) for the first time. At the World Cup , Canada were drawn in Group C and lost 1–0 to France and 2–0 to both Hungary and the Soviet Union . Also in 1986, four Canadian national team players were guilty of taking bribes in a match-fixing scandal at the Merlion Cup in Singapore. The Canadian Soccer Association suspended Chris Cheuden , Hector Marinaro , David Norman and Igor Vrablic for one year each. Marinaro and Norman were reinstated and resumed play for Canada. In
8232-507: The reserve league of MLS . Toronto FC II had played in the division 2 USL Championship until 2018 and in the division 3 USL League One from 2019 to 2021. Semi-professional leagues have been operated by provincial soccer associations since 2012 and have been designated as pro-am by the Canadian Soccer Association . Currently four such leagues exist: Ligue1 Québec , League1 Ontario , League1 British Columbia , and League1 Alberta — all operating men's and women's competitions. The champions of
8330-769: The same field. Teams from the two organizations played one another on both sides of the border regularly in the years that followed. In 1896, the Newfoundland Football League was founded on March 15 in St. John's . The Manitoba Football Association was formed that same year on March 19 in Brandon . In 1901 the Ontario Football Association was formed in Toronto and competition for the Ontario Cup began. Galt F.C. won
8428-495: The start of that season. The CPL is headquartered in Toronto , Ontario . After the closure of the original Canadian Soccer League in 1992, there was no fully professional first division domestic league of Canadian soccer . The only national Canadian competition was the Canadian Championship , a domestic cup which has been played since 2008. Canadian teams played in American leagues, such as Major League Soccer , NASL and
8526-466: The termination. For the 2023 season , Vancouver FC from Langley, British Columbia entered the league, joining as an expansion team. The inaugural 2019 season of the league included a split season 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
8624-570: 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 Cup , competing against teams from across North America, Central America and
8722-591: The tournament's history, with Alphonso Davies ) and 2–1 for Morocco . Canada will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup , along with neighbours the United States and Mexico . As in other English-speaking nations outside the United Kingdom, association football (soccer) has been traditionally overshadowed by a rival code of the game with explicitly local roots. As in Australia, where Australian rules football took hold; and Ireland, where Gaelic football
8820-459: The unconventional format used for a shortened season in 2020 , due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the league did not retroactively award the trophy to any team for that year. The trophy is a silver shield measuring about 46 centimetres (18 in) in diameter and weighing 9 kilograms (20 lb). The CPL Shield has 13 edges to represent each of the provinces and territories of Canada and features
8918-537: The wake of Canada's World Cup appearance, the Canadian Soccer League began operations in 1987 with teams in eight Canadian cities. In 1989 the Canadian Soccer Referees' Association was founded. The Vancouver 86ers of the CSL won the 1990 North American Club Championship , beating Maryland Bays 3–2 in the final in Burnaby, British Columbia . The same year, Canada's national side took part in
9016-426: Was announced as the league's new commissioner as well as the new CEO of Canada Soccer Business effective September 1. The Canadian Premier League uses a salary cap . As of the 2024 season, clubs are required to spend between CA$ 750,000 and $ 1,212,500 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
9114-535: Was conducted by mail. At one point, president Len Peto of Montreal loaned the DFA a considerable sum of money to stave off bankruptcy. The money was later repaid in full. Despite the hard times, Montreal -born goalkeeper Joe Kennaway signed for Scottish giants Glasgow Celtic in 1931 and was an immediate success. Toronto Scottish won a North American club championship in 1933 by beating holders and U.S. champions Stix, Baer and Fuller F.C. at Chicago's Soldier Field by
9212-785: Was followed by the Manitoba Football Association in 1896, the Ontario Football Association in 1901, the Saskatchewan Football Association in 1906, the Alberta Football Association in 1909 and the Province of Quebec Football Association in 1911. The Dominion of Canada Football Association was formed in 1912. The game's governing body retained that name until it was changed to The Football Association of Canada on June 6, 1952. The Association later changed its name to
9310-541: Was held in Seattle, where the Toronto side defeated Minnesota 3–0 with a squad featuring Eusébio , striker Ivan Lukačević , Canadian defender Robert Iarusci and goaltender Željko Bilecki . Vancouver Whitecaps won the 1979 Soccer Bowl , beating Tampa Bay Rowdies 2–1 in the final at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. In 1983, Toronto Blizzard reached the final at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver but lost 2–0 to
9408-599: Was looking at regions and owners in St. John's , Moncton , Laval , Quebec City , Kitchener-Waterloo , the Niagara Region , the Durham Region , Mississauga , Regina , Saskatoon , and Kelowna as well as the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia. Other areas with CPL interest include Barrie , Montreal , and Saint John . On August 25, 2022, ARS de Quebec's Director General Philippe Bernard
9506-484: Was part of a core group of investors working with the Canadian Soccer Association and its president Victor 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-construction Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton . In February 2016, reports of
9604-469: Was quoted in Le Journal de Québec 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
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