Canadian Premier League wants to expand by two teams in 2026

The Canadian Premier League intends to expand by two teams in 2026.

The league is in discussions with groups in Edmonton, Laval, Que., Kelowna, B.C., Kitchener, Waterloo and Windsor, Ont., Quebec City, Saskatoon and the Toronto area, CPL commissioner Mark Noonan said Friday in Calgary ahead of the league's championship game.

"Our goal is to add two new teams for our 2026 season, and we're in discussions with several potential investor groups and municipalities in this regard," Noonan said.

"Our plan is to thoughtfully expand CPL into new markets, so we have the conditions we need to be successful.

"With the progress we are making with our league, the accelerator of World Cup 2026, I firmly believe there's not a better time to be invested in the CPL specifically, and Canadian soccer generally."

North Star Cup Saturday

The CPL currently has teams in eight cities: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Halifax.

Calgary's Cavalry FC and Hamilton's Forge FC meet Saturday for the North Star Cup.

Edmonton had one of the league's founding teams from 2019 to 2022. It struggled with poor attendance and losing records. The league took it over in 2022 and folded it for the 2023 season.

A test game between Vancouver FC and Cavalry FC was played in Kelowna on June 16 and drew almost 6,300 fans.

The commissioner said more games will be played in markets where there is interest.

"It's very important that we do expand at the right time in the right place," Noonan said.

An appropriate playing facility, a strong ownership group, a supportive municipality, corporate sponsorship and youth soccer and fan engagement are among the criteria for an expansion team, he added.

"In addition to giving us more content, more games for distribution, what it does is it increases the player pipeline," the commissioner said.

"When you increase the player pipeline, it's just like sales. The more people you have in your pipeline, the better it's going to get if you're training them well."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.