The 2026 Canadian Premier League season is the eighth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top men's professional level of the Canadian Soccer Association's league system. Atlético Ottawa are the defending champions and Forge FC are the CPL Shield holders.
Rule changes The league is the first senior competition in the world to trial a new version of the offside rule, where offside is only called when there is "clear daylight" between the attacker and the last defender, following proposals from FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger. The proposed trial was approved by the IFAB in February 2026. The league is also implementing football video support (FVS). To enhance match tempo and reduce time wasting, rules changes such as a five-second countdown on throw-ins and goal kicks, ten seconds to leave the field for a substitution, and a one minute holdout period to return from an injury, are also being implemented. The playoff structure was reduced from five to four teams, returning to the format used in 2022.
Roster rule changes The CPL's total player compensation budget was increased by $33,500 to a total of $1,217,500 (or $1,337,500 for teams maximizing the U-21 salary incentive). A U-22 salary incentive known as the "U-21 Graduate Provision" was introduced this season. Players who are in their age-22 season and have spent at least two years with their club will have only 80% of their salary count towards the compensation budget.
Beginning in 2026, teams can now designate a third U-18 domestic player under the Exceptional Young Talent (EYT) rule. Players on EYT contracts do not occupy a roster spot or count towards the player compensation budget.
Teams Eight teams are competing in the 2026 season with the debut of FC Supra du Québec, and the dissolution of Valour FC. Inter Toronto FC is playing its first season after being renamed, having previously competed as York9 FC and more recently York United FC.
Stadiums and locations
ClubResultsLocationStadiumCapacityAtlético OttawadetailsOttawa, OntarioTD Place Stadium24,000Cavalry FCdetailsFoothills County, AlbertaATCO Field6,000Forge FCdetailsHamilton, OntarioHamilton Stadium23,218HFX Wanderers FCdetailsHalifax, Nova ScotiaWanderers Grounds7,500Inter Toronto FCdetailsToronto, OntarioYork Lions Stadium4,000Pacific FCdetailsLangford, British ColumbiaStarlight Stadium6,000FC Supra du QuébecdetailsLaval, QuebecStade Boréale5,581Vancouver FCdetailsLangley, British ColumbiaWilloughby Community Park6,560
Coaching changes TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming coachDate of appointmentFC Supra du QuébecN/A (inaugural season)Pre-season Nicholas RazzaghiOctober 30, 2025HFX Wanderers FC Patrice GheisarContract expirationOctober 24, 2025 Vanni SartiniDecember 10, 2025Pacific FC James MerrimanSackedMay 21, 20268th Terry DunfieldJuly 7, 2026Atlético Ottawa Diego MejíaSigned by Atlético San LuisMay 31, 20264th Gustavo LealJuly 17, 2026
Regular season Format The regular season is played as a quadruple round-robin, with each team playing the other seven teams twice at home and twice away between April and October.
The regular season winner will be awarded the CPL Shield and qualify for Round one of the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs.
Standings
Results
Positions by week
Playoffs The 2026 playoffs will feature four teams. There will be a pair of two-leg semifinals followed by a single match final hosted by the highest seeded team remaining to crown the league champion, who collect the North Star Cup, and qualify for the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
In the playoffs, if the aggregate scores are equal at the end of normal time of the second match, or end of the single match for the final, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played with each team allowed an extra substitution. If still tied, the winner is decided by a penalty shoot-out.
If a team completes the 'Double', that is, the regular season winner also won the 2026 CPL final, then the second-highest seeded regular season team would qualify for the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Bracket
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Ref. Vancouver Inter Toronto 4–0 (H) July 4 Supra HFX Wanderers 3–2 (A) July 24 Cavalry Supra 6–0 (H) September 25
Top assists
Clean sheets
Attendance
Awards Monthly Awards +MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthGoalkeeper of the MonthU-21 Player of the MonthReferencesManagerClubPlayerClubPlayerClubPlayerClubApril Bobby SmyrniotisForge FC Sean ReaFC Supra du Québec Dimitry BertaudForge FC Alessandro BielloFC Supra du QuébecMay Tommy Wheeldon Jr.Cavalry FC Tobias WarschewskiCavalry FC Diego UrtiagaInter Toronto Adam PearlmanCavalry FCJune Martin NashVancouver FC Goteh NtigneeCavalry FC Dimitry BertaudForge FC Kian ProctorVancouver FCJuly Martin NashVancouver FC Ballou TablaAtlético Ottawa Christopher KalongoAtlético Ottawa Kian ProctorVancouver FC
Weekly Awards Players of the week are in bold. WeekTeam of the WeekRef.GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwards1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Player transfers CPL–U Sports Draft The 2026 CPL–U Sports Draft took place on November28, 2025. Sixteen Canadian university student-athletes were selected by Canadian Premier League clubs over two rounds.
Foreign players
Canadian Premier League teams can sign a maximum of seven international players, out of which only five can be in the starting line-up for each match.
The following international players were signed for the 2026 season. To be considered domestic for CPL purposes, players must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, refugees, or foreign players with at least three seasons spent in the league. Note that domestic players may still hold other nationalities or represent other countries in international competitions.
+Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7 Inactive players Former playersAtlético Ottawa Juan Castro Roni Mbomio Jonantan Villal Emiliano García Daniel Aguilar Amaury Escoto Garissone Innocent Erling MyklebustCavalry Levi Laing Curtis Ofori Hassan AyariForge Nana Opoku Ampomah Rezart Rama Marko Jevremović Ismael Oketokoun Antoine Batisse Dimitry Bertaud Woodensky PierreHFX Wanderers Yohan Baï Jason Bahamboula Miguel Arilla Sven Zitman Victor Akinwale Nelson Pierre Cyprian KachweleInter Toronto Oswaldo León Raúl López Ariel Almagro Béni Badibanga Sebastián Gonzales Carlos Guzmán Diego UrtiagaPacific Juan Quintana Lukas Browning Lagerfeldt Diego Konincks Taras Gomulka Bul JuachFC SupraVancouver Abdoulaye Ouattara Luis Toomey Mohamed Amissi Isak Ssewankambo Lys Mousset Vitor Lucas Aboubacar Traore Michel Cavalcante
Players in italic denote players who were new to their respective clubs for the 2026 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement. Players in bold indicate players who have represented their national teams at the senior level.
References