2025 Canadian Premier League season

Last updated

Canadian Premier League
Season 2025
DatesApril 5 – October 18 (regular season)
October 22 – November 9 (playoffs)
Matches played96
Goals scored286 (2.98 per match)
Top goalscorer Samuel Salter
(17 goals)
Biggest home win Forge 5–0 Valour
(August 2)
Biggest away win Valour 0–5 Forge
(June 22)
Highest scoring Cavalry 5–4 Vancouver
(August 17)
Longest winning run6 matches
Forge
(July 18 – August 22)
Longest unbeaten run20 matches
Forge
(April 5 – August 22)
Longest winless run11 matches
Vancouver
(May 17 – July 25)
Longest losing run5 matches
Valour
(June 15 – July 20)
Vancouver
(August 10 – September 5)
Highest attendance17,971
Forge 2–2 Atlético Ottawa
(May 13)
Lowest attendance1,278
Vancouver 1–4 Atlético Ottawa
(April 13)
Total attendance354,518
Average attendance4,075
← 2024
2026 →
All statistics correct as of September 21, 2025.

The 2025 Canadian Premier League season is the seventh season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Cavalry FC are the defending champions, having defeated Forge FC in the 2024 final. [1]

Contents

Rule changes

The CPL's total player compensation budget was increased by $69,500 to a total of $1,182,000 (or $1,282,000 for teams maximizing the U-21 salary incentive). [2] [3] Beginning in 2025, players who have three seasons of CPL experience or have lived in Canada for at least three years are considered domestic players for roster purposes. [2]

Teams

The same eight teams that competed in the 2024 season are competing in the 2025 season, though this is expected to be the last season with eight teams, with expansion anticipated for 2026. [4]

Stadiums and locations

Location of the 2025 Canadian Premier League teams
ClubResultsLocationStadiumCapacity
Atlético Ottawa details Ottawa, Ontario TD Place Stadium 24,000
Cavalry FC details Foothills County, Alberta ATCO Field 6,000
Forge FC details Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton Stadium 23,218
HFX Wanderers FC details Halifax, Nova Scotia Wanderers Grounds 7,500
Pacific FC details Langford, British Columbia Starlight Stadium 6,000
Valour FC details Winnipeg, Manitoba Princess Auto Stadium 32,343
Vancouver FC details Langley, British Columbia Willoughby Community Park 6,560
York United FC details Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium 4,000

Personnel and sponsorship

TeamHead coachCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
Atlético Ottawa Flag of Mexico.svg Diego Mejía Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nathan Ingham Macron Maple Lodge Farms [5]
Cavalry Flag of England.svg Tommy Wheeldon Jr. Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marco Carducci WestJet
Forge Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Bobby Smyrniotis Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Bekker WeatherTech [6]
HFX Wanderers Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Patrice Gheisar Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Andre Rampersad Volkswagen
Pacific Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Merriman Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Josh Heard Telus [7]
Valour Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Phillip Dos Santos Flag of Ghana.svg Raphael Ohin OneSoccer
Vancouver Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Martin Nash (interim) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Callum Irving Caffè Artigiano [8]
York United Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mauro Eustáquio Flag of England.svg Elijah Adekugbe Carlsberg 0.0% [9]

Coaching changes

TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming coachDate of appointment
York United Flag of Mexico.svg Benjamín Mora [10] End of contractNovember 10, 2024Pre-season Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mauro Eustáquio [11] November 21, 2024
Atlético Ottawa Flag of Spain.svg Carlos González [12] Mutual consentNovember 21, 2024 Flag of Mexico.svg Diego Mejía [13] January 15, 2025
Vancouver Flag of Iran.svg Afshin Ghotbi [14] Mutual consentJuly 23, 20258th Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Martin Nash (interim) [14] July 24, 2025

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 (the team ranked first after all 28 games) is also awarded the League's regular season title, the CPL Shield. The regular season winner will also qualify for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top five teams will qualify for the playoffs.

Standings

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsPlayoff qualification
1 Forge (T)2414824220+2250 First semifinal and 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup
2 Atlético Ottawa (T)2413924725+2248 First semifinal
3 Cavalry (T)2411674127+1439 Quarterfinal
4 HFX Wanderers (T)2410593629+735 Play-in round
5 York United 249693932+733
6 Valour 2464142854−2622
7 Pacific 2456132446−2221
8 Vancouver (E)2436152953−2415
Updated to match(es) played on September 21, 2025. Source: CanPL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Total number of wins; 3) Head-to-head; 4) Goal differential; 5) Goals for; 6) Away goals differential; 7) Away goals for; 8) Home goals differential; 9) Home goals for; 10) Fewest disciplinary points (Yellow cards count for one point and red cards [direct or accumulation of two yellow cards] count as three points); 11) Most under-21 domestic player minutes; 12) Coin toss (tie between two (2) clubs) or drawing of lots (tie between three (3) or more clubs). [15]
(E) Eliminated; (T) Qualified, but not yet for the particular phase indicated

Results

Home \ Away ATO CAV FOR HFX PAC VAL VFC YRK
Atlético Ottawa 2–21–12–23–15–23–13–2
Sep 271–12–02–03–0Oct 120–0
Cavalry 1–3 4–1 0–04–04–01–12–1
0–2 Oct 10 3–11–03–05–40–1
Forge 2–2 1–0 2–12–01–12–1 2–2
2–0 1–1 1–0Sep 275–0Oct 4 Oct 18
HFX Wanderers 2–00–30–03–13–11–04–0
Oct 181–11–23–04–11–2Oct 4
Pacific 0–11–00–23–22–0 4–4 2–1
0–2Oct 50–12–2Oct 18 1–1 1–3
Valour 1–21–20–50–10–01–32–1
Oct 52–12–1Oct 111–13–10–0
Vancouver 1–40–00–20–2 1–1 1–30–2
2–2Oct 180–1Sep 28 2–3 2–52–1
York United 0–01–2 2–2 1–25–13–21–0
2–23–1 1–2 2–0Oct 9Sep 284–0
Updated to match(es) played on September 21, 2025. Source: CanPL.ca
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by matchweek

Team ╲ Week12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
Atlético Ottawa 521111121111111112222222
Cavalry 666754333233444333333333
Forge 313333444422222221111111
HFX Wanderers 432222212344333455555454
Pacific 255575556666666666666677
Valour 877888788777788777777766
Vancouver 788646677888877888888888
York United 144467865555555544444545
Updated to match(es) played on September 21, 2025. Source: CanPL As It Stands articles, CanPL standings
  = First semifinal ;   = Quarterfinal ;   = Play-in round

Playoffs

The 2025 season will once more feature a series of single-leg matches for five teams following a modified Page playoff system; the top two regular season teams get byes to the first semifinal, hosted by the first ranked team; the third placed team will get a bye to the quarter-final which it will host; while the fourth placed team from the regular season hosts the fifth placed team in a play-in match to reach the quarter-final.

The winner of that quarter-final then travels to the loser of the first semi-final in order to contest the second semi-final. The winner of the first semi-final hosts the winner of the second semi-final in the 2025 CPL Final to crown the league champion, who will collect the North Star Cup, and qualify for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

In playoffs, if the scores are equal at the end of normal time, extra time will be played for two periods of 15 minutes each. If still tied, the winner will be decided by a penalty shoot-out. [15]

If a team completes the 'Double', that is, the regular season winner also wins the 2025 CPL Final, then the second-highest seeded regular season team will qualify for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. [16] [15]


Bracket

Play-in roundFirst semifinalSecond semifinalFinal
October 25 or 26November 8 or 9
1
2November 1 or 2
Quarterfinal
October 25 or 26
October 223
4 
5 

Statistical leaders

As of September 21, 2025

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals [17]
1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Samuel Salter Atlético Ottawa 17
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Tiago Coimbra HFX Wanderers 11
3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Julian Altobelli York United 9
Flag of Somalia.svg Ali Musse Cavalry
Flag of the United States.svg David Rodríguez Atlético Ottawa
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ballou Tabla Atlético Ottawa 8
Flag of Germany.svg Tobias Warschewski Cavalry
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Brian Wright Forge
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sergio Camargo Cavalry 7
10 Flag of Ghana.svg Nana Ampomah Forge 6
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Shaan Hundal York United / Valour

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Samuel Salter 4 Atlético Ottawa Valour 5–2 (H)May 10 [18]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Brian Wright Forge Valour 5–0 (A)June 22 [19]
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Yann Toualy Pacific HFX Wanderers 3–2 (H)July 12 [20]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Tiago Coimbra HFX Wanderers Valour 4–1 (H)August 22 [21]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Shaan Hundal 4 York United Pacific 5–1 (H)August 24 [22]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Myles Morgan Valour Vancouver 5–2 (A)September 5 [23]
Note:4 – player scored 4 goals

Top assists

RankPlayerClubAssists [17]
1 Flag of the United States.svg David Rodríguez Atlético Ottawa 7
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sergio Camargo Cavalry 6
Flag of Somalia.svg Ali Musse Cavalry
4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Themi Antonoglou Valour 5
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Elage Bah Vancouver
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Max Ferrari York United
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Hoce Massunda Forge
Flag of Germany.svg Tobias Warschewski Cavalry
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Manny Aparicio Atlético Ottawa 4
Flag of Mexico.svg Orlando Botello York United
Flag of Mexico.svg Juan Castro Atlético Ottawa
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sean Rea HFX Wanderers
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Adonijah Reid York United

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean sheets [24]
1 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jassem Koleilat Forge 11
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nathan Ingham Atlético Ottawa 8
Flag of Algeria.svg Rayane Yesli HFX Wanderers
4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marco Carducci Cavalry 7
5 Flag of Mexico.svg Diego Urtiaga York United 6

Attendance

As of September 17, 2025
PosTeamTotalHighLowAverageChange
1 Forge FC 78,79717,9714,3717,163+35.7%†
2 HFX Wanderers 71,0227,1435,0446,457+6.6%†
3 Atlético Ottawa 51,3556,0683,3374,669−14.8%†
4 Cavalry FC 50,2295,1143,6694,186−0.9%†
5 Valour FC 40,80311,3901,5913,400+9.5%†
6 Pacific FC 35,0644,3002,2812,922−3.9%†
7 York United 23,9807,2181,3422,180+45.4% [a]
8 Vancouver FC 15,7482,0061,2181,432−54.7%†
League total366,99817,9711,2184,033+1.3%†

Source: CanPL, FotMob

Awards

Team of the Week

The Gatorade Team of the Week are selected by the CPL's Kristian Jack and OneSoccer's Oliver Platt.

Team of the Week
WeekGoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwardsRef
1
 [25]
2
 [26]
3
 [27]
4
 [28]
5
 [29]
6
 [30]
7
 [31]
8
 [32]
9
 [33]
10
 [34]
11
 [35]
12
 [36]
13
 [37]
14
 [38]
15
 Flag of Ghana.svg Ampomah (Forge)| Flag of Lebanon.svg Bitar (York)|
 [39]
16
 [40]
17
 [41]
18
 [42]
19
 [43]
20
 [44]
21
 [45]
22
 [46]

Player transfers

According to FIFA, the Canadian Soccer Association's (CSA's) 2025 transfer windows for men's professional teams are open from January 31 to April 23 and from July 24 to August 21. [47]

CPL–U Sports Draft

The 2025 CPL–U Sports Draft took place on December 5, 2024. [48]

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. [3]

The following international players were signed for the 2025 season. To be considered domestic for CPL purposes, players must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, refugees, or (new for 2025) foreign players with at least three seasons spent in the league. Note that these players may still represent other countries in international competitions. [49] [50]

ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Player 6Player 7Inactive players [b] Former players
Atlético Ottawa Flag of Spain.svg Alberto Zapater Flag of Mexico.svg Juan Castro Flag of the United States.svg David Rodríguez Flag of New Zealand.svg Monty Patterson Flag of Mexico.svg Kevin Ortega Flag of Mexico.svg Antonio Álvarez Flag of Spain.svg Roni Mbomio Flag of Mexico.svg Iker Moreno
Cavalry Flag of Germany.svg Nicolas Wähling Flag of England.svg Levi Laing Flag of the Netherlands.svg Ayman Sellouf Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jesse Daley
Forge Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Béni Badibanga Flag of Ghana.svg Nana Opoku Ampomah Flag of Albania.svg Rezart Rama Flag of Serbia.svg Marko Jevremović Flag of Greece.svg Christos Liatifis Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Victor Klonaridis
HFX Wanderers Flag of France.svg Lorenzo Callegari Flag of Brazil.svg Vitor Dias Flag of France.svg Yohan Baï Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg Jason Bahamboula Flag of Italy.svg Giorgio Probo
Pacific Flag of France.svg Aly Ndom Flag of Brazil.svg Daniel de Pauli Flag of Ireland.svg Lukas Browning Lagerfeldt Flag of Mexico.svg Emanuel Montejano Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Quintana Flag of Portugal (official).svg Pedro Machado
Valour Flag of England.svg Kian Williams Flag of Portugal (official).svg Diogo Ressurreição Flag of Portugal (official).svg Xavier Venâncio Flag of Portugal (official).svg Bruno Figueiredo Flag of the Netherlands.svg Diego Konincks Flag of New Zealand.svg Oskar van Hattum
Vancouver Flag of Mexico.svg José Navarro Flag of Uganda.svg Allan Enyou Flag of Brazil.svg Juan Batista Flag of Brazil.svg Michel Cavalcante Flag of France.svg Abdoulaye Ouattara Flag of Senegal.svg Pathé Ndiaye Flag of Uruguay.svg Nicolás Mezquida
York United Flag of Mexico.svg Oswaldo León Flag of Mexico.svg Orlando Botello Flag of Mexico.svg Diego Urtiaga Flag of Mexico.svg Leonel López Flag of Portugal (official).svg Bryan Rosa

Players in italic denote players who were new to their respective clubs for the 2025 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement. Players in bold indicate players who have represented their national teams at the senior level.

Notes

  1. ↑ Attendance for the September 5 home match against Cavalry not yet reported
  2. ↑ Players who remain under contract but have suffered season-ending injury and may not return to play. They do not count towards roster or cap restrictions and as such can be replaced by another foreign player.

References

  1. ↑ Hall, Vicki (November 9, 2024). "Calgary's Cavalry FC dethrones Hamilton's Forge FC for 1st-ever Canadian Premier League title". CBC Sports . The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Canadian Premier League announces updates to roster rules & regulations, competitions guidelines ahead of 2025 season". Canadian Premier League. April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Jacques, John (March 13, 2024). "Canadian Premier League Updates Roster Rules For 2024". Northern Tribune. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  4. ↑ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (November 8, 2024). "'There's not a better time to be invested in the CPL': Commissioner Mark Noonan hints at expansion plans". OneSoccer . Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  5. ↑ "First Look: Atletico Ottawa's New Primary Kit". Northern Tribune. March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  6. ↑ Nico Correa (January 30, 2025). "Forge FC Announces WeatherTech Canada as Front of Jersey Sponsor" . Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Canadian Premier League signs TELUS as Multi-Year Partner". Canadian Premier League. April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ Beau Chevalier (March 27, 2025). "Vancouver FC launch 2025 Kits with new front-of-kit sponsor Caffè Artigiano". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ "York United announces Carlsberg as front of jersey sponsor for 2023". York United. November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ Davidson, Neil (November 10, 2024). "CPL coach of the year finalist Benjamin Mora parts ways with York United FC". CBC Sports . The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  11. ↑ Charlie O'Connor-Clarke (November 21, 2024). "Mauro Eustáquio named York United FC head coach; first former CPL player to earn top coaching job". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Atlético Ottawa announces departure of Head Coach Carlos González". Atlético Ottawa. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Atlético Ottawa's new head coach is Mexico's Diego Mejía". CBC News . January 15, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Mitchell Tierney (July 23, 2025). "Vancouver FC part with Ghotbi; Nash named interim manager". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 "2025 CPL Competition Guidelines". Canadian Premier League. April 1, 2025. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Canadian Premier League announces 2025 regular season schedule presented by WestJet". Canadian Premier League. February 18, 2025.
  17. 1 2 "2025 CPL players statistics". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Atlético Ottawa vs. Valour - 10 May 2025". Soccerway. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Forge vs. Valour - 22 June 2025". Soccerway. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Pacific vs. Wanderers - 12 July 2025". Soccerway. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Wanderers vs. Valour - 22 August 2025". Soccerway. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  22. ↑ "York vs. Pacific - 24 August 2025". Soccerway. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Vancouver vs. Valour - 5 September 2025". Soccerway. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  24. ↑ "2025 CPL goalkeepers statistics". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 1)". Canadian Premier League. April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 2)". Canadian Premier League. April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 3)". Canadian Premier League. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  28. ↑ CPL (April 28, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 4)". CPL. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  29. ↑ CPL (May 5, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 5)". CPL. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  30. ↑ CPL (May 12, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 6)". CPL. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  31. ↑ CPL (May 19, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 7)". CPL. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  32. ↑ CPL (May 26, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 8)". CPL. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  33. ↑ CPL (June 2, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 9)". CPL. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  34. ↑ CPL (June 9, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 10)". CPL. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  35. ↑ CPL (June 16, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 11)". CPL. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  36. ↑ CPL (June 16, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 12)". CPL. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  37. ↑ CPL (July 2, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 13)". CPL. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  38. ↑ CPL (July 14, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 14)". CPL. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  39. ↑ CPL (July 21, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 15)". CPL. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  40. ↑ CPL (July 28, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 16)". CPL. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  41. ↑ CPL (August 5, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 17)". CPL. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  42. ↑ CPL (August 11, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 18)". CPL. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  43. ↑ CPL (August 18, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 19)". CPL. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  44. ↑ CPL (August 25, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 20)". CPL. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  45. ↑ CPL (September 2, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 21)". CPL. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  46. ↑ CPL (September 8, 2025). "Gatorade Team of the Week 2025 (Week 22)". CPL. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  47. ↑ "Transfer system". Inside FIFA. FIFA. January 15, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  48. ↑ "Canadian Premier League Announces 2025 CPL-U Sports Draft Presented By Degree" (Press release). U Sports. October 18, 2024. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  49. ↑ "CPL Off-Season Roster Tracker: Who's in and who's out for 2025?". Canadian Premier League. December 9, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  50. ↑ "2025 CPL Competition Guidelines". Canadian Premier League. April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
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