2026 Forge FC season

Last updated

Forge FC
2026 season
Chairman Bob Young
Head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
Stadium Hamilton Stadium
Canadian Premier League Matchday 1
Canadian Championship TBA
CONCACAF Champions Cup Round one
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The 2026 Forge FC season will be the eighth season in the history of Forge FC and the club's eighth season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top flight in Canadian soccer. Forge are the two-time defending CPL Shield winners, having finished first in the 2024 and 2025 CPL seasons.

Contents

In addition to the Canadian Premier League, the club will compete in the Canadian Championship and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Review

Background

Forge FC will enter the 2026 Canadian Premier League season as the two-time reigning regular season winners after having finished first and claiming the CPL Shield in both the 2024 and 2025 CPL seasons. [1] The 2025 shield was the club's third regular season title and seventh trophy in seven years. [2] In the CPL playoffs, Forge were eliminated in the semifinals, making the 2025 CPL final the first in league history not to feature Forge. [3]

The Hammers will also compete in the 2026 Canadian Championship, a domestic cup organized by the Canadian Soccer Association. In the 2025 edition, Forge advanced to the semifinal, defeating MLS side CF Montréal in the quarter-final for the second year in a row, [4] before being knocked out by the eventual champion Vancouver Whitecaps FC. [5]

Forge qualified for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup as 2025 CPL regular season winners. [1] [6] This will be Forge's fourth appearance in the competition and third appearance in a row. In the 2025 edition, Forge faced Mexican side Monterrey in round one, losing 5–0 on aggregate. [7]

Head coach and sporting director Bobby Smyrniotis is contracted to return for his eighth season with the club after signing a four-year contract extension in 2023. [8] [9]

Contracts and transfers

Out

No.Pos.PlayerTo clubFee/notesDateSource
81DF Flag of England.svg Malik Owolabi-Belewu Flag of England.svg Chesterfield F.C. Contract expiredJanuary 1, 2026 [10]

Competitions

Matches are listed in Hamilton local time: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) from March 8 until November 1, and Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) otherwise.

Overview

CompetitionFirst matchLast matchStarting roundRecord
PldWDLGFGAGDWin %
Canadian Premier League Matchday 1000000+0!—
Canadian Championship Preliminary round000000+0!—
CONCACAF Champions Cup FebruaryRound one000000+0!—
Total000000+0!—

Source: Competitions

Canadian Premier League

Canadian Championship

CONCACAF Champions Cup

The CONCACAF Champions Cup draw will be held on December 9, 2025. Having qualified as CPL regular season winners, Forge will enter the competition in round one and will begin play in February 2026. [6]

Round one

February, 2026Leg 1 Forge FC Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg v Hamilton, Ontario
Stadium: Hamilton Stadium
February, 2026Leg 2v Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Forge FC

References

  1. 1 2 O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (October 18, 2025). "Forge FC lift 2025 CPL Shield as regular season winners". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ Radley, Scott (October 25, 2025). "They're regular season champs. Now, can Forge FC win in playoffs to finally achieve elusive double?" . The Hamilton Spectator . Archived from the original on October 25, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  3. ↑ Saelhof, Todd (November 2, 2025). "Cavalry FC upends host Forge in bid to defend CPL playoff title". Calgary Herald . Archived from the original on November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ Grigoriadis, Elias (July 10, 2025). "Hamilton's Forge FC eliminates CF Montreal from Canadian Championship for 2nd consecutive year". CBC News . The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on July 12, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  5. ↑ Karstens-Smith, Gemma (September 17, 2025). "Whitecaps beat Forge FC to book spot in Canadian Championship final". TSN . The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "2026 Champions Cup Key Details and Qualified Teams" (Press release). Miami, FL: CONCACAF. October 20, 2025. Archived from the original on October 29, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Monterrey cruises to win over Canada's Forge FC, advances in CONCACAF Champions Cup". TSN . Guadalupe, Mexico. The Canadian Press. February 11, 2025. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Forge FC Announce Extension and Expanded Role For Bobby Smyrniotis" (Press release). Forge FC. May 1, 2023. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  9. ↑ Milton, Steve (May 1, 2023). "Forge FC locks in coach Bobby Smyrniotis for four more years" . The Hamilton Spectator . Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Spireites agree deal for defender Owolabi-Belewu". BBC Sport . August 7, 2025. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
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