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
←  2025
2027 →

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 quarterfinal 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]

Current squad

As of December 18,2025 [10] [11] [12] [13]

No.NameNationalityPosition(s)Date of birth (age)Previous clubNotes
Goalkeepers
36 Dino Bontis Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg GK August 3, 2004 (age 21) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Western Mustangs U21
Defenders
3 Marko Jevremović Flag of Serbia.svg DF February 23, 1996 (age 29) Flag of Greece.svg Athens Kallithea F.C. INT
5 Daniel Nimick Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF September 22, 2000 (age 25) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg HFX Wanderers FC
6 Ben Paton Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF May 5, 2000 (age 25) Flag of Scotland.svg Ross County
24 Rezart Rama Flag of Albania.svg DF December 4, 2000 (age 25) Flag of Albania.svg KF Egnatia INT
Midfielders
10 Kyle Bekker Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MF September 2, 1990 (age 35) Flag of the United States.svg North Carolina FC
16 Khadim Kane Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MF May 17, 2005 (age 20) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CF Montréal U23 U21
21 Alessandro Hojabrpour Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MF January 10, 2000 (age 25) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Pacific FC
22 Noah Jensen Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MF July 20, 1999 (age 26) Flag of the United States.svg Oakland University
28 Keito Lipovschek Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MF April 3, 2005 (age 20) Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Fleetwood United U21
32 Zayne Bruno Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MF January 23, 2007 (age 18) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sigma FC U21, EYT
99 Christos Liatifis Flag of Greece.svg MF June 18, 2005 (age 20) Flag of Greece.svg Panathinaikos F.C. INT
Forwards
9 Brian Wright Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW March 24, 1995 (age 30) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg York United FC
12 Maxime Filion Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW April 13, 2003 (age 22) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Montreal Carabins U Sports
17 Hoce Massunda Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW June 19, 2005 (age 20) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sigma FC U21
18 Molham Babouli Flag of Syria (2025-).svg FW January 2, 1993 (age 32) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg York United FC
19 Tristan Borges Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW August 26, 1998 (age 27) Flag of Belgium (civil).svg OH Leuven
41 Amadou Koné Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW January 28, 2005 (age 20) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Carleton Ravens U21, U Sports

Contracts and transfers

In

Draft picks

Forge FC made two selections in the 2026 CPL–U Sports Draft on November 28, 2025. [14] [15] Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster; only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in.

RoundSelectionPos.PlayerNationalityUniversity
18DFNoah BickfordFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada TMU
215MFMaxime BourgeoisFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada Sherbrooke

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 [16] [17]
7FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg David Choinière Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FC Supra Contract expiredJanuary 1, 2026 [17] [18]

Club

Prior to the season, the Hamilton Sports Group welcomed businessman and investor Angelo Paletta as a minority owner. [19] [20]

Kits

Canadian Soccer Business announced a multi-year partnership with Hummel to be the CPL's kit and apparel partner starting with the 2026 season, [21] replacing Macron. [22]

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 AprilMatchday 1000000+0!—
Canadian Championship Preliminary round000000+0!—
CONCACAF Champions Cup February 3Round one000000+0!—
Total000000+0!—

Source: Competitions

Canadian Premier League

The CPL season will kickoff in April 2026. [23] [24]

Canadian Championship

CONCACAF Champions Cup

The CONCACAF Champions Cup draw was held on December 9, 2025, with Forge drawing Liga MX side Tigres UANL in round one. [25] [26] 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

The round one schedule was announced on December 12, 2025. [27]

February 3Leg 1 Forge FC Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg v Flag of Mexico.svg Tigres UANL Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pmStadium: Hamilton Stadium
February 10Leg 2 Tigres UANL Flag of Mexico.svg v Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Forge FC San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
10:00 pmStadium: Estadio Universitario

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. ↑ "Forge FC announce 2026 roster updates" (Press release). Hamilton, ON: Forge FC. December 10, 2025. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Forge FC executes options on Dino Bontis and Khadim Kane". Canadian Premier League. December 15, 2025. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Forge FC Executes Option on Defender Marko Jevremović" (Press release). Hamilton, ON: Forge FC. December 17, 2025. Archived from the original on December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Forge FC Executes Option on Midfielder Noah Jensen" (Press release). Hamilton, ON: Forge FC. December 18, 2025. Archived from the original on December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Forge FC Select Bickford and Bourgeois in 2026 CPL–U Sports Draft" (Press release). Hamilton, ON: Forge FC. November 28, 2025. Archived from the original on November 28, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  15. ↑ Davidson, Neil (November 28, 2025). "Expansion FC Supra du Quebec adds to its roster with top two picks in U Sports draft". Yahoo Sports . The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on November 28, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Spireites agree deal for defender Owolabi-Belewu". BBC Sport . August 7, 2025. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Veteran winger David Choiniere leaves Forge after seven seasons with CPL powerhouse". Yahoo Sports . The Canadian Press. December 8, 2025. Archived from the original on December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  18. ↑ Massoud, Raphaël (December 10, 2025). "« Un retour à la maison » : Le FC Supra dévoile ses trois premiers joueurs" ["A homecoming": FC Supra unveils its first three players]. Radio-Canada (in French). Archived from the original on December 11, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Hamilton Sports Group Welcomes Local Business Leader and Philanthropist Angelo Paletta to its Ownership Group" (Press release). Hamilton, ON: Hamilton Tiger-Cats. December 8, 2025. Archived from the original on December 8, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Angelo Paletta joins Hamilton Sports Group as minority owner". 3DownNation. Harvard Media. December 8, 2025. Archived from the original on December 8, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Canadian Soccer Business Expands Partnership with hummel as Official Kit and Apparel Partner of the Canadian Premier League" (Press release). Canadian Premier League. November 6, 2025. Archived from the original on November 6, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  22. ↑ Jacques, John (November 6, 2025). "Canadian Premier League Brings In Hummel As New Kit Partner". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Canadian Premier League set to kick off in Quebec in 2026". Canadian Premier League. September 24, 2025. Archived from the original on November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Canadian Premier League expanding to Montreal in 2026". Sportsnet . September 24, 2025. Archived from the original on November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Vancouver FC drawn against Cruz Azul in Concacaf Champions Cup". Sportsnet . The Canadian Press. December 9, 2025. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  26. ↑ "2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One Matchups Revealed Following Draw" (Press release). Miami, FL: CONCACAF. December 9, 2025. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  27. ↑ "2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One and Round of 16 Schedule Released" (Press release). Miami, FL: CONCACAF. December 12, 2025. Archived from the original on December 12, 2025. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
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