players celebrate a goal by
Álvaro Rivero against
HFX Wanderers during a game in September 2021. After the closure of the original
Canadian Soccer League in 1992, there was no fully professional first division domestic league of
Canadian soccer. The only national Canadian competition was the
Canadian Championship, a domestic cup which has been played since 2008. Canadian teams played in American leagues, such as
Major League Soccer,
NASL and the
USL Championship, while the
L1O and
PLSQ were created as provincial-level leagues. A
new version of the Canadian Soccer League was briefly sanctioned as a third-division semi-pro league by the
CSA from 2010 to 2013, losing the sanction after the CSA board of directors adopted a new soccer structure in Canada. A new fully professional Canadian soccer league was first publicly reported in June 2013. The reports suggested that
Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner
Bob Young was part of a core group of investors working with the
Canadian Soccer Association and its president
Victor Montagliani to create a new set of fully professional teams or a league in Canada. The Tiger-Cats ownership group was granted exclusive rights by the Canadian Soccer Association until 2017 to establish a team that would play in the under-construction
Tim Hortons Field in
Hamilton. In February 2016, reports of the league emerged again when Young spoke to
Hamilton City Council requesting permission to erect an air-dome over the Tim Hortons Field playing surface between December 1 and April 30 yearly to allow for year-round training for a professional soccer team owned by the Tiger-Cats that would call the stadium home. On November 14, the first official employee of the Canadian Premier League was announced.
Paul Beirne, a Canadian who was also the first employee of
Toronto FC, was hired as
project manager for the new league. On May 6, 2017, the creation of the league was unanimously approved and sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association. Ownership groups in
Winnipeg and Hamilton were also approved. On May 5, 2018, the Canadian Soccer Association accepted club memberships for
Halifax,
York Region,
Calgary, and "Port City" (later confirmed to be based in
Greater Victoria, rather than
Surrey as speculated). The unveiling of the first team,
York9 FC, took place on May 10. This was followed by Calgary-based
Cavalry FC on May 17, 2018, Halifax's
HFX Wanderers FC on May 25,
Valour FC in Winnipeg on June 6, and the rebranded former
NASL side
FC Edmonton on June 8. After a break from announcements to accommodate the
2018 FIFA World Cup, Hamilton's
Forge FC was next unveiled on July 12, followed by
Pacific FC of
Langford in
Greater Victoria on July 20. On August 27, 2018, the CPL announced that it would hold a series of open tryouts in eight cities across Canada for players age 16 and older. The tryouts were led by
Alex Bunbury and took place in front of CPL coaching staff from all teams. On September 28, 2018, Italian sportswear company
Macron was announced as the official apparel supplier of the CPL. Macron supplies training gear and custom made
kits for each CPL team. and
Cavalry FC during the CPL's inaugural season in 2019
Launch (2019–present) The
CPL's inaugural match between Forge FC and York9 FC took place at Tim Hortons Field on April 27, 2019, and resulted in a 1–1 draw.
Ryan Telfer of
York9 FC scored the first goal in Canadian Premier League history in the third minute of the inaugural match. In advance of the
2019 Finals, the league's trophy was unveiled. The North Star Shield is a crystal shield engraved with the logo of the Canadian Premier League. The inaugural season finished on November 2, 2019, when Forge FC became the first Canadian Premier League Champions, defeating Cavalry FC 2–0 over two legs in the Finals. Forge midfielder
Tristan Borges was named the first CPL Player of the Year. On January 29, 2020,
Atlético Ottawa was confirmed to be the first CPL expansion team, joining for the 2020 season. The 2020 season, set to start on April 11, was postponed indefinitely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. On July 29, it was announced that the entire 2020 season would be played in
Charlottetown beginning August 13. The shortened 2020 season, known as "The Island Games" ended on September 19 when Forge FC won their second Canadian Premier League title in a 2–0 victory over HFX Wanderers. The 2021 season did not begin until June 26 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, each team was able to play a full schedule of 28 matches. The season culminated with
Pacific FC defeating Forge FC 1–0 in the
2021 Final, held in December. On November 21, 2022, the Canadian Premier League announced that FC Edmonton would be removed from the league, effective immediately. The league commissioner cited poor on-field performance as well as low attendance and an outdated stadium as reasons for the termination. For the
2023 season,
Vancouver FC from
Langley, British Columbia entered the league, joining as an expansion team. Following the
2024 season, the league was valued at US$300M (CA$431M). On November 21, 2025, Valour FC announced that the club was suspending operations. The league had been covering operational costs for the club since the 2024 season. The league will remain at eight clubs in 2026 with the addition of
Greater Montreal-based
FC Supra du Québec. ==Competition format==