Ottawa Rapid FC

The Rapid were the last to be planned of the original six clubs in the NSL. With the league struggling to reach six franchises signing-on by the spring 2024 deadline which had been set by the other franchise owners, league CEO Diana Matheson and co-founder Thomas Gilbert leveraged their equity in the league in order to create a club in Ottawa. The club's existence was first disseminated at the espnW Summit in May 2024, where it and Montréal were described as the last two of the league's six charter clubs. Details were initially scant, with Matheson implying its development was behind the other five clubs. The club's formal unveiling took place at a press conference at TD Place Stadium on 15 August, where their corporate leadership, branding, and venue were detailed for the first time. On September 17, 2025, following a 2–1 win over Calgary Wild FC, the Rapid secured a spot in the inaugural NSL playoffs. Ottawa was eliminated in the semifinal by Vancouver Rise FC. On March 6, 2026, it was announced that Arcadia MapleLeaf Soccer had become majority owners of the Rapid, increasing investment into the club, and with Nick Sakellariadis being named as Chair. == Identity ==

, the fastest animal in the world. Canadian advertising agency Critical Mass designed the club's branding, which uses light blue as a primary colour and orange as an accent – references to the "water, sky, and the power of nature around us", and the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill, respectively. The club's name, Rapid, was a compromise between traditional North American "mascot" names, viscerality, and geographical context. The geology of the Ottawa Valley, and a "sense of speed and progress", were described by the club as imagery intended to be evoked by the name. The letter "O" outlines the crest, and is decorated with a small tulip on its top – a reference to the Canadian Tulip Festival that takes place annually in Ottawa. == Stadium ==

and TD Place Arena complex with five other tenants. The Rapid play their home games at TD Place Stadium in Lansdowne Park, located in the city's Glebe neighbourhood. The inaugural match was on April 27, 2025, a 2-1 victory over AFC Toronto. The club shares the 24,000-capacity venue, which contains the TD Place Arena integrated into its northern grandstand, with five other concurrent tenants: the Atlético Ottawa soccer club, the Ottawa Redblacks Canadian football club, the Ottawa Charge women's hockey club, Ottawa 67's junior hockey club, and the Ottawa BlackJacks basketball club. The cost blowout from its original CA$183 million budget attracted controversy to the project, leading to calls for it to be downscaled or scrapped altogether. The club's training grounds is the RA Centre, located approximately 2 kilometres to the south of TD Place. == Players and staff ==

Players . Staff . == Club culture ==

Supporters The main fan organization for Ottawa Rapid is the Peregrines supporter group. "The Cauldron" is the official supporters section for home games, located in Section W of TD Place. Rivalries Since the club's debut, it and AFC Toronto have tried to cultivate a rivalry, called the "Battle of Ontario" after the NHL matchup of the same name. Ottawa's first-ever match was a 2-1 victory over Toronto. The all-time record after the 2025 season stands at 2 wins for each club and 1 draw. ==Managers==

As of 4 April, 2026: == See also ==