I think one thing the CPL should reconsider is how its teams are named. Instead of names like Forge FC, Pacific FC, or Supra , I think the league would benefit from putting more emphasis on the cities these teams represent.

One of the challenge for the CPL is building a connection between its teams and their local communities. Having the city directly represented in the team's name gives people something to identify with. It's not just a club that happens to play in your city. It's your city's team.

I also think there's a reason the traditional North American sports model of city + team name/mascot works well. Think of the Toronto Raptors, Montreal Canadiens, or Hamilton Tiger-Cats. These names immediately tell you where the team is from, while giving the club its own identity. I don't see why Canadian soccer needs to move away from that model just to follow European naming traditions.

Another thing I question is the use of European-style names like Inter Toronto. Clubs in Europe often have names connected to decades or even a century of history, culture, and local identity. The CPL is still a young league, and its clubs don't have that same history behind their names. To me, adopting European naming conventions doesn't automatically give a club that identity or tradition. That's something you build over time.

I understand that names like Forge and Pacific have their own meanings and branding, and I'm not saying every club needs a mascot or an American-style name. But I think there's something to be said for embracing Canadian sports culture rather than trying to replicate European soccer.

At the end of the day, the CPL needs people in these communities to feel like the team belong to them. I think making the city a bigger part of the team's identity is one way to help build that connection.

Curious what other CPL fans think. Would you prefer more traditional city-based team names, or do you like the current approach?

I’ve been a CPL supporter since the nationwide tryouts, way before the first kickoff. I’ve bought soccer balls, scarves, jerseys, and other accessories to support it as much as I financially could and attended games all over the country, despite the fact that the closest team is hundreds of kilometres away from my home. I wanted to make sure that my background was properly represented before saying what I’m about to say.

There are many things about the CPL that make me genuinely worried about the future of this league. The lack of proper TV coverage, the unimpressive attendance, the fact that two teams have already folded, that expansion projects have been cancelled, that the product still feels extremely niche and catered towards hardcore soccer nerds like myself rather than the general public. Also, teams being set up as franchises rather than clubs with academies from knee high to U23 makes it complicated to have a true developmental structure covering the game from all angles.

The branding of some of these clubs is also irritating me, like Ottawa being the local branch of a foreign club, Supra being branded as Quebec instead of Laval, when we know that more teams should see the light of day in the province, VFC being branded as Vancouver, Inter Toronto’s unnecessary branding when York United was a fine identity. Also, while individuals owning multiple franchises is something that has existed in other leagues, it doesn’t make for a sound business model in the long run.

The Easton Report recommended a second division before creating a top tier league. That should have been set up regionally like the CHL does with the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. Now, we have a big hole between semi-pro/amateur leagues and what should be our D1.

By the way, I am purposely making no mention of the MLS in my analysis as I believe that the CPL woes are completely unrelated to the presence of the MLS in Canada. We’re talking about two different products with completely different means and development stages.

I predicted that the CPL would have a difficult time surviving past the World Cup and I hope I will be proven wrong. The CPL would do well to make money off of the transfer market by developing world class talent, until TV rights and ticket/product sales catch up. That is its best hope for sustainable growth.

I know some of you are passionate about the CPL, and so am I. I just think we could and should do better at this stage of our soccer history.

SixFive Stadiums will lead the development of a new, purpose-built modular stadium at Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex, creating a fan-first, high-energy environment designed specifically for professional soccer with benefits to the whole Winnipeg soccer and sporting community.

It features new FIFA-grade turf, upgraded lighting, and modern amenities designed for both professional players and the local Winnipeg soccer community.

Capacity expected to be around 5,000.

Hopefully this will also allow the CPL to return to Winnipeg.

I’ve always wondered why new professional sports leagues in Canada—like the CEBL or CPL—don't try to be more neighbourhood-focused. Instead, they slap a big-name city on their franchise and pretend they belong there, even when they don't.

I believe the best approach we've seen recently is the Scarborough Shooting Stars. That was a fascinating and brilliant move. The CEBL obviously needed a team in Toronto, but trying to capture the attention of all Torontonians is impossible when the Raptors (and even Raptors 905) already dominate the market. So, they built their identity entirely around the Scarborough neighbourhood. It was wildly successful, and honestly, it was the only real way to build a strong, dedicated fanbase in the GTA.

On the other hand, look at the CPL. I don't understand why York United (or "Inter Toronto" or whatever they try to brand themselves as) keeps trying to get the attention of the entire city of Toronto. It’s impossible, and frankly, no one cares. They need to pick a specific neighbourhood or borough and own it.

I also totally disagree with the branding for Vancouver FC. They play out in Langley, which is a completely different municipality. Because of this, the local support is divided—people from Langley don't feel it's truly theirs, and people from Vancouver already have the Whitecaps. I'm pretty sure if they had just called themselves "Langley FC," they would be way more popular with the locals.

And honestly, I really don't like seeing province names used for new teams. You can't just slap a province name on a team (like a generic "Quebec" team) and expect everyone to care. No one from Quebec City is going to automatically support a team just because it shares the province's name.

The CFL is the only exception here, simply because those teams have deep roots going back decades. You can’t really argue with the history of the Saskatchewan Roughriders or the BC Lions. But to be honest, I’ve always wondered what would have happened if Saskatchewan had localized teams instead of a provincial one. If Regina had the Roughriders and Saskatoon had their own team, I'm pretty sure the province could handle the rivalry. But with the province-wide branding taking over, that potential is kind of ruined.

Thanks for listening to my Ted talk.

I'm back with the last maps, this time expansion scenarios for a 10 team league that may be realistic in the coming years, a 14 team league based on the comments from last time and then I just went Oprah mode and gave everyone a team to make a 20 team league for the fun of it. What cities are you guys hoping to see get a team? I'd like more in Québec maybe in cities like Québec city, Saguenay, or Trois-Rivières

Disclaimer, I did use AI to help me make the badges based on local legends, landmarks, flag colors, etc and made sure it said the name of the city on it so people knew what city it was. I know how to make maps not logos unfortunately.

I'm somewhat of a new Forge fan and I was confused why so many people hate us.

Apparently a new expansion team coming next season what are y'all guesses on which city. I hope Edmonton or Winnipeg (especially since their getting nsl team) make a comeback. However, I would also love to see Saskatchewan get a team in Regina or Saskatoon.

It would be great to have local teams and have derby days ala EPL

Probably been talked about on here already, but if the CPL (even the NSL) is real with itself and not try to be bigger or more than what it is (a minor pro level league). I can see CPL have many teams represented young soccer talent throughout the country. Soccer is very popular but it is also Canada. There isn't a multi billion dollar sports industry like our neighbours to the south or in europe. As long as we do pro sports at the canadian scale, there can be many teams. All you need is 5,000-10,000 seat facility. That all being said, I can see the league grow to these regions:

Pacific FC

Vancouver FC (stay in the suburbs! DONT MOVE DOWNTOWN EVER!)

Calgary

Edmonton

Regina (Mosiac Stadium)

Winnipeg (needs a different owner. Bombers neglected the managment of the team)

Windsor

London

Quad Cities (Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo, Guelph)

Hamilton

Peel (Mississauga or Brampton)

Inter Toronto (Stay in York region! DO NOT MOVE DOWNTOWN!)

Durham

Halton

Ottawa

Supra (STAY IN LAVAL! DO NOT MOVE INTO MONTREAL!)

Quebec City

Halifax (only market in the Maritimes that is relativiley large enough and wealthy enough to support a team. Moncton has the stadium but the city is poor)

Hi all. I'm a KW soccer dad (both my kids play rep locally) and I've started organizing an effort to bring a CPL club to Waterloo Region. It's very early days: a few of us are forming a small group and planning next steps.

I know there's a long history with K-W United and SC Waterloo Region - that's one reason we're encouraged about the potential here! The region has also shown up on the league's list of possible expansion markets and the youth soccer scene is really strong. We think a club with its own purpose-built stadium could succeed where past efforts couldn't.

I'd love this community's advice:

1. For anyone who has followed or been part of an expansion bid, what did the successful groups do early that others didn't?
2. What does the league look for most: ownership, stadium, market size, or something else?
3. How would you handle the Forge question? Would a KW club pull fans from Hamilton, or create a good regional rivalry?
4. If a KW club happened, what would make you want to support it?

Any advice, stories, or people I should talk to are welcome. Thanks!

Maybe this has been discussed before, but I just saw a post about an academy game in Airdrie drawing over 1,000 fans, and it got me thinking.

Vancouver FC makes a lot of sense on paper because it's in a huge market, but if I'm not mistaken, their average attendance is only around 1,000 fans per game. You could probably make a similar argument about Toronto as well.

So why not look more seriously at smaller cities like Airdrie, Thunder Bay, or other communities that don't have as much competition for sports fans?

I wonder if smaller markets might actually be a better fit for the CPL. In a smaller community, a club can become a major part of the local identity. People are not choosing between multiple pro sports teams every weekend. They can really get behind their club and make it part of the community.

Obviously there are challenges with sponsorships, facilities, and population size, but seeing more than 1,000 people show up for an academy game in Airdrie makes me think there could be something there.

Maybe the CPL's best opportunity is not always in the biggest markets. Maybe it is in communities where a team can be the main event and where people feel a stronger connection to the club.

What do you guys think? Should the CPL continue prioritizing major markets, or focus more on smaller cities that might be more likely to fully embrace a local club?

Shared press conference with the CPL and City of Kelowna today - major outlets haven't released their stories yet, but a couple smaller outlets have stuff up. 25 million dollar project to expand the Apple Bowl announced.

CPL leadership spoke and said now that Kelowna is paying for the infrastructure for what they consider a CPL level stadium, they are hoping to find ownership by the fall for a 2028 start when the stadium would be complete.

- 3,000 seat new East grandstand with concessions and washrooms underneath (bringing capacity to 5,000 total), for those who have not been the stand on the left below is the new one.

- Conversion from grass to artificial turf

- Addition of new scoreboard, change rooms, VIP suites, and media facilities (presuming this will be updates to the existing press box in the West Stand

The Apple Bowl is getting ready for the big leagues | Vernon Matters

$25 million promised for Apple Bowl renovation: expanded community use and potential CPL team (Video) : AM 1150

Pretty nice setup for a potential owner. In a perfect world the track would be gone and the new east stand would have a roof, but getting a new permanent 3k stand, and I'm guessing a 5.5k capacity stadium when you add in standing tickets and hospitality areas without having to pay for it has to be an appealing starting point for potential ownership groups. Council and both fellows running for mayor were present along with city staff, was mentioned that school district who own the land also in agreement - think the stadium piece is a done deal.

Map showing the closest CPL team stadium to all points in Canada and showing stadium locations I made in my free time.

I thought this was pretty cool while on a road trip to pei from Toronto I stopped for food and the Calgary vs Hamilton game was on I was pleasantly surprised. It shows how much this league could mean to Canada and how it can become mainstream.

Sure, half the clubs in the league are still competing for two important spots...

But, it's pretty much decided at this point whether your club has lived up to your expectations for 2026.

Three fanbases must be feeling pretty hard done by.

I would really like to hear your personal thoughts about your club before we hit decision day.

If your club is one of the four battling it out next weekend - what are your hopes? Win or lose, how proud are you?

If your club is one of the bottom three, are you disappointed? Hopeful of a rebuild? If you're a Pacific fan, would you support VFC if the club is sold or folds?

Genuinely would love to know your thoughts - because nobody around me watches the league.

Canadian Premier League Attendance Report Week 25 : HFX Wanderers top the week with 5200+, Forge FC next drawing 4700+ last weekend & 2600+ at last Wednesdays match, Inter Toronto FC follows with 3200+ sellout for their school day match also last Wednesday, FC Supra 3000+ last Sunday, & Pacific FC 2200+ at RAP Stadium in Victoria.

Forge FC finishes the regular season at home averaging 5126 per match.

A long time fan of the USL here and I have to say the development of the CPL in its time frame is impressive. The fans are great. The product is great on the field. And it has rapidly expanded.

In many ways it reminds me of the USL in its development. It's more homegrown and more grassroots than MLS.

I plan on attending a game up in Canada in Laval.

Any teams I should support or follow? My French Canadian roots attract me to Supra.

I have no connection to Canada or much education on the CPL in general apart from attending youth tournaments and see Canada represented and many of their players are non MLS players.I was very surprised to see there are only 8 teams in the league when I think how big Canada is. With Canada being a host of the past World Cup is there any news of expansion to 10 or 12 teams? I feel Canadian footballers are really under appreciated. I think of Promise Davids career playing in likes of Estonia & Malta as there was no parachute like CPL to catch him or others who fell through the cracks while players like Emrick Fotsing & Matteo de Brienne had.

So if anyone can explain to me in depth about what the future holds let me know.

Does anyone know are there any teams at a risk of folding at the end of the year.

A "monkey's paw" wish is an idiom for a request that is granted, but in a way that brings ironic, twisted, and severe negative consequences.