Canadian Premier League

The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is the highest league for men's professional soccer clubs in Canada. It was officially established in 2017 and replaced the original Canadian Soccer League, which was closed in 1992. The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), the governing body of soccer in the country, runs the CPL.

Although it was officially sanctioned in 2017, the first-ever season of the CPL was held in 2019. The inaugural edition of the league comprised of seven teams. Hamilton-based Forge FC emerged as the first Canadian Premier League champions. In 2020, the league was expanded to accommodate eight clubs following the inclusion of Atlético Ottawa.

The regular season of the Canadian Premier League begins in April and ends in October. It operates with the single-season format, and each team plays 28 matches (14 at home and 14 away games) in a single campaign. The season ends with the CPL Finals. It features the highest-ranked team in the league and the winner of a single-game playoff between the second and third-placed teams. The champions earn automatic qualification to the annual CONCACAF League tournament.

CPL clubs also compete in the Canadian Championship against Canadian teams from other leagues (Major League Soccer and Tier 3 league champions). Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League is available to CPL clubs through either the Canadian Championship or CONCACAF League.