All eyes in Canadian soccer will turn to Stade Saputo on Wednesday night as CF Montréal and Forge FC go head-to-head for the honour of lifting the Voyageurs Cup.
The winner-take-all final of the 2026 Canadian Championship will see the victors punch their ticket to the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
All-time head-to-head:
Through seven previous meetings in Canadian Championship play, each side has recorded two wins, while three matches have ended in draws.
Notably, Forge have enjoyed the upper hand recently, with each of the last four meetings either won by the Hammers or ending in a stalemate.
Last year's two-legged fixture was won 3-2 on aggregate by the Hammers, thanks to a 1-0 shutout victory at Hamilton Stadium before playing to a 2-2 draw in Montréal in the return leg.
How CF Montréal enter the match
Winners of the Voyageurs Cup five times before, a sixth would mark the high point of Montréal's 2026 campaign. Unlikely to qualify for the MLS playoffs with a bottom-dwelling 6-7-17 record, Montréal's only feasible path back to continental competition for the first time since 2022 would be the domestic trophy.
Playing on the west side of the bracket as the lowest-seeded automatic entrant, Montréal's Cup run began with a 5-0 win over Alberta Premier League side Calgary Blizzard in the preliminary round. They followed that with two 2-1 wins to surpass CPL side Vancouver FC in the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 4-2.
Then came the semi-finals against four-time defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps. In a stroke of luck, Montréal would host the second leg due to a scheduling limitation for the Whitecaps. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in Vancouver before the scene shifted back to Québec.
Prince Owusu's penalty kick goal in the 30th minute put the home side up 1-0, provisionally sending them through. Owusu's second goal in the 45th minute saw their advantage doubled, and advancement seemed to be within reach. The Whitecaps pulled one back in the dying minutes, but Montréal's second-half defensive effort was sufficient to earn their first win against their MLS foes since 2022 and propel them into the final.
How Forge FC enter the match
Vying for their first-ever Canadian Championship title, Forge approach Wednesday's contest looking to make history for themselves and as representatives of the CPL.
2026 marks the third time a CPL club has reached the final. Forge were runners-up to Toronto FC in the 2020 tournament, while Vancouver FC fell to their municipal rivals in 2025. A victory on Wednesday would make Forge the first club to claim all three trophies available to CPL clubs.
In league play, Forge currently sit second in the CPL table with one match remaining. Their 17-6-4 record sees them level with title rivals Cavalry but behind on goal difference. With both teams having already clinched home advantage in the CPL's two-legged semi-finals, the dream of holding all three Canadian honours at once is still alive for the Hammers, but the Voyageurs Cup, perhaps their greatest challenge, looms largest.
As the third-highest seeded team, Forge began their 2026 Canadian Championship campaign with a convincing 4-0 win over fellow CPL side Halifax Wanderers.
In the quarter-finals, the Hammers drew 1-1 away to League1 Québec side and perennial overachievers CS Saint-Laurent. When the return leg got underway in Hamilton, the home side jumped out to an early lead but conceded an equalizer in the 75th minute. Narrowly avoiding extra time, Forge found the winner in the fourth minute of added time, thanks to defender Antoine Batisse, to book their spot in the next round.
The semi-finals saw Forge face fellow CPL side FC Supra, who were making their inaugural appearance in the competition. After again drawing 1-1 in the opening leg, Ben Paton's 26th-minute goal was all the Hammers needed to win the return leg and reach the final.
Availability
Brayan Ceballos, Thomas Gillier, Bode Hidalgo, Dante Sealy, and Prince Owusu all missed Montréal's 1-1 draw away to Seattle over the weekend with injuries. Owusu's status remains unconfirmed but is expected to be named to the roster. We predict he will start.
Nana Ampomah's status for Forge is unknown, as the winger came off early with an injury just over a week ago.
Projected XIs
CF Montreal (4-3-2-1): Sébastian Breza; Luca Petrasso, Brayan Vera, Brandan Craig, Dawid Bugaj; Victor Lotui, Samuel Piette, Matty Longstaff; Alexis Sánchez, Daniel Ríos; Prince Owusu
Forge FC (4-3-3): Dimitry Bertaud; Marko Jevremović, Manjrekar James, Dan Nimick, Rezart Rama; Anthony Aromatario, Antoine Batisse, Noah Jensen; Hoce Massunda, Lucas Cavallini, Maxime Bourgeois
Game information and how to watch
📆 Wednesday, October 21, 2026
⏰ 7:00 pm ET
📺 OneSoccer, TSN, RDS
🧑⚖️ Michael Venne
🏟 Stade Saputo, Montreal, Canada
