Every CF Montréal vs. Forge match in the Canadian Championship

Two.

That's how many matches CF Montréal and LA Galaxy have played against each other since 2021.

Meanwhile, Forge and Montréal will meet this Wednesday for the eighth time in six years, a clash between two clubs in different leagues.

For once, the draw put both teams on opposite sides of the Canadian Championship bracket, and they could only meet in the final.

We all thought that streak of games would end, but it didn't.

For how disastrous CF Montréal's season has been, they are back, competing for their 6th Voyageurs Cup title.

Forge, on the other hand, will play their 2nd-ever cup final and their first in a regular edition (the 2020 Canadian Championship was played as a single-legged final, with one CPL team guaranteed to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

So here they are again: two familiar opponents from two separate leagues.

Montréal had the Hammers' number first, but in the past couple of years, it's been all Forge.

Poll

Who will win the Canadian Championship?

Their head-to-head record
(View the stats in detail)

CF Montréal wins: 2 (9 goals)
Draws: 3
Forge FC wins: 2 (6 goals)

This matchup, which is seemingly becoming a rivalry, first kicked off in 2021 in the semifinals, when Forge dominated but couldn't find the net, and the game went to a penalty shootout that went all the way to the goalkeepers, with Montréal prevailing.

Next year was a completely different story, but the outcome was the same: Montréal won 3-0 in a match they had little to no trouble in, and made the semis. Sunusi Ibrahim was the man of the match, scoring three and bringing the matchball home.

2023: Same thing. Ariel Lassiter and Sunusi Ibrahim scored in the second half to secure Montréal's spot in the final.

Then, things changed: Forge once again faced the Bleu-blanc-noir, this time in a two-legged tie, and, after a 1-1 draw in Hamilton in front of almost 15,000 students, the Hammers went to Stade Saputo, scored two in quick succession in front of a quiet supporters' stand (protest over the club's results at the time), and saw out the result. For once, Forge got the better of the Impact.

The first time was so good that they had to do it again: The Hammers dominated and won leg 1 by one goal, then went to Stade Saputo almost two months later and drew 2-2, securing their spot in the semifinals.

Tristan Borges and Sunusi Ibrahim compete for the ball in the first-ever match between Forge and CF Montréal in 2021 (Courtesy: Ryan McCullough/Hamilton Forge FC)

Now, in the 2026 Canadian Championship final, it will feel like a must-win for both sides.

Montréal's MLS season is virtually over, and they're up against a CPL side at home; it's win-or-win.

Forge, meanwhile, will also feel it's a must-win: They won't get a better chance to lift the Voyageurs Cup than against a CF Montréal side that sits dead last in the Eastern Conference.