✍️ Ivan Sørensen

As we are building up to the launch of the new season, I am going to take a quick walk through each team in the Canadian Premier League and give a few thoughts as to why they might win the title this year, and why they might fail to do any such thing.

So, sit down and have a coffee as we take a tour of the eight clubs that will contest the 2026 trophy.

Atlético Ottawa

'Ottléti' will be the 2026 champions because:

They carry all the momentum into the new year, having come within one win of the shield, a trophy already in the cabinet, and a squad that clearly buys into what Diego Mejia is building. Nobody scored more goals than Ottawa last season, and with Ballou Tabla still on the roster, there is plenty of firepower even after the departure of Golden Boot winner Sam Salter.

On the other hand:

Back-to-back wins are extremely difficult and the demands to stay ahead of the pack are intense. Not to mention, both Forge and Cavalry will be taking their matches against Ottawa deathly serious this year. Salter accounted for 37% of the goals Ottawa scored, while David Rodriguez also played a massive role in the attack. There are some big questions about what the offence will look like.

Cavalry

The Cavs will go the distance because:

The club has never finished worse than third and has reached the playoff final three years running. Cavalry are not a side you can ever count out, and with both Tobias Warschewski and Ali Musse remaining on the roster, they carry a genuine goal threat, with the pair combining for 21 goals between them.

On the other hand:

Cavalry endured a difficult start to their season in 2025, and by the time they found their footing, Ottawa and Forge had already pulled clear. With the competition shaping up to be just as fierce, they cannot afford another stretch of poor results lasting weeks at a time.

Forge

Forge FC will hammer out a trophy win because:

They are an incredibly strong side with a firmly established identity, grinding out results and making themselves hard to beat. They conceded fewer goals than anyone else last season, and for a spell it looked as though they might topple the Whitecaps in the Championship. You also cannot tell me Bobby Smyrniotis wasn't grinding his teeth when that trophy slipped away against Cavalry in the semifinal.

What's more, I'm not convinced many teams have truly figured out how to break down the Forge model of play.

On the other hand:

Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson and Alessandro Hojabrpour, two key pieces for the Hammers, have left. Golden Glove winner Jassem Koleilat, who kept 13 clean sheets last season, has also departed for the USL Championship, placing greater pressure on the Forge midfield and defence to prevent chances from even reaching that stage. With Ottawa and Cavalry both setting their sights on the Hamilton side, the knives are well and truly out.

Halifax Wanderers

The Wanderers are going to win because:

Halifax spent a third of the 2025 season in the top spots and never dropped out of playoff contention. They had the second-highest scorer in the CPL in Tiago Coimbra, Rayane Yesli tied for the third-most clean sheets, and over 90,000 Wanderers fans through the gates across the season.

On top of that, Vanni Sartini arrives ready to bring his brand of collective football to Halifax and turn an already solid record into a winning one.

On the other hand:

Neither Yesli nor Coimbra are at the club this season, and it remains to be seen whether Sartini can find suitable replacements from the options available to him. He has a strong eye for personnel and development, but the question is whether he can bring the ruthlessness needed to grind out wins against a near-invincible Forge or Ottawa.

Inter Toronto

The team formerly known as York United is going to win because:

Eustaquio has a full season under his belt now, and with the rebrand bringing added attention, the pressure is on him to deliver results. He still has key weapons at his disposal in Julian Altobelli and Gabriel Bitar, and in a league defined by constant roster turnover, some stability in the forward line can provide an early advantage to build on as the season progresses.

On the other hand:

Being blown out by Cavalry in the quarterfinal and losing both games to Ottawa in the Championship laid bare just how significant the gap is to overcome. A fifth-place regular season finish, meanwhile, is hardly the foundation of a title-winning side.

Pacific

The Tridents will lift the trophy because:

Despite the roster turbulence that comes with the CPL year to year, James Merriman has historically provided a steady hand at the helm, and with Ronan Kratt and Juan Quintana returning from long-term injuries, the squad has considerably more depth heading into the new season. Merriman also appears ready to push the team forward, and the mood around the club seems genuinely optimistic. A side with everything to prove and one that often flies under the radar, there are opportunities for them to sneak something special.

On the other hand:

From week nine onwards, the side never again found themselves in a playoff position, and they fell at the first hurdle in the Canadian Championship. Miracles do happen, but whether the football gods are feeling generous is another question entirely.

Vancouver

The 'best last-placed team in the league's history' is going to get the trophy because:

Martin Nash managed to engineer a remarkable turnaround from his squad in that final run of games, following the beatings they had absorbed throughout the season. They proved capable of going toe to toe with the Whitecaps and even put two past them. Their Concacaf run may not have set the world alight, but players like Thierno Bah relished the opportunity to test themselves against some of the best the continent has to offer.

On the other hand:

The title of "best last-placed team in the league's history" wasn't earned through their regular season performances.

FC Supra

Supra will win the league because:

They have everything to prove and plenty to play for. A true Quebec side, populated by Quebec players and competing under the name of their province rather than a single city, is an inspiring proposition in its own right. And while the roster skews young in places, it is far from short on experience, with David Choinière boasting 137 appearances for Forge and Clément Bayiha bringing seven international youth caps to the table.

On the other hand:

Will the focus on Quebec players limit the depth needed to sustain a 28-game regular season, plus the Championship? Particularly with players stepping up from Ligue1 Québec and having to adjust to the pace and physicality of the CPL game. And the fact remains that in sport, new clubs often endure turbulent first seasons, with no prior tradition or shared experience to draw upon.