Welcome to CanPL.ca, the number one source for in-depth coverage of the Canadian Premier League. As we approach the league’s sixth season, we’ve put together extensive previews for each of the eight clubs from across the country. The following is a collection of everything you need to know about the upcoming campaign.
The 2024 Canadian Premier League season kicks off on Saturday, April 13 with a tripleheader of matches, beginning with Atlético Ottawa versus York United FC at 1 p.m. ET. All eight clubs are in action this weekend, including 2023 CPL finalists Forge FC and Cavalry FC in a rematch of last year’s extra-time spectacle at Tim Hortons Field.
All four opening matches — and every other game in the 2024 CPL season — will be broadcast live on OneSoccer.
In anticipation of this sixth season in the CPL, our editorial staff have been visiting every team in the league to get a sense of how each side is shaping up. We’ve sat down with players and coaches from all eight clubs to reflect on lessons learned from 2023, understand how each organization approached the off-season, and determine which teams may be poised for a big year in 2024.
Last season, there were a lot of new threads to keep track of in the CPL. The five-team playoff format made its debut, Vancouver FC kicked off as an expansion club, and the league gave out two new trophies (the CPL Shield and North Star Cup), both of which came with Concacaf Champions Cup places.
The 2024 campaign begins with much remaining in place from last year (save for a few tweaks to the salary cap and roster rules, plus changes to tiebreakers and card accumulation), but there’s been a tidal wave of change on the pitch, with almost every team making high-profile changes to their squad and a handful of the league’s biggest stars moving to rival clubs. Keep track of all the player movement at CanPL.ca’s roster tracker here.
The following is a one-stop shop for all of CanPL.ca’s 2024 season preview coverage, from in-depth article breakdowns to manager interviews to special segments of the CPL Newsroom presented by Volkswagen.
First, check out all eight Newsroom segments in the playlist here to catch up on everything you missed throughout the off-season:
And check out more in-depth, detailed coverage of all eight CPL teams ahead of the 2024 season below.
To jump to an individual club, click on their name here:
Atlético Ottawa || Cavalry FC || Forge FC || Halifax Wanderers FC
Pacific FC || Valour FC || Vancouver FC || York United FC
Atlético Ottawa
Atlético Ottawa might just be the story of the off-season this year. They’ve brought in a huge cast of recognizable CPL stars, from Manny Aparicio and Amer Didić to Matteo de Brienne and Aboubacar Sissoko, in an effort to get back to contention in 2024. Last year was a disappointment for the 2022 regular season winners, as Atleti slipped in the final two months of the year to find themselves in sixth place and out of the playoffs. With such a heavily-reinforced squad, though, is Carlos González’s team the one to watch this season?
ATLÉTICO OTTAWA SEASON PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
6 Questions ahead of Atlético Ottawa’s 2024 season
Cavalry FC
Cavalry begin the regular season hoping to defend a title, having lifted the Canadian Premier League Shield last October. However, they still have plenty to prove, after losing the CPL Final and the North Star Cup to Forge FC in an extra-time thriller. Tommy Wheeldon Jr.’s side still features the entire starting XI from last year’s final, plus some key additions like Diego Gutiérrez and Tobias Warschewski who can help push them even further. We’ve caught a glimpse of the Cavs this year already in the Concacaf Champions Cup; are they ready to take another step and bring more silverware to Calgary?
CAVALRY FC SEASON PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
6 Questions ahead of Cavalry FC’s 2024 season
Forge FC
Once again, Forge FC finished last season lifting a trophy, as Tristan Borges’ extra time Olimpico lifted them over Cavalry to provide the Hamilton club’s fourth CPL championship in five years.
FORGE FC SEASON PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
6 Questions ahead of Forge FC’s 2024 season
Halifax Wanderers FC
The 2023 campaign was the best yet for Halifax, who finished third (joint-second on points) and hosted a playoff game at the Wanderers Grounds for the first time. They couldn’t get past Pacific in that match, but they nonetheless left an impact on their city and left the season hungry for more. Patrice Gheisar, who shattered expectations in his first year as head coach, is looking to keep pushing the Maritime club forward in his second season, with a strong returning core and a number of exciting additions to the squad.
HALIFAX WANDERERS SEASON PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
6 Questions ahead of Halifax Wanderers FC’s 2024 season
Pacific FC
There’s a slightly different feel to the Vancouver Island club this year, with a handful of key contributors departing the club this off-season. Still, Pacific have familiar stars like Ayman Sellouf and Josh Heard, now joined by some exciting, lesser-known newcomers like Andrei Tircoveanu and Reon Moore as they look to return to the playoffs for a fifth straight year. After getting all the way to the semifinal in 2023, James Merriman’s side is hungry to prove it belongs among the CPL’s elite.
PACIFIC FC SEASON PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
6 Questions ahead of Pacific FC’s 2024 season
Valour FC
Over in Winnipeg, Valour and head coach Phillip Dos Santos are still looking for their first playoff appearance. They’ve overhauled the roster this year after finishing at the bottom of the table in 2023, and although a few of their fan favourites have departed the club, there’s optimism in Manitoba. They’ve brought in new players in almost every position, many of whom are keen to prove themselves and defy expectations by lifting Valour up the table.
VALOUR FC SEASON PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
6 Questions ahead of Valour FC’s 2024 season
Vancouver FC
After an up-and-down inaugural season in 2023, Vancouver FC enter their second campaign with a much more experienced roster, having brought a number of talented B.C.-born CPL veterans home to the Vancouver area. Expect Afshin Ghotbi to continue trusting the youth as he did last year, but with a much more competitive environment that could propel the Eagles toward the top five for the first time after last year’s seventh-place maiden voyage.
VANCOUVER FC SEASON PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
6 Questions ahead of Vancouver FC’s 2024 season
York United FC
It’s been a winter of change at York, with the takeover of new ownership Game Plan Sports Group. Head coach Martin Nash continues to steer the ship with key stars like Mo Babouli, Max Ferrari and Brem Soumaoro still on board, but a lot of newcomers — particularly, an almost brand-new international contingent — will look to take this club to new heights in its new era. York squeaked into the playoffs in fifth place last year, but they’d like to stake a firmer claim to being a title contender in 2024.