Hamilton, Ont. based club named 2024 CPL regular season winners, clinch berth in 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup
Toronto, ON – (October 6, 2024) – The 2024 Canadian Premier League (CPL) regular season winners were crowned today, as Forge FC clinched their spot at the top of the 2024 League table, as well as a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Forge FC will become the third club in League history to be awarded the Canadian Premier League Shield as the regular season winners, after CPL Commissioner Mark Noonan instituted the recognition in 2022. The club will officially lift the CPL Shield in front of a home crowd following the conclusion of Forge’s next match at Tim Hortons Field, on Saturday, Oct. 12 against Atlético Ottawa. The match will kick off at 4 p.m. ET. Tickets are available here.
Forge now has the chance to become the first team in CPL history to clinch a domestic double, should they capture the North Star Cup as CPL Champions at the 2024 CPL Final on Saturday, Nov. 9.
“On behalf of the Canadian Premier League, I congratulate Forge FC on clinching the Canadian Premier League Shield as winners of the 2024 regular season,” said Mark Noonan, Commissioner, Canadian Premier League. “Capturing a regular season title requires a team to set the standard in the League over 28 games. That is no small feat, and I look forward to honouring Forge’s significant accomplishment in front of their supporters next weekend in Hamilton.”
The 2024 CPL Shield will become the fifth piece of silverware Forge has lifted since the club’s inception ahead of the inaugural League season in 2019. Forge captured the North Star Shield as CPL Champions in 2019, 2020 and 2022. The League subsequently introduced the North Star Cup in 2023, which Forge lifted as CPL Champions last year.
Forge also guarantees its spot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, the annual continental club competition contested by the top teams from North and Central American and the Caribbean. Forge has previously competed in the Champions Cup, the Concacaf Champions League and the Concacaf League. The winner of the 2024 CPL Final will also earn a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup; should Forge clinch the double, the second-place team in the 2024 CPL regular season standings will earn the League’s secord berth in the continental competition.
By clinching the CPL Shield, Forge is also guaranteed a shot at hosting the 2024 CPL Final on Nov. 9. Forge will face the second-place finisher in the 2024 League table in their first match of the 2024 CPL Playoffs, which begin on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The winner of the heavyweight clash between Forge and the runner up from the regular season standings, which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m. ET at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., will earn the right to host the CPL Final. Find more information on the CPL’s five-team playoff format here; more details of the League’s 2024 playoff schedule will be announced later this month.
Much is still to play for with two matchweeks remaining in the 2024 CPL regular season. Atlético Ottawa, Cavalry FC and York United FC have each clinched a spot in the 2024 CPL Playoffs but continue to jostle for positioning as they compete for that all-important second-place finish and the chance to battle Forge for the right to host the 2024 CPL Final.
And the battle is just as competitive for Pacific FC, Vancouver FC, Valour FC and Halifax Wanderers FC, as the remaining four sides fight for the final berth in this year’s playoffs. Only two points separate the four clubs with two games to go.
The remaining CPL regular season action will play out on OneSoccer, the dedicated home for soccer in Canada, culminating in The Outcome! Presented By TonyBet on Saturday, Oct. 19, when all eight CPL clubs will compete concurrently for the first time in league history, kicking off at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. All four matches will be available for free on OneSoccer’s YouTube channel, accessible by soccer fans across the country and around the world. The 2024 CPL Playoffs will subsequently be broadcast on OneSoccer as well.
Find the full schedule for the 2024 CPL regular season here. Information on the CPL’s standings tiebreakers are available here.