2026 Canadian Championship final
 Saputo Stadium in Montreal hosted the match. | |||||||
| Event | 2026 Canadian Championship | ||||||
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| After extra time Forge won 4–2 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | October 21, 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Saputo Stadium, Montreal, Quebec | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Dimitry Bertaud (Forge FC) | ||||||
| Referee | Michael Venne | ||||||
| Attendance | 14,081 | ||||||
| Weather | Fair 7 °C (45 °F) 66% humidity | ||||||
The 2026 Canadian Championship final was the deciding match of the 2026 Canadian Championship, played on October 21, 2026. The match was hosted at Saputo Stadium in Montreal. The winners, Forge FC, qualified for the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup after winning in a penalty shoot-out. This was the first Canadian Championship final to be won by a Canadian Premier League club.
Teams
| Team | League | City | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF Montréal | Major League Soccer | Montreal, Quebec | 7 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) |
| Forge FC | Canadian Premier League | Hamilton, Ontario | 1 (2020) |
Background
CF Montréal had won five previous tournament titles, with their most recent being in 2021. Forge FC entered the match seeking their first Voyageurs Cup, after losing in a penalty shoot-out in their only previous final appearance in the pandemic-delayed 2020 edition, played in 2022.
The clubs had met in each of the past five editions of the tournament. Forge eliminated Montreal in the quarter-finals of the most recent 2024 and 2025 tournaments, while Montreal eliminated Forge in the three editions prior: twice in the semi-finals (2021 and 2023) and once in the quarter-finals (2022).
As determined by the draw, the winner of the mostly-western half of the bracket, CF Montréal, hosted the final; CF Montréal were the only eastern team on that side of the bracket. The match was broadcast nationally in Canada on TSN, RDS, and OneSoccer. The game was broadcast in the United States on FS2.
Path to the final
| CF Montréal | Round | Forge FC | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Opponent | Result | |
| Calgary Blizzard SC | 5–0 (home) | Preliminary round | HFX Wanderers FC | 4–0 (home) |
| Vancouver FC | 4–2 agg. | Quarter-finals | CS Saint-Laurent | 4–3 agg. |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 3–2 agg. | Semi-finals | FC Supra du Québec | 2–1 agg. |
Match details
Recap
CF Montréal dominated in possession at the start of the match and recorded three shots on target in the opening 10 minutes. In the 21st minute, Montreal was awarded a penalty when striker Prince Owusu was taken down in the penalty area by Manjrekar James. After an FVS challenge was upheld, Owusu took the penalty but was stopped by Forge keeper Dimitry Bertaud who dove to his left to make the save. In the sixth minute of first half added time, Forge opened the scoring when Noah Jensen sent a corner kick to the near post which was headed in by Antoine Batisse.
Montréal responded quickly after halftime when Daniel Ríos beat Bertaud with a header from open play in the 49th minute. Just five minutes later, Montréal were reduced to 10 men when Brayan Vera was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for diving. Forge controlled play for the rest of the half but were unable to take advantage leaving the score level after 90 minutes. Both teams had chances to take the lead in extra time but no goals were scored leaving the match to be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Tristan Borges took the first attempt in the shoot-out and beat Sebastian Breza to give Forge the early lead. Prince Owusu shot next but was once again denied by Bertaud. Through the next three rounds, Breza and Bertaud each made one save giving Forge a 3–2 advantage going into the fifth round. Manjrekar James scored the decisive penalty, securing the Voyageurs Cup for Forge FC.
Details
         CF Montréal
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 Forge FC
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| Player of the Match: Dimitry Bertaud (Forge FC) |
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Assistant referees:
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References
- 1 2 @CanadaSoccerEN (October 21, 2026). "Dimitry Bertaud's 3 penalty kick stops earn him tonight's @GatoradeCanada Performance of the Match!" (Tweet). Retrieved October 21, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ "Montreal, Canada, Weather History October 21, 2026". Weather Underground. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Canada Soccer Confirms 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship Draw Procedures". Canada Soccer. January 15, 2026. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Canadian Championship 2026 Regulations" (PDF). Canada Soccer. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Regulations published for the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship". Canada Soccer. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- 1 2 Jacques, John (January 18, 2026). "Recap: 2026 Canadian Championship Draw". Northern Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Forge to face CF Montréal in 2026 CanChamp final". Canadian Premier League. September 17, 2026. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Forge FC, CF Montréal set to clash in 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship final". OneSoccer. September 17, 2026. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Meachem, Cal (October 19, 2026). "CF Montréal vs. Forge FC: How to watch, stream Canadian Championship final". Major League Soccer.
- 1 2 3 O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie; Tierney, Mitchell (October 22, 2026). "Forge make history as first Canadian Champions from CPL". CPL. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Press, The Canadian (October 22, 2026). "Forge FC tops CF Montreal on penalty kicks to win Canadian championship". CTVNews. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- ↑ Butler, Dylan. "CF Montréal fall to Forge FC in Canadian Championship final". MLS Soccer. Retrieved October 23, 2026.