Forge FC, CF Montréal set to add latest chapter to budding rivalry in 2026 Canadian Championship final
In the end, it was inevitable.
On October 21st, CF Montréal will host Forge FC in the 2026 Canadian Championship final, as the two teams will meet in this competition for the sixth straight season after Montréal upset four-time defending champions the Vancouver Whitecaps and Forge defeated competition debutants FC Supra du Québec in the semi-finals.
The final showdown 🏆
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) September 17, 2026
CF Montréal. Forge FC. October 21 at Stade Saputo.
Can the Hammers make history as the first CPL club to lift the Voyageurs Cup? #CPLSoccer | ✍️: @mitchelltierney
MORE: https://t.co/UAhOqu3qAB pic.twitter.com/qeymy8inhx
In that final, Montréal will look to win their sixth Canadian Championship, and their first since 2021, while Forge will look to win their first Canadian Championship, becoming the first Canadian Premier League team to do so.
But while Montréal will enter that match as favourites, as one would expect from an MLS side heading into this matchup, Forge will be confident in their ability to cause an upset.
Now that we know the #CanChamp final, who is expected to win?
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 17, 2026
And... is this the best chance that Forge FC has ever had to get their hands on the Voyageurs Cup trophy?
🔴 Watch #CanChamp on OneSoccer and TSN pic.twitter.com/kdVPdgfcdy
If they were to do so, it wouldn’t be the first time they waltzed into Stade Saputo and emerged victorious, as that has been the story of their last two visits to the stadium. In 2024, they beat Montréal 2-1 in the second leg of the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw in the first leg to win 3-2 on aggregate, before they repeated the same trick in the second leg of the quarter-finals in 2025, where they grinded out a 2-2 draw to win 3-2 on aggregate after winning leg one 1-0 at home.
Of course, before that, Forge had previously suffered greatly in their matchups against Montréal. During their first meeting in 2021, which came in the semi-finals, Forge dragged Montréal to a penalty shootout at Hamilton Stadium, only to lose 8-7 on spot kicks.
Then, in 2022, Forge fell 3-0 at Stade Saputo in the quarter-finals, before suffering a 2-0 defeat at Stade Saputo in the semi-finals in 2023.
Yet, that adds context to why those 2024 and 2025 victories were so special for Forge, who were able to avenge the heartbreak of that 2021 loss, and the what-if attached to that (they would’ve hosted Toronto FC in the final), and the frustrating nature of those 2022 and 2023 defeats. 
Plus, you add in that they were able to find the victories in 2024 and 2025 across two-legged ties, instead of across single-match knockout matches, and that just shows how motivated they were to get things over the line in those matchups.
Now, though, they return to a single-match knockout for this latest meeting, and this time, the stakes are much higher. At the end of the 90 minutes, one of these two teams will get their hands on a trophy, one that could be pivotal for both sides.
GOAL🔔 🔔 #CFMTL have a 2nd goal!
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 17, 2026
Prince Owusu scores after a spectacular individual effort to put his team up 2 goals against 4-time defending #CanChamp winners #VWFC in the 2nd leg of this SF
🔴 Watch #CanChamp on OneSoccer and TSN pic.twitter.com/jAzaI2oHtA
For Forge, in particular, they carry the hopes of a league on their shoulders. While rival CPL fans might be hesitant to throw their support behind Forge given what they’ve accomplished already in the CPL, which includes winning four playoff and three regular season titles, those fans will know that if Forge could win this final, it’d have a huge impact on the CPL.
At one point, the idea of CPL teams winning this tournament, which has so far only been won by Canada’s three MLS teams, seemed unfathomable. Heck, between the CPL’s launch in 2019 and 2024, all of the finals were contested between two MLS teams except the 2020 final, but that was only because COVID meant that they skipped the bracket and set it up so an MLS team would face a CPL one.
Because of that, it was a big deal when Vancouver FC shockingly reached the final of the 2025 tournament, making a surprise run through the tournament to become the first CPL team to reach the final in a full tournament. They benefited from a favourable draw, as CF Montréal knocked Toronto FC out in the preliminary round, before Forge knocked out CF Montréal in the quarter-finals, setting up a scenario where three of the last four teams came from the CPL, with Vancouver facing Ottawa in one semi-final and Forge facing the Whitecaps in the other.
Given Vancouver FC’s status as the team that finished last in the CPL in 2025, hence their now infamous nickname of “the best last place team” by former head coach Afshin Ghotbi, it was always going to be tough for them to compete in the final, which ended up being contested against their crosstown rivals, the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Not only had the Whitecaps won three Canadian Championships in a row, but they were one of the best teams in MLS in 2025, making them runaway favourites to win a fourth straight Canadian Championship. In the end, they were able to get that over the line without much fuss, although Vancouver FC made things a lot more interesting than many expected them to in a 4-2 Whitecaps win.
Yet, that puts into context why Forge’s qualification to the final this year was so significant. They’ll feel that they should’ve been the first CPL team to reach the final of this tournament last year, but they were instead hard done by the luck of the draw, as they fell 6-2 to the Whitecaps on aggregate while Vancouver FC pushed past Ottawa with a 3-2 aggregate win in those semi-final matchups.
Now, though, they’ll get their chance, and the good news? They’re actually quite prepared to take advantage of it.
GOAL 🛠️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2026
Just a minute after coming on, Ben Paton puts Forge FC ahead in LEG 2 ⚡️
🔴 Watch TELUS #CanChamp on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/lgMovXpYT6
As mentioned earlier, the 2020 final featured a CPL team, and that side was none other than Forge, who qualified after winning the 2020 ‘Island Games’ bubble tournament. That final didn’t end up occurring until 2022, but eventually they got to face off against Toronto FC in a one-off match at Hamilton Stadium.
In that final, Forge came as close as possible to getting their hands on a Canadian Championship crown, as they managed to drag TFC to penalties after drawing 1-1 in regular time, but in the end, they lost 5-4 in the shootout, allowing TFC to claim their record eighth Canadian Championship (and their only one this decade thus far).
HIGHLIGHTS: Forge FC put on a strong performance but fall, heartbreakingly, to Toronto FC in penalty kicks at the 2020 #CanChamp Final.
— Forge FC (@ForgeFCHamilton) June 5, 2022
🎥: https://t.co/sbtQLbOie9#ForgeFC | #CanChamp
Because of that, you can argue that this upcoming final will be Forge’s opportunity to avenge that game. Perhaps, it can be argued that the heartbreaking nature of that defeat was just what they needed to set the table for a moment like this, no matter how much it hurt at the time.
Had they won that day, it could’ve been argued that they might’ve been fortunate to have been aided by the tournament’s odd format that year - now, if they win, there will be no disputing the nature of this accomplishment.
And that shows why this matchup is so significant for them. Not only is this Forge’s chance to help make CPL history, but it’s also their chance to avenge that ‘2020’ final, one that will have stuck at the top of the minds of their players over the last few years, especially considering that they’ve made a habit of making deep runs in this tournament before coming up short - this year was the fourth consecutive year they reached the semi-finals, and the fifth time in six years, after all.
You add in that this landmark final appearance will come against that Montréal side that has been so pivotal to their history in this tournament, from the heartbreak in 2021, to the triumph in 2024 and 2025, and all that came between, that’ll only make this a special matchup.
GOAL 🔨🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 10, 2025
KYLE BEKKER MAKES IT TWO 💥
Forge FC go up 2-1 on the night, 3-1 on aggregate over #CFMTL in this TELUS #CanChamp clash 🇨🇦 🏆
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/DvtArLGJrU
Clearly, it was always going to have to come down to this for Forge - in a sense, it’s almost poetic that Montréal set up this matchup by picking up such a huge upset against the Whitecaps, who were heavily favoured to cruise to a fivepeat after sitting as one of the top teams in MLS this season, given that Montréal is one of the worst sides in MLS.
Similarly, it’s fitting that for Montréal, winning their sixth Canadian Championship will require them to go through Forge and avenge the defeats they suffered in the last two years. Ironic, as one would’ve said that beating the Whitecaps would’ve been the game that mattered more to them (and that’s probably the case for their fans, especially those who remember a time when the Whitecaps were fierce rivals), but for this team, beating Forge would also be a huge milestone.
With that in mind, hopefully that sets up a thrilling final between these two teams - based on their history, that would be a fitting conclusion to the sixth chapter of this growing rivalry, one that will hit a stage unlike one it has ever seen before.
