Ontario Premier League
Semi-pro soccer league in Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ontario Premier League (formerly known as League1 Ontario) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada.[1] The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association.[2]
| |
| Organising body | Ontario Soccer Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 15, 2013 |
| First season | 2014 |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North American Football Union) |
| Number of clubs | 12 (OPL 1) 12 (OPL 2) 28 (OPL 3) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Domestic cup | Canadian Championship |
| League cup | L1 Cup |
| International cup(s) | CONCACAF Champions Cup (via Canadian Championship) |
| Current champions | Woodbridge Strikers SC (2025) |
| Current L1 Cup | Scrosoppi FC (2025) |
| Most championships | Vaughan Azzurri (3 titles) |
| Most L1 Cups | Vaughan Azzurri (4 titles) |
| Website | www |
| Current: 2026 Ontario Premier League season | |
The Ontario Premier League consists of three tiers, with promotion and relegation between them.[3] The top-two tiers consist of 12 teams each, while the lowest tier is uncapped in size.
In the Canadian soccer league system, the men's division is behind the fully-professional Canadian Premier League. It is part of Premier Soccer Leagues Canada (formerly League1 Canada), the national third tier with regional divisions, along with four other provincial leagues including the British Columbia Premier League, Alberta Premier League, Prairies Premier League, and Ligue1 Québec. The league champion qualifies for the Canadian Championship, Canada's domestic cup tournament. Dino Rossi serves as the commissioner of the league.[4][5]
History
Origins
League1 Ontario was founded on November 15, 2013, in an announcement by the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) that it would pilot the semi-professional league in 2014 and 2015 as a key pillar of long-term player development in Canada. The league would be administered by DG Sports, who also operate the province's amateur Ontario Soccer League, with Dino Rossi serving as commissioner. OSA President Ron Smale stated that the league's core group of players are to consist of U-23s, with League1 complementing the newly formed Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) elite youth league as a pathway for professional player development.[6]
On April 8, 2014, the OSA revealed its plans for the inaugural season of League1 which would begin during the final weekend in May 2014. The season featured 10 teams, chosen through a standards-based application process, which were: ANB Futbol, Durham Power FC, Internacional de Toronto, Kingston Cataraqui Clippers, Master's FA, Sigma FC, Toronto FC Academy, Vaughan Azzurri, Windsor Stars and Woodbridge Strikers.[7] The league champion would face the champion of the Première ligue de soccer du Québec in the Inter-Provincial Cup to determine the national Division III champion.[8]
Dylan Sacramento of Toronto FC Academy scored the first ever goal in the league with a 10th-minute strike against Vaughan Azzurri.[9] In the same game, Mateo Restrepo received the league's first red card.[9] On July 22, 2014, the league and the Ontario Soccer Association announced the termination of Internacional de Toronto's license agreement due to "failure to comply with agreed-upon league standards",[10][11] with league matches rescheduled for the season to accommodate the change. Toronto FC Academy were crowned the inaugural league champions on October 4, 2014, after defeating the Cataraqui Clippers 3–1 to secure the top place in the regular season standings.[12][13] Vaughan Azzurri and Sigma FC contested the inaugural League1 Cup on October 19, 2014, at BMO Field, with the Azzurri winning the single-game cup final 2–1 to be crowned champions.[14][15]
As the number of teams in the league continued to grow through expansion, the league introduced a two-conference format with the winner of each conference facing off in a championship match.[16] After the 2016 season, the Inter-Provincial Cup was cancelled, with the winners of League1 Ontario and the PLSQ instead advancing to the national Canadian Championship the following season, beginning in 2018.[17]
In 2018, the league returned to a single division, introducing playoffs for the top finishers of the league to decide the league champion.[18] The League Cup tournament was eliminated the following season.[19]
On November 14, 2018, the Canadian Premier League announced its purchase of League1 Ontario. According to L1O commissioner Dino Rossi, L1O would serve as "CPL's official development league."[20]
Due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the league cancelled the 2020 season[21][22] and delayed the start of the 2021 season.[23] In 2022, L1O joined League1 Canada as a founding member. League1 Canada is an alliance of soccer leagues that operate at the pro-am level.[24]
Reorganization and rebranding
In 2024, League1 Ontario restructured from a single league into a three-tier competition.[25] Existing teams were assigned to one of the top-two tiers based on the number of points they earned in the previous two seasons. The top-tier "League1 Ontario Premier" division included the top 12 teams while the second tier "League1 Ontario Championship" division featured the remaining 10 teams (with expansion to 12 teams in the 2025 season).[26] Along with this, a third tier known as League2 Ontario debuted in 2024 with 24 teams that included existing club B teams and new teams joining the league. League2 was created as an entry point for expansion clubs to the L1O system.
Under the reorganization, teams have the ability to move up and down between tiers through a process of promotion and relegation.[27] The 2024 season also saw the return of the L1 Cup, a league cup knockout tournament which features teams from all three tiers of the L1O system.[28]
In January 2026, the league rebranded as the Ontario Premier League and adopted a new logo. This change coinceded with rebrands to Premier Soccer Leagues Canada (formerly League1 Canada) and the Canadian Premier League, to create a unified identity.[29] The three tiers of the Ontario Premier League were renamed to Ontario Premier League 1, Ontario Premier League 2, and Ontario Premier League 3.[30]
Competition format
| Tier | Division |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ontario Premier League 1 12 teams ↓ relegate 1 or 2 |
| 2 | Ontario Premier League 2 12 teams ↑ promote 1 or 2 |
| 3 | Ontario Premier League 3 28 teams in 3 conferences ↑ promote 1 |
Ontario Premier League clubs are grouped into three divisions: OPL1, OPL2, and OPL3 (formerly League1 Premier, League1 Championship, and League2 Ontario, respectively). The regular season runs from April to August in which teams only play against other teams in their division. The top-two tiers use a single table round-robin format while the lowest tier is further subdivided into regional groupings. The team that accumulates the most points during the season is crowned league champions.[31] In 2016 and 2017, the league champion was determined by a single match playoff between the winners of the east and west divisions. From 2018 to 2023, a larger playoff format was used.
Promotion and relegation results in the OPL2 team that is crowned champions being automatically be promoted to OPL1, while the team at the bottom of the OPL1 standings will be automatically relegated to OPL2. A direct swap between the best and worst sides is the first of its kind in not just Canada, but North America.[32] A playoff will also happen between the OPL 1 and 2, where the team second from bottom (11th) in the OPL1 will face the second-placed team in the OPL2 in an all-or-nothing game for a place in the top tier in the next season.
Since 2017, the winner of the to division has qualified for the Canadian Championship.[33] At the end of each season, the winner of the OPL2 and OPL3 divisions are promoted to the next tier up while the bottom team in the OPL1 and OPL2 divisions are relegated down.[34]
Beginning in 2019, the Supporters Trophy was created by the Rogue Street Elite supporter group of North Mississauga SC to be given to the regular season champions.[35]
L1 Cup
The L1 Cup is a league cup tournament that features all OPL clubs.[36] It runs concurrently with the regular season, with cup games usually taking place mid-week. It is not a form of playoffs and all matches are separate from the regular season and are not reflected in the season standings. The 2014 and 2015 cups included a group stage and a knockout stage but from 2016 to 2018 the format was a single-elimination tournament. Following a hiatus from 2019 to 2023,[19] the L1 Cup returned in 2024, coinciding with the league's restructuring.[28][37]
Current clubs
As of 2026 there are 28 clubs of whom 4 are based in Toronto, 13 are based elsewhere in the Greater Toronto Area, 10 are based in other cities in Southern Ontario and there is 1 club based in Northern Ontario. Three more clubs compete in different leagues at a comparable level, the Thunder Bay Chill from Prairies Premier League and Ottawa South United and West Ottawa SC from Ligue1 Québec.
Ontario Premier League 1
Ontario Premier League 2
Ontario Premier League 3
See Greater Toronto Area inset
Ontario Premier League 1
The league has 12 teams participating in the 2026 season.
- As of February 2, 2026
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Debut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current teams | ||||||
| Burlington SC | Burlington | Corpus Christi CSS | 1962 | 2022 | ||
| International FC | Vaughan | Zanchin Automotive Soccer Centre | 2,200 | 2009 | 2026 | |
| North Toronto Nitros | Toronto | Downsview Park | 1,000 | 1980 | 2016[note 1] | |
| Oakville SC[note 2] | Oakville | Bronte Athletic Park | 500 | 1972 | 2015 | |
| Scrosoppi FC | Milton | Saint Francis Xavier CSS | 2020 | 2021 | ||
| Sigma FC | Mississauga | Paramount Fine Foods Centre/Hamilton Stadium | 5,400 | 2005 | 2014 | |
| Simcoe County Rovers FC | Barrie | J.C. Massie Field | 1,200 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| St. Catharines Roma Wolves | St. Catharines | Club Roma Stadium | 1,500 | 1967 | 2021 | |
| Sudbury Cyclones | Sudbury | James Jerome Sports Complex | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Unionville Milliken SC | Unionville | Zanchin Automotive Soccer Centre (Vaughan) | 2,000 | 1976 | 2018 | |
| Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan | North Maple Regional Park | 500 | 1982 | 2014 | |
| Woodbridge Strikers | Woodbridge | Vaughan Grove Park | 1,000 | 1976 | 2014 | |
Ontario Premier League 2
The league has 12 teams participating in the 2026 season.
- As of March 21, 2026
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Debut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current teams | ||||||
| Cambridge United | Cambridge | Fountain Street Soccer Complex | 1973 | 2025 | ||
| FC London | London | Tricar Field | 900 | 2008 | 2016 | |
| Guelph United | Guelph | Centennial Bowl | 500 | 2020 | 2021 | |
| Hamilton United | Hamilton | Ron Joyce Stadium | 6,000 | 2013 | 2020[note 1] | |
| Inter Toronto II[note 2] | Toronto | York Lions Stadium | 4,000 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Master's FA | Scarborough | L'Amoreaux Sports Complex | 200 | 2009 | 2014 | |
| North Mississauga SC | Mississauga | Churchill Meadows (Mattamy Sports Park) | 200 | 1982 | 2016 | |
| Pickering FC[note 3] | Pickering | Pickering Soccer Centre | 1984 | 2014[note 4] | ||
| The Borough FC | Scarborough (Toronto) | Birchmount Stadium | 2,000 | 2011 | 2024 | |
| Waterloo United[note 5] | Waterloo | RIM Park | 1,700 | 1971 | 2021 | |
| Whitby FC[note 6] | Whitby | Telus Dome | 1,000 | 1966 | 2018 | |
| Windsor City FC[note 7] | Windsor | St. Clair College | 2,000 | 2004 | 2014 | |
- The 2020 season was cancelled delaying their debut to the following year
- Inter Toronto II was known as York United FC Academy in 2025
- Pickering FC was known as Durham United FC/FA until the end of 2019
- Between 2022 and 2024, Waterloo United was known as BVB IA Waterloo
- Whitby FC was known as Darby FC from 2018 to 2024
- Windsor City FC was known as Windsor Stars from 2014 to 2016 and known as Windsor TFC from 2017 to 2022
Ontario Premier League 3
The league has 28 teams participating in the 2026 season.
- As of March 21, 2025
Timeline
Former clubs
| Former clubs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | City | Stadium | First season | Final season |
| 1812 FC Barrie | Brampton[note 1] | Terry Fox Stadium | 2021 | |
| Alliance United FC | Markham, Toronto | 2017 | 2025 | |
| ANB Futbol | King | The Country Day School | 2014 | 2015 |
| Aurora FC[note 2] | Aurora | Stewart Burnett Park | 2016 | 2020 |
| Electric City FC | Peterborough | Fleming College Stadium | 2022 | 2023 |
| Internacional de Toronto | Toronto | Lamport Stadium | 2014 | |
| Kingston Clippers[note 3] | Kingston | Tindall Field, Queen's University | 2014 | 2016 |
| Ottawa South United[note 4] | Manotick (Ottawa) | Quinn's Pointe | 2017 | 2019 |
| ProStars FC | Brampton | Victoria Park Stadium | 2015 | 2024 |
| Sanjaxx Lions | Toronto | Monarch Park Stadium | 2015 | 2018 |
| Toronto FC Academy[note 5] | Toronto | BMO Training Ground | 2014 | 2024 |
| Toronto Skillz FC | Toronto | Birchmount Stadium | 2016 | 2021 |
- 1812 FC Barrie was originally set to play in Barrie; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they spent their only season in Brampton
- Aurora FC was known as Aurora United during the 2016 season
- Kingston Clippers was known as Cataraqui Clippers during 2014 season
- Toronto FC Academy played in League1 Ontario from 2014 to 2018, before returning in 2024. They were known as Toronto FC III between 2017 and 2018.
Organization
Regulations
League1 Ontario was founded with a series of values, objectives and standards all aimed at furthering the league's stated objective of improving player development in Ontario and Canada.[41] Some of these regulations include:
- Standards-based club licensing, renewed annually (not a franchise/ownership model). Standards include technical, organizational, facility and financial criteria.[41]
- Maximum of 3 non-Canadian players per club.[42]
- Maximum of 7 substitutions per match.[42]
- Maximum of 9 substitutes can be named to the bench.
League1 Ontario is an open-age league however there are several rules designed to give playing opportunities to young players. For the 2022 season, teams were required to have at least eight U-23 players on each match-day roster and to give U-20 players a total of at least 2,000 minutes across the regular season.[42] In 2024, the "eight U-23 player rule" was removed and replaced by a minutes quota. U-23 players must now play at least 41% of available minutes across the season (9,000 in Premier division) and U-20 players must play 11% of available minutes (2,500 in Premier division).[43]
Honours
Bold indicates clubs playing in 2026 Ontario Premier League season. From 2016 to 2023, the winner of the playoffs determined the league champion.
| Club | Wins | Runner-up | Winning seasons | Runner-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaughan Azzurri | 3 | 1 | 2016, 2018, 2022 | 2024 |
| Oakville SC | 2 | 2 | 2015, 2017 | 2021, 2022 |
| Woodbridge Strikers SC | 1 | 4 | 2025 | 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Scrosoppi FC | 1 | 2 | 2024 | 2023, 2025 |
| Toronto FC Academy | 1 | 0 | 2014 | – |
| Master's FA | 1 | 0 | 2019 | – |
| Guelph United FC | 1 | 0 | 2021 | – |
| Simcoe County Rovers FC | 1 | 0 | 2023 | – |
| FC London | 0 | 2 | – | 2016, 2019 |
Yearly results
| Season | Teams | Regular season | Playoffs | L1 Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9[note 1] | Toronto FC Academy (1) | — | Vaughan Azzurri |
| 2015 | 12 | Oakville Blue Devils (1) | — | Woodbridge Strikers |
| 2016 | 16 | Vaughan Azzurri (E) FC London (W) |
Vaughan Azzurri (1) | Vaughan Azzurri (2) |
| 2017 | 16 | Woodbridge Strikers (E) Oakville Blue Devils (W) |
Oakville Blue Devils (2) | Woodbridge Strikers (2) |
| 2018 | 17 | FC London | Vaughan Azzurri (2) | Vaughan Azzurri (3) |
| 2019 | 16 | Oakville Blue Devils | Master's FA (1) | — |
| 2020 | 17 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | 15[note 2] | Vaughan Azzurri (E) Guelph United (W) |
Guelph United (1) | — |
| 2022 | 22 | Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan Azzurri (3) | — |
| 2023 | 21 | Scrosoppi FC | Simcoe County Rovers (1) | — |
- Originally, 10 clubs were in the league, but Internacional de Toronto was removed from the league mid-season.
- Originally, 21 clubs were set to participate, but some clubs opted out of the main division due to scheduling impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some clubs participated in a separate short-season division.
| Season | Premier division | Championship division | League2 division | L1 Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Scrosoppi FC (2) | Toronto FC Academy | Alliance United FC B | Vaughan Azzurri (4) |
| 2025 | Woodbridge Strikers SC | Unionville Milliken SC | St. Catharines Roma Wolves B | Scrosoppi FC |
Reserve division
In 2019, L1O launched a men's U21 Reserve Division open to existing League1 Ontario or Ontario Player Development League license holders. The inaugural year will consist of a 12-game summer season and a separate 10-game fall season. Nine teams will participate in the 2019 summer season with a possibility of more teams joining for the fall.[44]
Players who earned national team caps while in L1O
The following players have earned a senior national team cap while playing in League1 Ontario (the year of their first cap while playing in the league is listed). Players who earned caps before or after playing in League1 Ontario are not included, unless they also earned caps while in the league. This section also does not include youth caps (U23 or below).
| Player | Country | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaquille Agard |  Guyana |
2014 | [45] |
| Adrian Butters | 2015 | [46] | |
| Kilian Elkinson |  Bermuda |
2016 | [47] |
| Anthony Whyte | Guyana |
[48] | |
| Daniel Whyte | [48] | ||
| Daniel Jodah | 2017 | [49] | |
| Jelani Smith | [49] | ||
| Navid Rahman |  Pakistan |
2018 | |
| Alain Sargeant |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
[50] | |
| Justin Springer | [50] | ||
| Kaeson Trench |  Barbados |
[51] | |
| Tristan Marshall |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
2019 | [52] |
| Tyrell Rayne |  Antigua and Barbuda |
[53] | |
| Rahbar Wahed Khan |  Bangladesh |
2021 | [54] |
| Quillan Roberts | Guyana |
2022 | [55] |
| Zachary Ellis-Hayden | Barbados |
2023 | [56] |
| Emery Welshman | Guyana |
||
| Tre Crosby | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
2024 | |
| Micah Joseph | |||
| Taj Moore | Antigua and Barbuda |
||
| Milton Joseph | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
2025 | |
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