A look at the Canadian Premier League, which kicks off its eighth season Saturday:
Schedule: Each of the eight teams play 28 games (14 home and 14 away) during the regular season, meeting the seven other clubs twice at home and twice on the road.
Postseason: Five teams will make the playoffs, which start with a No. 4 versus No. 5 matchup, with the winner joining the top three sides. The championship game will be played Nov. 8 or Nov. 9, depending on which team earns the right to host the final.
Salary Cap: The league has increased each club's maximum player compensation budget to $1,282,000 from $1,112,500 last year.
Rosters: Clubs are allowed up to 32 player on their roster, divided into a 23-player primary roster and nine-player developmental roster. Only the primary roster counts against the salary cap.
Domestic Players: The league has also expanded its "domestic player" designation to include any player who has been signed to a CPL club for any three league seasons or any player who has resided in Canada for at least three years. That affects just nine players currently under contract: Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson, limane Cissé and Abdulmalik Owolabi-Belewu (Forge FC), Tom Field and Tobias Warschewski (Cavalry FC), Roberto Alarcón (Valour FC), Alejandro Díaz (Vancouver FC), Kevin dos Santos (Atlético Ottawa) and Andre Rampersad (Halifax Wanderers).
International Players: Clubs remain limited to seven international players on their roster and have to start each league match with at least six domestic players in their starting lineup.
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2025
The Canadian Press
