After finishing in seventh place in the 2017 NASL season, FC Edmonton discontinued professional operations, but kept their academy.

Co-owner Tom Fath stated that the franchise had proved to be unsustainable in the Edmonton market, and the decision was reinforced by the uncertainty surrounding the status of the NASL.

[1] That speculation proved to be correct on June 8, 2018, when it was announced that Edmonton had come out of hiatus and officially joined the new league.

On November 28, FC Edmonton announced their first two signings as members of the CPL, academy graduate Allan Zebie, who played for the team in 2017, and former Vancouver Whitecap Randy Edwini-Bonsu, who played minor soccer in Edmonton as a child.

[4] The Eddies signed more academy graduates, including Bruno Zebie, Ajeej Sarkaria and Ajay Khabra.