The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) is the governing body for the sport in Canada and directly sanctions leagues that operate in more than one province.
Pro-am (or semi-pro) soccer competitions in Canada are regionally-based due to its large geography and dispersed pockets of population.
They are based in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec respectively, and are sanctioned by their relevant provincial soccer associations.
With only five teams in the men's and women's division (one short of the requirement for sanctioning), the league played an exhibition series in 2023.
There are 13 provincial and territorial soccer associations in Canada, with a number of leagues organized as amateur competitions at adult and/or youth levels.
Typically there is promotion and relegation plus league and cup competitions in each provincial and territorial association, which culminates in the national Challenge Trophy.
The winner of the Canadian Championship is awarded the fan-created Voyageurs Cup which predates the tournament.
[9] When the original CSL folded in 1993, three Canadian teams moved to the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) where several had played preseason games and competed in post season tournaments.
Later in 1993, Major League Soccer (MLS) beat the APSL and won the USSF's competition for U.S. Division 1 status.
[citation needed] MLS would eventually expand into Canadian cities with existing U.S. Division 2 teams.
[10] The owners of Vancouver Whitecaps FC of the USSF Division 2 Professional League formed a team that joined MLS in 2011, and the owners Montreal Impact of the North American Soccer League created a team that joined in 2012.
[12][13] Following a match fixing scandal the league was then de-sanctioned in 2014 and continues to operate as a member of the Soccer Federation of Canada (SFC) that is not associated with any international body.
In order to limit the Americanization of all of Canada's professional soccer clubs, the CSA issued a moratorium on the sanctioning of any new Division 2, 3, or 4 teams on November 15, 2010, which lasted until September 30, 2011.
[22] In May 2024, the competition was officially named the Northern Super League; additional teams were announced for Montreal and Ottawa.
[25] Various women's leagues operate throughout Canada and the United States at a lower level than NWSL in a pro-am setup.
There are four Canadian leagues (CSA Division 3): League1 Ontario, Ligue1 Québec, League1 Alberta and League1 British Columbia, which have a total over 40 clubs.
Since in 2022, League1 Canada has organized the Women's Inter-Provincial Championship, an annual competition between the four provincial league champions.
One Canadian club (Calgary Foothills WFC), competes in United Women's Soccer.