The league's focus is to improve national soccer talent and the sport in Canada, with several rules in place to ensure this.

[8] The reports suggested that Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young was part of a core group of investors working with the Canadian Soccer Association and its president Victor Montagliani to create a new set of fully professional teams or a league in Canada.

The Tiger-Cats ownership group was granted exclusive rights by the Canadian Soccer Association until 2017 to establish a team that would play in the under-construction Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

[9] In February 2016, reports of the league emerged again when Young spoke to Hamilton City Council requesting permission to erect an air-dome over the Tim Hortons Field playing surface between December 1 and April 30 yearly to allow for year-round training for a professional soccer team owned by the Tiger-Cats that would call the stadium home.

Paul Beirne, a Canadian who was also the first employee of Toronto FC, was hired as project manager for the new league.

[13] On May 5, 2018, the Canadian Soccer Association accepted club memberships for Halifax, York Region, Calgary, and "Port City" (later confirmed to be based in Greater Victoria, rather than Surrey as speculated).

[27] On August 27, 2018, the CPL announced that it would hold a series of open tryouts in eight cities across Canada for players age 16 and older.

Ryan Telfer of York9 FC scored the first goal in Canadian Premier League history in the third minute of the inaugural match.

[38] The shortened 2020 season, known as "The Island Games" ended on September 19 when Forge FC won their second Canadian Premier League title in a 2–0 victory over HFX Wanderers.

[42] The league commissioner cited poor on-field performance as well as low attendance and an outdated stadium as reasons for the termination.

[43] For the 2023 season, Vancouver FC from Langley, British Columbia entered the league, joining as an expansion team.

[46][47] With the addition of an eighth club in 2020, the league moved to a single season format with expanded playoffs.

[62] Notes * indicates championship winning season As CPL commissioner, David Clanachan expressed on numerous occasions the league's plans to expand gradually up to 16 clubs by 2026.

[65][66][67] On August 25, 2022, ARS de Quebec's Director General Philippe Bernard was quoted in Le Journal de Québec announcing that Léger Marketing had been commissioned to launch a market study to verify interest in the province for a CPL team.

[68][69] Also in 2022, the CPL began considering a "serious expansion bid" for Kelowna that includes a multi-use development proposal for a stadium site at the city's Recreation Avenue Park.

[70][71][72] In June 2024, Kelowna hosted a neutral site regular season game as part of the CPL's "On Tour" series.

[36] On November 10, 2021, the CPL awarded an expansion club in Vancouver to SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP to begin play in 2023.

[85] On January 10, 2022, the CPL announced that commissioner David Clanachan had stepped down and was awarded exclusive expansion rights for Windsor, Ontario.

[86] In June 2022, it was revealed that Clanachan had partnered with Windsor City FC owner Vancho Cirovski, setting a launch date goal of 2026.

[89][90] On March 12, 2021, the CPL conditionally awarded an expansion club to Living Sky Sports and Entertainment Inc. (LSSE), a Saskatchewan-based company.

[92] As of April 2021, plans called for the former horse-racing grandstand at the park to anchor the north, shorter, end of the soccer pitch, with new stands facing its other sides.

[97] On January 10, 2018, David Clanachan, former president and chief operating officer of Tim Hortons, was named as the first commissioner of the league.

[86] On August 25, 2022, American sports executive Mark Noonan was announced as the league's new commissioner as well as the new CEO of Canada Soccer Business effective September 1.

[110][111] The Canadian Premier League has used a mix of existing, built for purpose, and upgraded stadiums, many of which are shared with other teams.

On February 20, 2019, it was announced that Mediapro had acquired the broadcast rights to the league as part of a ten year agreement.

[113] A streaming service established in 2019, OneSoccer, carries all of the league's matches, including the Canadian Championship.

[122] From 2022, BT Sport started showing live coverage of the league across Ireland and the United Kingdom.

[123] In January 2024, the broadcast agreement between the CPL and Mediapro was terminated with five years remaining in the 10-year deal due to a dispute.

[125] The 2024 Canadian Premier League final will be broadcast and streamed on CBC's platforms in addition to OneSoccer.