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Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan
CPL Matchweek 25 Recap – Right Down To The Wire
By The Canadian Premier League served up plenty of Thanksgiving drama as the regular season title race drew level on points and the battle for the final playoff spot remained red-hot.
Forge enjoyed eight unanswered goals across two home wins, while Cavalry left Halifax with two points dropped. Further down the table, late headers proved precious for both Vancouver and Halifax, though Inter Toronto’s postseason hopes were officially put to bed.
With just two games left for every club, there’s plenty still up for grabs on the table. Without further ado, here’s how the latest round unfolded:
Inter Toronto 1 – 2 FC Supra du Quebec
A bumper schoolday crowd witnessed some lessons learned for Inter Toronto, with the hosts succumbing to their first loss of the matchweek to a playoff-chasing FC Supra.
The students had an early home goal to cheer when Tomasz Skublak reacted quickly to a poor clearance following a freekick from Bassett, blasting the ball in from close range just seven minutes in:
The host’s lead didn’t last long, however. Former Nine Stripes full-back Diyaeddine Abzi supplied a lovely cross for Loic Kwemi, who rose to head beyond Antonio Campos and bring the visitors level and continue his golden boot campaign at the same time:
Kwemi wasn’t done there, either: capitalizing on a loose ball from Inter Toronto, he gained possession in his own half and turned on the jets against a backtracking Leon, putting in a few stepovers and firing low beyond Campos to secure his brace before half-time:
Supra held on through the second half to collect another massive three points, leaving Inter’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread. As the matchweek would reveal, it would be a rough Thanksgiving Weeekend for the Nine Stripes.
Forge FC 3 – 0 Pacific FC
After three consecutive draws, Forge finally turned its possession into three points.
The Hammers had to wait until shortly before half-time to strike first blood, with a loose pass from Keshavarz in front of his own box falling straight to Noah Jensen. The midfielder made no mistake, sending a low strike into the corner to hand Forge a first-half lead:
The host’s new star man up top, Lucas Cavallini, would double their lead early on in the second half after Tridents centre-back Joshua Belluz fouled Hoce Massunda in the box. Up stepped Cavallini, making no mistake from the spot:
Belluz thought he had some redemption after a headed goal, but an FVS Challenge brought the goal back after an offside was spotted in the build-up.
It was the Hammers who would score next, bagging the third and final goal of the match through Ben Paton in added time:
The result secured Forge a top-two finish and brought the Hammers within two points of Cavalry. For Pacific, meanwhile, the result leaves them on the precipice of a league-record bad season.
FC Supra du Quebec 2 – 2 Vancouver FC
In a match that was a genuine six-pointer in the battle for the fourth and final playoff spot, it was absolute carnage right up to the final whistle.
FC Supra’s star man Loic Kwemi continued his superb scoring form with his fifteenth of the campaign, collecting Ibrahim Conde’s pass and sprinkling in a few trademark stepovers before blasting the ball beyond Callum Irving:
Martin Nash must have made a good team talk, because the Eagles came out flying after the break. The visitors equalized through Terran Campbell, who found some space behind the Supra backline to beat Joakim Milli and draw his side level:
As full-time beckoned, FC Supra thought it had itself a late winner through Safwane Mlah, who struck a volley beyond Irving to put the hosts back in front with just two minutes left to go.
With Vancouver FC knowing that it was now do-or-die to protect their loosening grip on fourth, the club brought everyone forward before captain Callum Irving sent in a freekick as the last man back in the opposition half. The ball floated beautifully into the Supra box, where Matteo Campagna struck a perfect header into the far corner to level things up for Vancouver and keep his side in fourth:
The result sees Vancouver retain its spot in fourth, while Supra rests just two points behind. The Eagles are on a four-match draw streak, so their grip on postseason is anything but secure – especially given that both clubs have two matches remaining.
Pacific FC 0 – 2 Atletico Ottawa
The spectators in downtown Victoria hadn’t all sat down yet when Pacific conceded its first goal on the night, with Ottleti forward Nicolas Fleuriau-Chateau causing all sorts of problems for the Tridents defense before sending a tight shot beyond Himaras:
Pacific fought back hard as Terry Dunfield’s side tried to force a way back into their penultimate home match of the season, and to their credit they were an inch away from an equalizer if not for a last-gasp clearance from Ballou Tabla.
The second half would see Atletico Ottawa bury the proverbial hatchet, however, with Fleuriau-Chateau bursting down through the middle and teeing up a close-range finish for Ballou Tabla:
With the reigning champions now holding an irreversible grip on third, they’re marching well into postseason. Pacific, meanwhile, are left holding a wooden spoon and a lot of questions for the end of the season.
Forge FC 5 – 0 Inter Toronto
On an afternoon dedicated to Kyle Bekker, Forge feasted on 905 Derby rivals Inter Toronto for Thanksgiving.
Following a pre-match guard of honour for the retiring captain, it was business as usual for the Hammers: Bekker’s longtime understudy Noah Jensen donned the armband and buried a freekick just four minutes into the match:
The hosts would double the lead just a few minutes later through Nana Ampomah, though the winger had to leave the game right afterwards through injury:
The Hammers were in absolute cruise control, with defender Antoine Batisse continuing the scoring despite a lengthy review for a potential handball.
Inter Toronto remained disjointed after the break, and things only went from bad to worse for them. Marko Jevremovic put in Forge’s fourth within a minute of the restart, signalling exactly what kind of half it would be for ITO:
The lopsided 905 Derby score would see Forge add one more on later in the match, with Ben Paton adding another to finish the match on a high in Hamilton:
The result officially extinguished Inter Toronto’s playoff hopes, with Forge now drawing level with Cavalry on points in what has become a neck-and-neck battle for the CPL Shield.
Halifax Wanderers 2 – 2 Cavalry FC
Halifax left things late to secure a draw with Cavalry and keep their season mathematically alive, unlikely as a playoff push may be. For Cavalry, failing to win on the road has put all kinds of pressure on them in the race for a regular season championship.
The Kitchen was up on their feet early as Jason Bahamboula put the hosts one-nil up just six minutes in, looping a perfectly-angled header up and over Nate Ingham following a nice pass in from Miguel Arilla:
As is tradition – and Thanksgiving is all about that – Cavalry equalized through a set piece. Late in the first half, a corner from Tobias Warschewski caused absolute chaos in the box before being booted in by Caniggia Elva, though it took an FVS Challenge for the goal to stand:
The second half would see Cavalry take the lead through another set piece, with Warschewski’s corner dropping low enough for Musse to boot it home from close range before Halifax could intervene.
This was also Warschewski’s tenth assist of the season, which is a single-season Canadian Premier League record:
Cavalry saw midfielder Harry Paton handed his marching orders following a reckless tackle. That man-advantage was clutch for Halifax, who bagged a season-saving (for now) equalizer from big centre-back Thomas Meilleur-Giguere in the 92nd minute:
The draw ensures mathematical survival for the Halifax Wanderers heading in to Matchweek 26, while Cavalry’s dropped points leaves them level with Forge in the battle for the CPL Shield.
CPL Standings – Matchweek 25
Standings as of October 12, 2026 · 8:44 pm EDT
| # | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cavalry FC | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 53 | 21 | 32 | 54 | DWLLD |
| 2 |  Forge FC | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 46 | 20 | 26 | 54 | DDDWW |
| 3 |  Atletico Ottawa | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 40 | 41 | -1 | 43 | LLWWW |
| 4 |  Vancouver FC | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 37 | 35 | 2 | 34 | LDDDD |
| 5 |  FC Supra | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 40 | 47 | -7 | 32 | WLWWD |
| 6 |  Halifax Wanderers FC | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 40 | 44 | -4 | 28 | WWLDD |
| 7 |  Inter Toronto FC | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 40 | 61 | -21 | 27 | DLWLL |
| 8 |  Pacific FC | 26 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 30 | 57 | -27 | 14 | DWLLL |
Last 5: W = win, D = draw, L = loss. Most recent result on the right.
Canada’s top flight is really delivering the last-season drama: Cavalry had once looked a sure thing to hoist the CPL Shield, but now find themselves neck-and-neck with Forge with just two matches left to play.
The fourth and final playoff spot is almost Vancouver’s, but that’s been the case for over a month: four straight draws have allowed FC Supra du Quebec to close in, and the potential to pip Vancouver at the post looms. A little further south on the table, however, and we have a decisive elimination as Inter Toronto bows out of playoff contention, while Halifax is such an outside bet that they’re staring through the window.
The penultimate Canadian Premier League round kicks off on Friday with FC Supra hosting Inter Toronto in a reverse of this week’s midweek match. Vancouver will then welcome Halifax in a match that could seal the host’s playoff destiny while sinking Halifax’s.
Saturday will see Atletico Ottawa welcome Forge to the nation’s capital, while Cavalry returns home to host Pacific FC.
The full Canadian Premier League table and fixture list is available here.
