League1 Canada: 2025 Season Preview

The League1 Canada season commences next weekend, and one thing is for sure: it will be a big one.

While we have lost a few teams, there have been a massive expansion, particularly in one province. Ahead of what should be a thrilling 2025 campaign, here is a look at how things will look this year.

League1 BC: Two New Teams, Four More Games

We have a new look coming to League1 Canada’s westernmost division. League1 BC is the first of the leagues to kick things off, starting on April 4. As was the case in previous years, there will be doubleheaders for the men’s and women’s matches.

A major change going into this term is the number of teams, as well as the format. For starters, the league has grown to nine clubs, an increase of two from last year. Evolution FC and Langley United joined the fold in the off-season, with the other seven sides from last term remaining in the league.

There is a slight change to the format as well, as the teams will continue to meet each other home and away. That results in a 16-game season for each side – four more than last year. Unlike the previous years, there will be no playoffs, which is a notable change.

The men’s champion will enter the 2026 Canadian Championship, while the winner on the women’s side will partake in the 2025 League1 Canada Interprovincial Championship.

A couple other sides completed a rebrand in the off-season: Harbourside has now become Nanaimo United ahead of their third year in the league. As for Rivers, they are now known as Kamloomps United. Finally, the Northern Super League team Vancouver Rise has taken over the defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps Academy on the women’s side.

The first game of the League1 BC season is on Friday, when TSS Rovers, who won the men’s division last year, hosts Evolution.

League1 Alberta: Nine Teams For Season 3

League1 Alberta has basically copied and pasted League1 BC regarding number of teams and format. The newest of the provincial divisions enter its third campaign as they introduce two new clubs.

A pair of Calgary-based sides – the Calgary Villains and Calgary Rangers – have joined the septet from the 2024 season. As such, there are nine sides competing this year. In a similar move to Vancouver Rise, the NDC Alberta team is being run by the Calgary Wild.

As for the format, it will be a 16-game season, where the nine clubs face each other twice. Unlike in 2024, where there was a men’s final, there will be no such match this time around. It will just be the regular season standings to determine the league’s representatives in the 2026 Canadian Championship and 2025 League1 Canada Interprovincial Championship.

Things will get underway in Alberta on 18 April, where BTB Academy welcomes newbies Calgary Rangers. That is the only April match, as things truly commence in May. Like their western neighbours, League1 Alberta games will be doubleheaders with the men’s and women’s teams.

League1 Ontario: The Growth Continues

Entering its eleventh season of existence, League1 Ontario is poised to be another thrilling year. There were several changes from last term, with sides entering and departing the league, while promotion and relegation also resulted in some movement.

On the men’s side, FC London and St. Catharine’s Roma Wolves were promoted to the Premier Division, replacing Hamilton United Elite and Guelph United. The latter pair were relegated to the Championship Division for 2025.

With Toronto FC Academy departing, their place was taken by York United Academy, also in the Championship Division. To bump the second tier up to 12 teams, Sudbury Cyclones and The Borough were promoted as well. This was also due to none of the B teams opting for promotion.

As for League2 Ontario, there are two new teams in Railway City and Cambridge United. They, along with Rush Canada, will be the only A teams in that division.

On the women’s side, two rebranded sides switched tiers. Oakville SC, formerly Blue Devils FC, dropped to the Championship Division. Replacing them in the top rung is Waterloo United, previously known as BVB IA Waterloo. There was no promotion/relegation between the Championship and League2 divisions due to none of the B teams accepting promotion. That kept Rush Canada in the second tier.

As for the new teams for the ladies, Sudbury Cyclones will now field a female club. Joining them are Railway City and Cambridge United. The trio are League2 Ontario, along with St. Catherine’s and Masters FA.

Outside of that, Darby also rebranded in the off-season, changing its name to Whitby FC. However, there was one other team who departed, that being Prostars. Due to how late they left, no team will replace them. As such, the men’s Premier Division will have eleven teams. On the women’s side, that will impact the Championship Division as there will only be nine teams.

Now in the second season of a three-tiered structure, there are no changes in formats. In the top two tiers: everyone will face each other home and away. Meanwhile in League2 Ontario, the clubs will have 14 matches, playing all of the teams in their group at least once. The Premier Division winners will partake in the 2026 Canadian Championship and 2025 Interprovincial Championship.

For promotion and relegation, the winner of Championship Division and League2 on the men’s side will be promoted. The runner-ups from the Champions Division will face the second to last place team in the tier above them in a playoff.

On the women’s side, the winners of the second and third tiers will move up. A playoff will occur between the second place team in the Champ division, and the ninth place team in the Premier.

The first games will occur in the L1 Cup, which also returns this year. Tecumseh battles Hamilton United on Sunday to kick things off. The first match in the men’s football will be between Alliance and Cambridge. That is on Friday, 11 April.

Ligue1 Quebec: Promotion/Relegation Sparks Exciting Times

The biggest change in League1 Canada going into the 2025 season comes in La Belle Provence. Ligue1 Quebec became the second province to implement promotion and relegation starting this year.

This resulted in an explosion of new teams, as well as some returning ones. The men’s system will feature three tiers and, for 2025, 46 senior teams. For the 2025 campaign, four teams will also field their reserve teams in Ligue3 Quebec.

The top tier will have 10 teams for this year, with everyone from last year bar CF Montreal Academy returning. It will be home and away play like last year.

In the second division, the 24 teams will meet each other once. The champion will be promoted to Ligue1, while the teams finishing second through fifth will meet in a playoff for the other promotion spot. The bottom nine teams will drop to Ligue3 Quebec.

Speaking of the third division, there will be 16 teams, including 12 senior sides. After facing each other once each, the top four clubs will battle it out for the title via a final four. While no promotion will occur for 2025, the reserve teams will be removed from the division at the season’s conclusion. Moreover, it is not yet confirmed how many of the 12 senior clubs will remain in the league come 2026.

In the women’s league, there will be 11 teams in Ligue1 Quebec, as AS Pierrefonds withdrew. They will be split into two groups, one of five teams and one of six. As was the case last year, the teams meet their groupmates home and away, while facing the clubs from the opposite group once.

The top two from both groups will continue in the final four. There will be relegation, as the bottom two clubs, on a point-per-game ratio, will go down to Ligue2 Quebec.

As for Ligue2 Quebec, it will feature 19 teams for the 2025 year. After they face each other once, the champion will be promoted. The bottom seven sides will be demoted to their regional leagues.

The winners of the Ligue1 divisions will be the leagues’ representatives in the Canadian Championship and Interprovincial Championship.

Some notable names returning to Quebecois system include Brossard, St. Leonard, Lakeshore, and CS Lanaudiere-Nord. Revolution, known as Boisbriand during their previous time in the league, also returns to the fold.

For the exception of Ligue1 and Ligue3 on the men’s side, all tiers will commence the weekend of 11 April. For the other two tiers, fans will have to wait until early May for things to kick off.

The 2025 season promises to be a thrilling year of football in League1 Canada. With a plethora of new teams joining the fold, the league is continuing to grow across the country, and should make it incredibly exciting to follow this year.