Forge FC makes Canadian soccer history with stunning championship victory over CF Montréal

Forge FC has delivered one of the most significant victories in Canadian Premier League history, defeating Major League Soccer's CF Montréal in a dramatic penalty shootout Wednesday night to capture the 2026 Canadian Championship. Playing at Stade Saputo in Montréal, the Hamilton-based club battled its higher-division opponent to a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes before prevailing 4-2 on penalties. Antoine Batisse opened the scoring for Forge, while Daniel Ríos equalized for Montréal. Goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud emerged as the hero of the evening, saving three penalty attempts before Manjrekar James converted the decisive spot kick. The victory makes Forge the first CPL organization to win the Voyageurs Cup, breaking the hold that Major League Soccer clubs have maintained on Canada's national championship.

The achievement represents an important milestone for the Canadian Premier League, which launched in 2019 with the ambition of developing a stronger domestic professional soccer system. Forge has been among its most successful clubs from the beginning, winning multiple league championships and establishing a reputation for competing successfully against more heavily financed opponents. Wednesday's triumph provides perhaps the strongest evidence yet of the league's growing competitiveness. By defeating an established MLS organization in a national final, Forge demonstrated that the gap between Canada's two professional soccer divisions is not necessarily as large as their financial resources might suggest. The victory also secures Forge a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, giving the Hamilton club another opportunity to test itself against leading teams from across North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

For Calgary's Cavalry FC, however, Forge's historic celebration comes at a particularly consequential moment. The two longtime rivals enter the final weekend of the CPL regular season tied on 57 points, with Cavalry holding a seven-goal advantage in goal difference. Calgary hosts Vancouver FC on Sunday, October 25, while Forge travels to face Pacific FC, with the CPL Shield still at stake. Forge must now recover from an exhausting championship final, including extra time and penalties, before returning to action just four days later. Cavalry, meanwhile, has the opportunity to deny its greatest rival a second major trophy in the same week. The result in Montréal may have strengthened Forge's claim to being one of Canada's most accomplished clubs, but Calgary still has an opportunity to finish the league campaign on top.