Montreal facing relocation This weekend I made several calls to numerous contacts, as well as others whose names had been passed along to me. This week will be an extremely decisive one for the future of CF Montréal. The National Assembly will adjourn for the summer starting Friday and will not return until mid-September. Time is running out for the team. According to my information, it must communicate its intentions to the MLS regarding the winter schedule by the end of this summer. There are only two options: the Olympic Stadium or relocation. According to my sources, two cities in the southern United States are regularly inquiring with the Commissioner's office about the Olympic Stadium situation. If it comes to that, the MLS will pursue the most financially attractive option. If the government waits until the fall to make its intentions known, it could be too late. Let's remember that the team already needs to find a venue to host playoff matches this fall, as well as for the mini winter season in 2027. The Commissioner is prepared to make concessions to accommodate Montréal temporarily in the schedule (fall 2027 through winter 2028), but only if the stadium renovations move forward. From what I understand, even if the full budget is not provided immediately, there may still be a way to keep the project alive by completing the most urgent work first, with the hope of securing the remaining funding later. I cannot stress enough that we are at the eleventh hour on this issue. MLS is hoping for a positive outcome, but it is also preparing for the worst-case scenario. Hopefully, solutions can be found immediately. Ce weekend j’ai fait plusieurs appels auprès de nombreux contacts et plusieurs autres qui m’ont été refilés.Cette semaine sera une semaine très très déterminante pour l’avenir du CF Montréal. L’assemblée nationale sera en pause pour l’été dès vendredi, et jusqu’à la… pic.twitter.com/F4Ymn15GoS— Jeremy Filosa 🎙 (@JeremyFilosa) June 8, 2026
If both Vancouver and Montreal were to leave, pressure would be mounting on Canada Soccer to eventually stop supporting their sanction of the club in a US league.
This is all messy, but Canadian soccer is progressing well outside of MLS. Ultimately, I'd like to see Canada develop a strong domestic first division on its own, and having the 3 current MLS teams might help that along.
If you're looking at a regional lense, concacaf needs more strong leagues. Canada/CPL claiming all the markets would leap the league forward - potentially to #3 in concacaf. From a regional perspective, this is the best outcome for the region while it wouldn't change a thing for MLS. The league is strong and big enough that it doesn't need Canada like in the 1.0 era. We'd still see each other in Champions Cup
And we're all so lucky that they didn't. Even those that think MLS sucks: they're still lucky, too, even though they don't seem to know it.
True. No-one who lived through the early years of MLS thought it was going to be easy. But the CPL has an even bigger geography and much lower revenue.
What’s the point in any team playing in any league? Remember, the 3 Canadian teams didn’t come in en masse. TFC joined the league first. Maybe I don’t understand the question.
At least some reports have it that MLS did shut down overnight before Uncle Phil called Lamar and Bob the next morning to propose not giving up.
Phil, Lamar and Jonathan Kraft met Abbot and Garber at Anschutz's ranch in Colorado. Strike Force: The World Cup heroes who helped MLS survive and thrive | MLSSoccer.com https://share.google/m0cJfhSwkaY1xygfY
CEBL - but not of this is relevant outside of FIFA regulating the game. The NBA is bigger than the international body and the best league in the world.
When the teams joined MLS there was no recognized D1 league in Canada. These teams are basically grandfathered in now. Now if they can't compete in MLS because of the flip of the season and financial reasons, now would be the time to move over to CPL where they can basically relegate.
Montreal is a fairly large market with lots of wealth. Why can’t they build a proper stadium? Olympic is a compromise. As nice as may be, it’s not a soccer stadium. Saputo was built on the cheap. This is a market that’s never invested in their team. I think that’s the point we are at. The city needs skin in the game. Look at New York, Chicago, LA, Miami, Columbus, Cincy, etc. Their local governments have skin in the game. Even Toronto has done upgrades to BMO. It’s time for Montreal and Vancouver to contribute.
The US and Canadian markets are simply incompatible. 1.0 era was working, 2.0 started to show cracks but 3.0 made it obvious. Just on the exchange rate, Montreal would need to spend significantly more to match a US club spending the same amount. On top of that, their revenues is in Canadian dollars while salaries are in USD. People need to appreciate the disadvantage they are dealing with and not make a 1 for 1 comparison with the rest of the league. A move to Olympic Stadium doesn't solve their problems, it buys them time. Maybe Saputo let the value appreciate even more before selling at the highest amount he can get. Montreal IS NOT suitable for football in the winter. We are more similar to Scandinavian who embrace hockey in the winter and play football in the summer. There's just no way they'd ever outdraw the Montreal Canadiens in the winter when they play inside downtown while they lose revenue by not playing in the summer. Just not viable. It's not a critic of the league, it's just saying it how it is...not compatible. There's a reason why only Toronto have franchise in MLB and NBA - none in the NFL
New York hasn't contributed significantly to either MLS Stadium. Just a few tax breaks and cheap rent on Etihad Park.