Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league kicks off its opening week with historic matches at BC Place on April 16 and BMO Field on April 19. The NSL’s 75 regular-season matches will air across TSN, CBC, RDS, and Radio-Canada, with select games streaming on CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV, TSN+, and NSL.ca.
The Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league, proudly revealed today the schedule for its highly anticipated inaugural season.
The historic opening match will see Vancouver Rise FC host Calgary Wild FC at iconic Canadian venue BC Place on April 16, with the match broadcast nationally on TSN and the free CBC Gem streaming service. The monumental Canadian sports occasion will kick off the NSL’s 75-match regular season before the NSL playoffs occur in the fall and the inaugural champion is crowned.
The league is excited to provide further information regarding opening week, each club’s home opener and complete club schedules below.
Opening Week April 16 to April 19
● Wednesday, April 16 - Vancouver Rise FC will host Calgary Wild FC in Canada’s first-ever professional women’s soccer game. The historic match will take place at BC Place so that all fans across British Columbia can join and celebrate the occasion.
● Saturday, April 19 - AFC Toronto takes on Montreal Roses FC with a special appearance at BMO Field.The match will be broadcast nationally on TSN, RDS and CBC Gem.
Additional Home Openers
Each NSL club will host its first-ever home match within the opening weeks of the season allowing fans across the country to experience the excitement of professional women’s soccer in their own communities.TSN will have live coverage of all six home
openers.
● Halifax Tides FC hosts its first home match at the Wanderers Grounds in downtown Halifax on April 26 against Calgary Wild FC.
● Ottawa Rapid FC will mark its home debut in the nation’s capital with a provincial showdown against AFC Toronto at TD Place Stadium on April 27.
● Montreal Roses FC will celebrate its inaugural home match on May 3 against Ottawa Rapid FC at Centre sportif Bois-de-Boulogne in Laval. The match will be broadcast in French on RDS.
● Calgary Wild FC will round out the opening slate of home matches, hosting Ottawa Rapid FC at McMahon Stadium on a very special Mother’s Day, May 11.
Complete Club Schedules
● Halifax Tides FC
● Montreal Roses FC
● Ottawa Rapid FC
● AFC Toronto
● Calgary Wild FC
● Vancouver Rise FC
Season Ticket Members are guaranteed seats for the historic home openers and are on sale for all clubs at NSL.ca/tickets.
League Format
● Each Northern Super League club will play 25 regular season matches. For the inaugural season, Ottawa, Calgary and Halifax will play 13 home and 12 away matches. Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver will each play 12 home matches and 13 away matches.
● All six clubs will compete in a single table format with the standard point system used following each result. Three points will be awarded for a victory, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.
● At the end of the season, the top four teams in the standings will compete in a home and away semifinal format. The playoff matchups will be determined by seeding, with top seed facing fourth seed and second seed against third seed. The higher seeded clubs will play at home for their second match.
● The Club with the higher total score over the two-game semifinal will advance to the championship game on November 15.
National Broadcasts
All 75 Northern Super League regular season matches will be available nationally across multiple platforms. TSN will air 20 regular season games, while CBC will broadcast eight.
French language coverage will be available for all Montreal Roses matches. RDS will broadcast 21 matches across its linear platforms. Radio-Canada will air four matches live simultaneously on its linear network, ICI TÉLÉ, and its streaming platform, ICI TOU.TV.
In addition to linear broadcasts, a ‘Game of the Week’ will co-stream simultaneously on CBC Gem and NSL.ca, while 24 additional matches will co-stream simultaneously on TSN+ and NSL.ca.
Full the complete broadcast schedule, please visit NSL.ca/broadcast
About the Northern Super League
The Northern Super League is Canada’s premier women’s professional soccer league, dedicated to providing top-tier opportunities for athletes and inspiring the next generation of players and fans. With clubs in key markets across the country, the NSL is committed to growing the game and showcasing the incredible talent within Canada’s soccer community. Season tickets are available now for all six clubs, for more please visit NSL.ca/tickets
Media Contact:
Greg McIsaac
Junction Communications
greg@junctioncommunications.com
416-458-3591
Joanna Landsberg, CBC PR
joanna.landsberg@cbc.ca
