The 2026 Northern Super League season is the second season of the Northern Super League, the top level of women's Canadian soccer. The season started on April 24 and will conclude with the final on November 14.

Vancouver Rise FC are the defending league champions, while AFC Toronto are the defending regular season winners. The two faced each other in the first game of the season at Vancouver's Swangard Stadium.

Teams

Six clubs are participating in the season.

Stadiums and locations

2026 Northern Super League season is located in Canada
Vancouver
Vancouver
Calgary
Calgary
Toronto
Toronto
Halifax
Halifax
Montreal
Montreal
Ottawa
Ottawa
Location of the 2026 Northern Super League teams
Team Results Location Stadium Capacity
Calgary Wild FC details Calgary, Alberta McMahon Stadium
35,400
Halifax Tides FC details Halifax, Nova Scotia Wanderers Grounds
7,500
Montreal Roses FC details Laval, Quebec Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne
5,581
Ottawa Rapid FC details Ottawa, Ontario TD Place Stadium
24,000
AFC Toronto details Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium
4,000
BMO Field
30,000
Vancouver Rise FC details Burnaby, British Columbia Swangard Stadium
4,500

Personnel and sponsorship

Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Calgary Wild Australia Leah Blayney United States Meggie Dougherty Howard Hummel[1] National Bank of Canada
Halifax Tides Trinidad and Tobago Stephen Hart Canada Sydney Kennedy, Canada Saorla Miller Desjardins[2]
Montreal Roses Romania Robert Rositoiu Canada Tanya Boychuk, Canada Megane Sauve Desjardins
Ottawa Rapid Denmark Katrine Pedersen Canada Olivia Scott National Bank of Canada
AFC Toronto Canada Marko Milanović Canada Nikayla Small[3] Desjardins[4]
Vancouver Rise Denmark Anja Heiner-Møller Canada Shannon Woeller, Canada Quinn None

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment
Calgary Wild FC England Lydia Bedford Left to join England women's national under-23 football team March 9, 2026 Pre-season England Sinead McSharry March 9, 2026
Calgary Wild FC England Sinead McSharry Interim spell over July 6, 2026 6th Australia Leah Blayney[5] July 6, 2026

Regular season

Format

Each club plays 25 matches during the season, playing each other club five times. The top four clubs will advance to the two-legged semifinals, with the winners advancing to a single championship match.[6]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Playoff qualification
1 Ottawa Rapid 11 8 1 2 26 13 +13 25 Advance to playoffs
2 Montreal Roses 11 6 3 2 22 11 +11 21
3 AFC Toronto 10 4 3 3 15 10 +5 15
4 Halifax Tides 11 4 2 5 13 10 +3 14
5 Vancouver Rise 11 4 1 6 17 29 −12 13
6 Calgary Wild 10 0 2 8 8 28 −20 2
Updated to match(es) played on July 12, 2026. Source: NSL
Rules for classification: 1) Head-to-head points; 2) Head-to-head goal difference; 3) Overall goal difference; 4) Most wins; 5) Most goals scored; 6) Least goals conceded; 7) Least red cards; 8) Least yellow cards; 9) Drawing of lots.[7]

Results

Home \ Away CGY HFX MTL OTT TOR VAN
Calgary Wild 0–4 0–2 Jul 22 0–4 2–4
0–1 2–2 Aug 15 Aug 1 Sep 27
Sep 12 Jul 17
Halifax Tides 2–0 Sep 27 3–1 0–1 1–2
Oct 3 Oct 17 1–2 Aug 23 1–1
Aug 3 Sep 19
Montreal Roses 1–1 1–0 1–2 Jul 23 4–0
Aug 23 Aug 7 Oct 2 Sep 10 2–3
Aug 29 Oct 23 5–1
Ottawa Rapid 5–2 2–0 1–2 1–1 4–0
3–1 Jul 16 Sep 6 Aug 9 Aug 22
Sep 20 Oct 18
AFC Toronto Jul 28 0–0 0–1 1–2 Jul 18
Sep 6 Oct 26 1–1 Aug 30 Oct 4
Oct 18 Aug 16 Sep 26
Vancouver Rise Aug 8 Jul 25 Jul 29 1–3 2–3
Aug 29 Aug 15 Sep 19 Sep 13 2–1
Oct 25 Sep 5 1–3
Updated to match(es) played on July 12, 2026. Source: NSL
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by matchweek

Team ╲ Week123456891011121314151617181920212223242627
Calgary Wild65566666666
Halifax Tides12343533344
Montreal Roses21111122222
Ottawa Rapid54222211111
AFC Toronto33435455433
Vancouver Rise46654344555
Updated to match(es) played on July 12, 2026. Source: NSL standings, NSL on Instagram
  = Playoffs

Playoffs

The semifinals first legs will be played on October 31 and November 1, and the second legs will be played on November 7 and 8. The final will be hosted at a pre-determined host city on November 14.

Semifinals Final
        
1  
4  
 
 
2  
3  

Statistical leaders

All stats are for the regular season only, and do not include playoffs.

As of July 16, 2026.[8]

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 United States Elyse Bennett Montreal Roses 7
Canada Delaney Baie Pridham Ottawa Rapid
3 Canada Tanya Boychuk Montreal Roses 5
Canada Lauren Rowe AFC Toronto
5 Canada Evelyn Badu Montreal Roses 4
Canada Jessica De Filippo Vancouver Rise
Canada Keera Melenhorst Ottawa Rapid
Canada Saorla Miller Halifax Tides
Canada Julianne Vallerand Halifax Tides
10 South Korea Choo Hyo-joo Ottawa Rapid 3
United States Meggie Dougherty Howard Calgary Wild
Canada Kaylee Hunter AFC Toronto


Attendance

As of July 13, 2026, up to matchweek 12
Pos Team Total High Low Median Average Change
1 Halifax Tides 24,135 5,516 3,440 3,824 4,023 +2.8%†
2 Vancouver Rise 15,350 4,650 3,451 3,624.5 3,838 −9.6%†
3 AFC Toronto 14,803 6,577 2,519 2,853.5 3,701 −8.8%†
4 Calgary Wild 16,688 3,219 2,342 2,782.5 2,781 −17.4%†
5 Montreal Roses 14,077 3,304 1,792 2,262.5 2,346 −27.2%†
6 Ottawa Rapid 13,048 3,069 1,295 2,254 2,175 −28.5%†
League total 98,101 6,577 1,295 2,962 3,066 −15.6%†

Source: NSL

Awards

Monthly Awards

Player of the Month
Month Player Ref
May United States Elyse Bennett (Montreal) [9]
June Canada Lauren Rowe (Toronto) [10]

Weekly Awards

Stars of the Week
Week First Star Second Star Third Star Ref
1 United States Elyse Bennett (Montreal) Nigeria Esther Okoronkwo (Toronto) South Korea Cho So-Hyun (Halifax) [11]
2 Canada Keera Melenhorst (Ottawa) Canada Rylee Foster (Halifax) Ukraine Tanya Boychuk (Montreal) [12]
3 Canada Delaney Baie Pridham (Ottawa) United States Elyse Bennett (Montreal) Canada Kaylee Hunter (Toronto) [13]
4 Canada Mya Jones (Calgary) United States Jordyn Rhodes (Halifax) South Korea Choo Hyo-joo (Ottawa) [14]
5 Canada Julianne Vallerand (Halifax) Ukraine Tanya Boychuk (Montreal) Canada Quinn (Vancouver) [15]
6 Canada Nikayla Small (Toronto) Canada Delaney Baie Pridham (Ottawa) United States Addy Weichers (Halifax) [16]
8 Canada Delaney Baie Pridham (Ottawa) Canada Anna Karpenko (Montreal) Canada Sarah Rollins (Toronto) [17]
9 Canada Julianne Vallerand (Halifax) Canada Melissa Dagenais (Ottawa) Canada Nikayla Small (Toronto) [18]
10 Canada Lauren Rowe (Toronto) Canada Saorla Miller (Halifax) Canada Liv Scott (Ottawa) [19]
11 Ghana Evelyn Badu (Montreal) Canada Kaylee Hunter (Toronto) Norway Johanne Fridlund (Ottawa) [20]

Foreign players

Rosters consist of 20–25 players, of which a maximum of eight can be international players.[41]

The following international players were signed for the 2025 season. Note that players may be considered domestic for NSL purposes (Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees) while still representing other countries in international competitions.

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7 Player 8 Injured Former
AFC Toronto Finland Sofia Manner United States Jordan Brewster United States Croix Soto Nigeria Esther Okoronkwo United States Mia Fontana United States Colby Barnett Ghana Linda Owusu Ansah
Calgary Wild FC United States Katelin Talbert United States Allie Hess United States Jorian Baucom New Zealand Meikayla Moore Australia Kahli Johnson United States Meggie Dougherty Howard Venezuela Michelle Romero
Halifax Tides FC United States Sheyenne Allen Norway Julie Pedersen South Korea Cho So-hyun United States Katherine Jordan Norway Synne Moe Japan Megumi Nakamura France Éva Frémaux United States Jordyn Rhodes
Montreal Roses FC United States Lucy Cappadona United States Hailey Whitaker United States Julia Leas United States Elyse Bennett South Korea Kang Chae-rim Ghana Evelyn Badu South Korea Choi Han-bin France Charlotte Bilbault
Ottawa Rapid FC Norway Susanne Haaland Norway Johanne Fridlund Nigeria Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene South Korea Lee Min-a South Korea Choo Hyo-joo South Korea Jung Min-young United States Jyllissa Harris
Vancouver Rise FC Philippines Jessika Cowart United States Nikki Stanton United States Mariah Lee Colombia María Camila Reyes Japan Yuka Okamoto Colombia Maithé López Wales Josie Longhurst Australia Tori Tumeth

Broadcasting

All 75 Northern Super League regular season matches will be available nationally across multiple platforms, through TSN and CBC

French-language coverage will be available for all Montreal Roses matches, through RDS and ICI Radio-Canada Télé and ICI TOU.TV.

In addition to linear broadcasts, a "Game of the Week" will stream on CBC Gem and NSL.ca, while additional matches will stream on TSN+ and NSL.ca.[42][43]

References

  1. ↑ "Northern Super League Names hummel as Official Kit Provider". Northern Super League. December 20, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Halifax Tides FC and Desjardins announce multi-year partnership". Halifax Tides FC - Rise Together. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Nikayla Small to Lead AFC Toronto as Captain in 2026". www.afctoronto.ca.
  4. ↑ Maailah Blackwood (February 18, 2025). "AFC Toronto Announces Desjardins Group as founding partner". AFC Toronto. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Wild FC hires Australia's Blayney as new head coach". The Canadian Press. July 6, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ Davidson, Neil (September 12, 2024). "Northern Super League opens sales of season tickets for 2025 kickoff". CBC Sports.
  7. ↑ "Six Seconds - The home of women's football in Canada". Six Seconds. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Stats - NSL". Northern Super League. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Top scorer in the league. Top of the standings with Montréal. Now she's May's NSL Player of the Month". instagram.com. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Three goals in June. One clear Player of the Month. 🏆 Lauren Rowe's hot streak helped lift AFC Toronto up the table.⁣ ⁣Congrats, Lauren! NSL Player of the Month". instagram.com. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Week 1 set the tone. ⭐⭐⭐ Your NSL 3 Stars of the Week". Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Week 2 delivered. So did they. ⭐⭐⭐ Your NSL 3 Stars of the Week". Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  13. ↑ "We're already rolling through Week 4, but one last look back at the performances that lit up Week 3 ✨⁣". Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Week 4 gave us some storybook moments. 😍⁣⁣". Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Cool heads. Big goals. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meet your Your NSL 3 Stars of the Week⁣⁣". Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Count 'em. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Your NSL 3 Stars of the Week". Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Week 8 belonged to them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️". Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Goals, saves, tackles. Week 9 came to play.⁣". Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Week 10 gets its flowers.⁣ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Your NSL 3 Stars of the Week⁣". Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Week 11 belonged to the goalgetters. ⚽️⁣ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Your NSL 3 Stars of the Week". Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Morgan's McAslan's stonewall stop down low to deny Esther Okoronkwo earns NSL Save of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Rylee Foster shuts the door on Esther Okoronkwo to claim NSL Save of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Diamonds are made under pressure 💎 Danielle Krzyzaniak blocks back to back scoring opportunities to claim NSL Save of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Double trouble but not for Katelin Talbert 🧤". instagram.com. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Melissa Dagenais produces the impossible 🧤". instagram.com. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Massive stop from the spot. 🧤 🛑 Rylee Foster blanks DB Pridham's penalty to claim NSL Save of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  27. ↑ "The leap. The touch. 🧤 Take a bow, Anna Karpenko.⁣". instagram.com. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Even when she's down, SHE'S UPPP 💥 Mel Dagenais earns NSL Save of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  29. ↑ "NSL 2025 Goalkeeper of the Year is back 🔥 Anika Tóth with the Save of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Can't catch Katelin Talbert off guard 🧤 NSL Save of the Week,". instagram.com. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Picked her spot. No doubt. 🎯 Elyse Bennett claims NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Fresh off a birthday blitz ⚽️⚽️ Keera Melenhorst celebrates NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  33. ↑ "DB Pridham has entered the chat ⚽️". instagram.com. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Ottawa strikes again ⚡️ Sadie Waite earns NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  35. ↑ "AN 💥 ABSOLUTE 💥 BANGER 💥 Jubes Vallerand earns NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Remember me? Julia Benati's beautiful strike from outside the box earns NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  37. ↑ "You can't stop Lisa Pechersky!". instagram.com. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  38. ↑ "First tally ⚽ of 2026 for Kahli Johnson and it's NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Bend it like Oularbi ⚽️🔥 NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Quite exceptional indeed! Evelyn Badu earns NSL Goal of the Week". instagram.com. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  41. ↑ Dunlop, Brendan (October 23, 2024). "Behind the Badge: NSL 101 - Everything You Need to Know About Canada's First Professional Women's Soccer League". NSL - Official site of the Northern Super League. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  42. ↑ "A Season of Firsts: Breaking Down the 2025 NSL Schedule". NSL - Official site of the Northern Super League. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  43. ↑ "All the Ways to Watch the NSL". NSL - Official site of the Northern Super League. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Northern_Super_League_season