The inaugural season of the Northern Super League will conclude this Saturday at Toronto’s BMO Field after seven months since its start. Co-founder Diana Matheson expressed astonishment at how quickly the season has passed and excitement for the upcoming championship game. The league aims for the event to be a celebration of women’s professional sports in Canada, coinciding with the Grey Cup in Winnipeg the following day, making it a Canadian championship weekend.
Matheson is optimistic about selling out the lower bowl at BMO Field for the final match between AFC Toronto and Vancouver Rise FC. Weather conditions are expected to be favorable, with a forecast of 7 degrees Celsius and light rain, a significant improvement from past weather-related challenges faced during previous games.
AFC Toronto and Vancouver finished the regular season with a close competition, with AFC Toronto leading the standings at 16-6-3, 12 points ahead of Vancouver at 11-8-6. The championship game will be broadcast nationally on CBC and live-streamed on CBC Sports and CBC Gem at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, with the match starting at 2 p.m.
Both teams had successful league launches, with Vancouver defeating Calgary Wild and Toronto facing off against Montreal Roses in high-profile openers. Matheson views the debut season of the league as a great success, with over 275,000 tickets sold in 2025 to fans from 19 countries attending matches. The league has resonated with many fans and stakeholders, motivating them to continue growing and improving women’s professional sports in Canada.
Plans for expansion are already underway, with a focus on adding a seventh team in 2027 and expanding into Central and Western Canada. The league’s international appeal has garnered interest from global investors looking to invest in women’s sports, particularly in Canada’s strong women’s sports market.
As the league progresses, infrastructure development remains essential, with hopes that the upcoming 2026 World Cup will encourage collaboration between the private and public sectors to build necessary soccer stadiums. The dedication and effort put into establishing the league will culminate in the presentation of the Diana B. Matheson Cup to the championship team, a moment that Matheson finds surreal and eagerly anticipates as the season finale approaches.
