Provincial rivals across Ontario are going to have a little extra bite this coming campaign.
This week again, Inter Toronto went out and signed a former fan favourite of one of their closest opponents, this time 905 Derby rival Forge.
Plus, FC Supra du Québec opened camp and made some big additions to their inaugural squad, the Halifax Wanderers recruited some exciting and experienced international players, and plenty more in another busy seven days of signings.
Here are the biggest stories from across the league from this past week:
Béni Badibanga becomes the latest high-profile Inter Toronto splash
First Bassett, now Badibanga, Inter Toronto certainly aren't making any friends within rival fanbases over the past few months.
Nor, evidently, is that their intention as they step up their pursuit of provincial rivals Atlético Ottawa, the defending CPL champs, and Forge FC, the reigning regular season winners, by recruiting some of their most celebrated alumni.
Their latest addition, Béni Badibanga, is a man for the big moments. Few in Hamilton will forget his stunning equalizer in the 2023 CPL Final, nor his chip from half against Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship.
Now, one of the CPL's most exciting players returns with one of Forge's biggest rivals, and joins an attacking cast with Inter Toronto that is now flush with weapons.
Inter Toronto also announced the return of Frank Sturing to their backline, with a guaranteed contract through the 2026 season. A rock in defence, and a key leader, the 28-year-old is a key returning member of the club's core group.
Wanderers add to midfield with Zitman, Arilla signings
It was a busy week on the East Coast as the Wanderers made a pair of exciting international signings to bolster Vanni Sartini's squad.
The Halifax club kicked off the week by securing Spanish winger Miguel Arilla. A former Creighton Bluejay, a school from which the Wanderers have recruited heavily in recent years, including Giorgio Probo and Callum Watson, Arilla has put up 14 goals and 15 assists over the past three seasons in the NCAA.
They then announced the signing of Sven Zitman, a 23-year-old central midfielder with an excellent pedigree, having come through the Feyenoord youth academy. He turned pro with PEC Zwolle, before most recently playing with Top OSS in the Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division).
FC Supra make legacy signing with Alessandro Biello, add talented trio to inaugural squad
FC Supra du Québec's inaugural squad continues to shape up nicely after four new local talents were added to the squad this past week.
On Monday, Supra made a trio of signings, including former Halifax Wanderer and Inter Toronto FC wide player Clément Bayiha (26 years of age), 22-year-old defender Keesan Ferdinand, and 25-year-old attacker Bakary Kaboré.
On Wednesday, as the club opened its inaugural training camp, they did so by announcing the signing of 19-year-old Montréal midfielder Alessandro Biello. The son of former Montréal Supra player, and current Canadian men's national team assistant coach, Mauro Biello, Alessandro is a talented player who had been in the CF Montréal system for over a decade.
Forge agree to Alessandro Hojabrpour transfer
A CPL original is headed to Europe, with Forge FC announcing on Wednesday that they had agreed to a transfer for Alessandro Hojabrpour to join FC Emmen in the Netherlands.
The three-time CPL champion spent the league's first three campaigns with Pacific FC, scoring the winner in the 2021 Final, before joining Forge for the past four seasons. He won two further championships, with 2022 and 2023, scoring the match-winner again in the 2022 final, and then lifted CPL Shields in 2024 and 2025.
A former CPL Best U-21 Canadian of the Year winner (2021) and Player of the Year nominee (2024), Hojabrpour will be a big loss for the Hamilton club as they begin their Concacaf Champions Cup campaign.
Vancouver FC bring back Godbout
With time quickly ticking down until their Concacaf Champions Cup debut, the Eagles are putting the finishing touches on their squad.
That includes the return of 20-year-old winger Henri Godbout on a CPL U-SPORTS Contract. Godbout made 16 appearances for Vancouver FC last season, and scored his first professional goal against rivals Pacific FC.
Returning to school this past season with the UBC Thunderbirds, Godbout had nine goals and three assists, helping his side to qualify for the national championship.