After a 1-1 draw at Cavalry FC on Friday night, Forge FC now find themselves very close to clinching the 2025 CPL Shield as the top side in the regular season.
Heading into Sunday's match between Atlético Ottawa and Vancouver FC, Forge need only one more result to go their way. The Hamilton-based side have 55 points with 27 out of 28 matches played, and Ottawa have 52 points, with 26 played.
If Atleti lose to Vancouver on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer), then they will be three points back heading into the final match of the regular season.
The best they could then do is tie Forge on 55 points. Both sides would then have 15 wins, meaning the second tiebreaker comes into play: head-to-head record. Because Forge beat Ottawa once this season, with all three meetings ending in draws, the Hammers would therefore win the Shield.
Forge are hoping to become the first CPL team ever to win the Shield in back-to-back seasons. Last year, they finished first with 50 points, two ahead of Cavalry FC. They're now aiming to lift a trophy for a fourth consecutive season.
Clinching the Shield would not only hand Forge a trophy, but would qualify them directly to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. Forge have played in the continental tournament the last two years, and are eager to return.
A first-place seed in the CPL Playoffs would also be a benefit, allowing Forge to host Ottawa in the first-versus-second championship semifinal match on the first weekend of the postseason. The winner of that match goes directly to the CPL Final, and gets an extra week of rest, while the losing side goes into a contender semifinal the following week against another remaining playoff team.
No CPL club has ever won both the Shield and the North Star Cup in the same season.
