Forge FC

Location: Hamilton, Ont., Canada 
Date founded: 2017
Appearances in CCC: 3
Best finish: Round of 16 (2022)
First opponent: Tigres UANL

History

The Canadian Premier League's most decorated club are coming off their sixth trophy in seven seasons, lifting the CPL Shield as the league's regular-season winners. This past year was the first that they did not reach the CPL Final, as they had competed in all six of the previous editions, winning on four occasions. 

In that time, they also have extensive experience in Concacaf, competing in three editions of the now-defunct Concacaf League, before qualifying for three of the past four Champions Cups. They are still looking to advance for the first time in the Champions Cup, and will come into this year's competition hungry as ever to make club and league history.

How they qualified

For the second consecutive tournament, Forge qualified as the Canadian Premier League's regular-season winners. They finished two points ahead of rivals Atlético Ottawa during an impressive campaign that saw them begin the season 20 games unbeaten, and lose just twice all year in the regular season. 

The coach

Bobby Smyrniotis has been Forge's leader since its first kick in 2019. This past campaign, he took home his second CPL Coach of the Year award and lifted his sixth trophy as Forge manager.

3 Key Players

Kyle Bekker:

Forge's first-ever signing and their captain remains the heartbeat of the club heading into his eighth season in Hamilton. The 35-year-old central midfielder was nominated for the league's Player of the Year award this past season. It was the sixth time in the league's seven seasons that he was nominated for the award, winning it in 2020. 

Dan Nimick:

In his first season with Forge in 2025, Nimick played a crucial role in the Hamilton club setting a CPL record for clean sheets, and conceding just 22 goals in 28 matches. For his efforts, the 25-year-old was named the league's Defender of the Year for 2025. Now experienced in the Concacaf Champions Cup after playing against CF Monterrey last season, his quality and leadership at the back will be vital to Forge's success in this year's competition. 

Nana Ampomah:

Heading into his third season with the Hammers, Ampomah has established himself as one of the Canadian Premier League's top attackers. A player with plenty of pedigree, including in the Belgian top flight and Bundesliga, Ampomah finished third in CPL Players' Player of the Year voting in 2025.

Tournament outlook

As always, it is an exceedingly difficult draw for the Hamilton club. In their fourth appearance in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Forge have drawn a fourth different Liga MX giant. Previously, matchups against Cruz Azul in 2022 (4-1 loss on aggregate), Chivas Guadalajara in 2024 (5-2 loss on aggregate) and CF Monterrey last year (5-0) have not gone their way. Armed with that experience, however, Forge can never be underestimated — even if Tigres will be heavily, heavily favoured.

Should they advance in spectacular fashion, plenty of other regional giants await Forge in their half of the bracket, including Club América, Inter Miami, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders. In their fourth appearance, however, simply being part of the tournament won't be good enough for Forge; they will want to get a first-ever result, at minimum.

First round schedule

Leg 1: Tuesday, Feb. 3

Forge FC vs. Tigres UANL — Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, Ont.
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Leg 2: Tuesday, Feb. 10

Tigres UANL vs. Forge FC — Estadio Universitario,San Nicholas de los Garza, Mexico
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT