PREVIEW: CF Montréal vs. Forge FC | 2026 CanChamp Final

There's a trophy on the line in Montreal this week, and Forge FC are desperate to lift it.

The Hamilton club will take on CF Montréal in the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship Final on Wednesday, aiming to become the first Canadian Premier League team ever to lift the Voyageurs Cup.

This isn't entirely unfamiliar territory for Forge, who played in a CanChamp Final back in 2022. That was a unique circumstance, though; the one-off match against Toronto FC, which decided the 2020 Canadian Champion, was played in Hamilton after COVID-19 scuppered the full tournament. Forge fought well in that game, but ultimately lost on penalties and missed out on the trophy.

This time, they've advanced all the way through a full 15-team tournament to try and lift the Cup in the conventional way. A year ago, fellow CPL side Vancouver FC got to this stage, but they couldn't overcome the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2025 Final at BC Place.

Forge will feel they're coming into this year's final at the height of their powers, though. The game lands amid the most consequential week of their season: they're currently tied on points for first place in the CPL standings, and this Sunday's regular season finale will give them an opportunity to win the CPL Shield for a third straight year.

Before they can think about that trophy, however, they're fully focused on this one.

CF Montréal are a familiar foe to Forge, who will now have met them in this competition six years in a row.

Forge eliminated Montréal at Stade Saputo in each of the last two years, both times knocking them out on aggregate at the quarterfinal stage.

In the 2025 meeting, Tristan Borges and Kyle Bekker scored within four minutes of each other late in the second half to put the Hammers in front. The year before, it was perhaps more dramatic, as Daniel Parra and Kwasi Poku gave them a 2-0 advantage early in the second leg before a thunderstorm sent the game into a lengthy delay — after which, Forge had to fend off relentless attacks to hold onto the lead.

Overall, Forge have beaten Montréal over 90 minutes twice, and lost three times, plus one draw in 2021 that led to an 11-round penalty shootout which Montréal won.

This year's Montréal team has not exactly been a force in MLS play, which gives this CanChamp Final even more importance for them.

They sit in last place in the Eastern Conference, well out of the playoff picture, so this match will be their only opportunity for silverware in 2026. Montréal have won the Canadian Championship four times, but not since 2021; local media outlets have suggested that Wednesday's game is, in essence, their whole season, and a chance for coach Philippe Eullaffroy to salvage what has been a frustrating year.

Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis acknowledged that wrinkle, and told reporters on Tuesday that his team has talked about facing an extra-motivated Montréal side.

"For them, you can look at what their form is, you can talk about how good things have been, maybe how things haven't gone their way, but it's all irrelevant when it comes to this game," he said. "You know you're going to get the best version of each and every player, the same way you're going to get the best version of everyone from Forge." 

Eullaffroy rotated his team significantly for Saturday's game in Seattle, making six changes to his previous starting 11 in order to rest some key regulars for the final.

In the Montréal camp, there's obviously pressure to win, but also a desire to redeem themselves after losing to Forge specifically twice in a row. Club captain Sam Piette spoke to media on Tuesday and acknowledged as much:

"The game's going to take a lot of humility," he said. "We have a lot of new players that don't know Forge, don't know the CPL itself, and let's be honest, we've been surprised and they've gotten the best of us the last two years."

Forge know this Montréal team fairly well, with seven of their starting 11 from last year's CanChamp meeting still in the squad this year. They have a few reinforcements this year, though, including veteran Mexican forward Daniel Ríos, and they've added major star power in Chilean icon Alexis Sánchez.

The 37-year-old ex-Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United forward hasn't quite hit the ground running in Montréal, with no goals or assists in his 13 appearances to date, but he remains a gifted player who has scored in massive games before.

Forge won't be too worried about the personnel across from them, though. The Hammers have been dreaming of winning the Canadian Championship for years, and knew that this season would offer them a golden opportunity.

CF Montréal will be the third Quebecois team that Forge have played in this year's CanChamp, after they saw off CS Saint-Laurent and FC Supra du Québec in the quarter and semifinals, respectively. They have yet to take on an MLS foe in 2026, since Atlético Ottawa knocked out Toronto FC in the first round and Montréal took care of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinals.

What Forge know better than most, however, is how to play in a final.

The Hamilton side has won four CPL championships and has played in seven total finals, including the 2020 CanChamp. They have only ever failed to score once (the 2021 CPL Final), and they've come out on top more often than not.

NEWS & NOTES

• The TELUS Canadian Championship Final is a one-match championship decider. If tied after 90 minutes, it will proceed to 30 minutes of extra time, and penalties if necessary.
• Teams in the Canadian Championship must include three Canadian players in their starting 11.
• The winner of the 2026 Canadian Championship receives a spot in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

CF Montréal: Breza; Bugaj, Neal, Craig, Petrasso; Loturi, Longstaff; Ríos, Sánchez, Synchuk; Owusu

Forge FC: Bertaud; Rama, Nimick, James, Jevremović; Jensen, Batisse, Aromatario; Bourgeois, Cavallini, Massunda

KEY QUOTES

"It's something that as a club, we all obviously want. We've been able to accomplish a lot as a club so far, and this is a competition that, at the end of it, you can say that you're the best team in Canada. Since Forge has been around, the standard has been very, very high, and you go in each year that we're playing these MLS teams, and it's a little bit of a different feeling coming from the group, it's a little bit more familiarity and an understanding that we've gotten results. Now it's not about getting results in terms of just winning a game, it's being able to win the whole thing." - Forge FC midfielder Tristan Borges

"In this league, we've won three different types of trophies. We have all three of those sitting back at Hamilton Stadium, so it'd obviously be great to add this one to the collection. It's something that we work hard at each and every year, to be as competitive as possible in every competition that we're in, and every opportunity we have to win a trophy. ... This is what you go out and put your body on the line for as players, and why we put in the extra hours as coaches, to give ourselves these opportunities. These are games of celebration, these are games of immense pride in the group, and the result can always bring a fantastic memory." - Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis

"The game's going to take a lot of humility. We have a lot of new players that don't know Forge, don't know the CPL itself, and let's be honest, we've been surprised and they've gotten the best of us the last two years. So, a lot of humility, and knowing that we're going to be facing a really good team that's going to be very hungry." - CF Montréal midfielder Sam Piette