| Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers June 10 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT Hamilton Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario Watch Live: OneSoccer, TSN Tickets available here |
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Two familiar foes clash in Hamilton on Wednesday night in their final match before the CPL's World Cup break.
This will be the third time in 38 days that Forge FC played the Halifax Wanderers. The Hamilton club prevailed on both occasions, 3-1 in Halifax in the league, and 4-0 at home in the TELUS Canadian Championship.
Forge are looking to make it seven straight victories against Halifax in all competitions. They have also won six straight in Hamilton, keeping clean sheets in four of those matches.
Halifax are looking to become the first away team to even score at Hamilton Stadium this year. It is now six matches in all competitions, and over 540 minutes, that Forge have managed to shut out their opponents at home.
Since suffering their first CPL defeat of 2026, a 2-1 loss to Atlético Ottawa, Forge have bounced back brilliantly. They defeated Cavalry FC 1-0 at home, before a dominant 4-1 win in the 905 Derby against Inter Toronto, where they tied a CPL record for shot attempts with 26.
Wednesday's match is the club's Red and White Out, with fans encouraged to bring Canadian flags and/or wear red and white to help send off Canada's team in style ahead of this summer's tournament.
Halifax, meanwhile, are in the midst of a difficult stretch prior to the World Cup break, where they faced second-place Cavalry in Calgary, losing 2-0 this past weekend, before travelling to Hamilton to face current top dogs Forge FC.
They can, however, point to significant defensive improvement since they allowed four against Forge back on May 9 in the Canadian Championship. They have now allowed just four goals in their past four matches, and defended well through the first hour at ATCO Field on Saturday despite the loss.
The final match for both, ahead of a two-week break for the World Cup, they will want to bookend this portion of the season with an important three points. If Forge can do so, they will remain top of the table. For Halifax, meanwhile, it would put them within striking distance of the fourth and final playoff spot.
Can Forge make it three from three against the Wanderers in 2026? Or will Halifax go into the break on the back of a memorable result?
NEWS & NOTES
- Halifax Wanderers forward Tavio Ciccarelli has served his one-match suspension and is available again.
- The Wanderers, however, are now without Marcus Godinho through yellow card accumulation suspension, as well as Ryan Telfer, Andre Rampersad and Cyprian Kachwele.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Forge FC: Bertaud; Rama, Nimick, Batisse, Jevremović; Paton, Aromatario, Babouli; Borges, Filion, Massunda
Halifax Wanderers: Carducci; Sow, Linder, Alphonse, Troisi; Zitman, Callegari; Baï, Johnston, Arilla; Cicarelli
KEY QUOTES
"After this, the players will have a little bit of time off, and you always want to leave on a good note." - Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
"I think they'll come in with a point to prove. We've got the better of the matchup so far, but you can never take anything for granted. They're going to come in with a fire, and we're just looking to match that and keep defending our home pitch." - Forge FC defender Dan Nimick
"We need to use the previous games as learning experiences for the next game, but unfortunately, so far we are also used to losing against Forge, and we want to change this, even if it's going to be extremely hard, as the standings are staying right now." - Halifax Wanderers head coach Vanni Sartini