2026 CPL–U Sports Draft
| 2026 CPL–U Sports Draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Date | November 28, 2025 |
| Time | 1:00 PM ET |
| Networks | OneSoccer YouTube |
| Overview | |
| 16 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | Canadian Premier League |
| Teams | 8 |
| First selection | Călin Calaidjoglu (FC Supra du Québec) |
The 2026 CPL–U Sports Draft was the eighth annual CPL–U Sports Draft. Canadian Premier League (CPL) teams selected 16 eligible U Sports soccer players to be invited to their respective preseason camps with the opportunity to earn development contracts for the 2026 Canadian Premier League season.
Format
[edit]Players could be selected if they had one to four years of U Sports eligibility remaining, were in good academic standing, were planning to return to school the following year, and completed the CPL's draft declaration form. Players who were selected can sign a full professional contract or a U Sports development contract, which allows them to return to university for the following season, without losing their eligibility.[1]
Players interested in being selected were required to declare for the draft by November 13, 2025.[2] A total of 201 players declared for the draft and were eligible for selection.[3]
Each CPL team was awarded two selections in the draft. Consistent with the 2023 CPL-U Sports Draft, expansion club FC Supra du Québec would receive both the first and second overall selections in the first round (with no second round selection).[4] The remainder of the selections were awarded in reverse order of the previous season's standings, including playoffs and final standings.[5] Valour FC folded following the 2025 season, and were thus not included.[4] In addition, Inter Toronto FC's first round selection (5th overall) was traded to Vancouver FC during the 2025 season, in a transaction involving Gabriel Bitar.[4]
Broadcasting
[edit]On November 24, the CPL confirmed the draft order and announced that the draft would be broadcast on OneSoccer, and YouTube on November 28, 2025, at 1:00 pm ET.[5]
Player selection
[edit]| * | Denotes player who has signed a professional contract for the 2026 season |
| ^ | Denotes player who has signed a developmental contract for the 2026 season |
The following players were selected:[6]
Round 1
[edit]| Pick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Supra du Québec | Călin Calaidjoglu | MF |  Moldova[a] |
Université de Montréal | FC Laval (L1Q) |
| 2 | FC Supra du Québec | Alexandre Marcoux | FW |  Canada |
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | CS St-Laurent (L1Q) |
| 3 | Vancouver FC | Joseph Green | DF | Canada |
Mount Royal University | |
| 4 | Pacific FC | Archie Tugwell | DF | Canada |
University of Victoria | |
| 5 | Vancouver FC[b] | Matheus De Souza | GK | Canada |
University of the Fraser Valley | Langley United (L1BC) & Vancouver FC (CPL) |
| 6 | HFX Wanderers FC | Harvey Hughes | DF |  England |
Cape Breton University | Calgary Foothills FC (L1A) |
| 7 | Cavalry FC | Emmanuel Dan-Adokiene | FW | Canada |
Trinity Western University | Calgary Foothills FC (L1A) |
| 8 | Forge FC | Noah Bickford | DF | Canada |
Toronto Metropolitan University | Simcoe County Rovers FC (L1O) |
| 9 | Atlético Ottawa | Gabriel Tardif | MF | Canada |
Brock University | Ottawa South United (L1Q) |
- ^ Also holds Canadian citizenship
- ^ Inter Toronto FC's first round pick (5th overall) went to Vancouver FC as a result of a trade on January 13, 2025 in exchange for Gabriel Bitar.[7]
Round 2
[edit]| Pick # | CPL team | Player | Position | Nationality | University | Last team/academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Vancouver FC | Nicolas Nadeau | DF | Canada |
University of British Columbia | Valour FC (CPL) |
| 11 | Pacific FC | Luke Norman | MF | Canada |
University of British Columbia | Burnaby FC (L1BC) |
| 12 | Inter Toronto FC | Michael Williams | GK | Canada |
York University | York United FC Academy (L1O) & York United FC (CPL) |
| 13 | HFX Wanderers FC | Kautchy Andji-Yapi | FW | Canada |
Université de Moncton | |
| 14 | Cavalry FC | Luc Ihama | DF | Canada |
Toronto Metropolitan University | Simcoe County Rovers FC (L1O) |
| 15 | Forge FC | Maxime Bourgeois | MF | Canada |
Université de Sherbrooke | Celtix du Haut-Richelieu (L1Q) |
| 16 | Atlético Ottawa | Joseph Daher | MF | Canada |
Carleton University |
Selection statistics
[edit]Draftees by nationality
[edit]| Rank | Country | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada |
14 |
| 2 | England |
1 |
| Moldova
|
References
[edit]- ^ "U Sports Draft FAQ". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian Premier League announces 2026 CPL-U Sports Draft". U Sports. October 24, 2025.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (November 20, 2025). "2026 CPL-U Sports Draft: Full Prospect List". Canadian Premier League.
- ^ a b c Jacques, John (November 24, 2025). "2026 CPL-U Sports Draft Order Revealed". Northern Tribune.
- ^ a b "2026 CPL-U Sports Draft order confirmed, to air on OneSoccer & YouTube". Canadian Premier League. November 24, 2025.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (November 28, 2025). "2026 CPL-U Sports Draft: Breakdown of all 16 picks". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ^ O'Connor Clarke, Charlie (January 13, 2025). "York United acquire Gabriel Bitar from Vancouver FC". Canadian Premier League.