It may still be early days for the Canadian Premier League, but this exciting new addition to the world of football is already turning heads internationally, providing another great league to enjoy and bet on! Our comprehensive guide is suitable for newcomers and longer-term fans alike, with a list of the best betting sites, tips and predictions, top betting markets, and more.
- Tournament Structure for the Canadian Premier League
- Canadian Premier League Betting Tips & Predictions
- Popular Canadian Premier League Betting Markets
- Canadian Premier League Betting Promotions
- 5 Reasons To Bet on the CPL
- Betting sites With Canadian Premier League Live Streaming
- Important Canadian Premier League Dates
- History of the Canadian Premier League
- Similar Tournaments to the Canadian Premier League
- Canadian Premier League betting FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
Best Canadian Premier League Betting Sites
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Tournament Structure for the Canadian Premier League
If you have laid eyes on the Canadian Premier League standings and felt that it looked a little complicated, there’s no need to worry, as it really is incredibly simple once you break it down. In fact, if you’re familiar with the structure of Major League Soccer, you’ll largely know what to expect here.
Essentially, there are two parts to the Canadian Premier League schedule.
The Canadian Premier League table is set by each team playing 28 games in total against their fellow league competitors.
They get three points for a win, one point for a draw, and nothing for losing.
Whoever is in the top four of the Canadian Premier League standings when all this is said and done advances into the playoffs.
The playoffs work under knockout rules, meaning there must be a winner. If you’ve ever watched the World Cup, you’ll know this can mean extra time and penalties, and a whole lot of nervous tension.
The two winners of the two-legged semi-finals meet in the final to crown a winner.
That’s all there is to it – simple and easy to understand, but with plenty of depth to get you invested.
Canadian Premier League Betting Tips & Predictions
If you’re just jumping into this CPL season and want some general tips on where we think the tides of the Canadian Premier League table is turning, we’ve got some general predictions for you below.
Do keep in mind that many of the markets for things like tournament winners won’t be made available until late on in the season at most bookmakers.
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1.
Pacific FC to retain title: Pacific Football Club won the Canadian Premier League last year, and if their form can be kept consistent, we think they stand to repeat this accomplishment to make history again here. They sit at the top of the table at the time of writing, meaning we would be shocked to see them not make the playoffs. While there are many great teams within the CPL we don’t see any that match them as all rounders right now, with top players all across the field including arguably the best goalkeeper and attacking force in the league.
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2.
Pacific FC for Top Goal Scorer or Top Assists: We only need to look at the stats for evidence. Right now, Pacific FC have the most clean sheets, most goals, and most assists. It therefore seems very likely to us that one of their players, Alejandro Díaz Liceága or Marco Bustos most likely, will walk away with most goals and/or asssists due to their fantastic partnership as the firing squad for Pacific FC.
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3.
Forge FC to make it to the playoffs: It’s been a tough start to the season for former two-time champions Forge FC who dropped the title last year. However, considering just how talented they are and the fact that they’ve only played a few games in the grand scheme of things so far, we can absolutely see them making a comeback here and pushing their way towards the playoffs. In fact, thanks to the way the structure of the Canadian Premier League works, it would not be out the question for them to claw their way to the playoffs and shock the world by winning the whole thing.
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4.
Over markets will be most successful: This is a more general prediction that you can keep in mind when making individual game predictions. Put simply, we think that Over markets will be a successful bet more often than not this season. Already we’ve seen most games go three goals or over, and we don’t see these teams playing more conservatively as time goes by. Of course, you should always base over/under betting on each game’s individual merit, but we think this will be a surprisingly high-scoring season.
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5.
Edmonton FC will forge a comeback: Edmonton FC got off to a miserable start having not won a single game in several to begin their season, and their track record showed them finish last and seventh in their last two. However, there’s plenty of optimism in their form. They’ve proved tough opponents against Valour, York United and even Pacific FC, with a goalkeeper who’s saved more goals than anybody thus far. They have plenty of flaws for sure, but we can see them forging a mini-comeback here after winning a few games for their best season since 2019 – we think they might even make the playoffs.
Popular Canadian Premier League Betting Markets
One of the really cool things about the Canadian Premier League is that it benefits from that immensity of market variety that’s so synonymous with football, meaning you should find betting opportunities no matter the game and how you would like to bet. With that in mind, here’s a look at a few of our favourites, which just so happen to be among the most popular and commonly available betting types out there.
To Win
This is the most popular market of them all because of its simplicity and the excitement it offers. The question is simple – who do you think is going to win this game? Or do you think it might go to a draw? If you have an opinion on who you think will win and if the odds are right, this might be the market for you.
Handicap Betting
But sometimes the Canadian Premier League odds to win aren’t right, it could be that the team you want to back are heavy favourites to the point it’s not worth your while, for instance. It’s those kinds of scenarios for which handicap betting is built as it allows you to create an even playing field with a goals handicap so that you always get interesting bets, no matter how mismatched the teams.
First To Score
Want to kick off the Canadian Premier League excitement from the moment the whistle blows? The First To Score market is perfect for this. The success or failure of your bet could come at any time, whenever the first goal is landed. In the case of a goalless draw, it could leave you on the edge of your seat the whole game. It’s also an interesting Canadian Premier League market because it allows you to focus on individual players rather than teams for your prediction.
Both Teams To Score
Another market which moves away from the traditional To Win markets is Both Teams To Score. Again, this doesn’t require or ask you to make a prediction on who will win the game, but instead asks what kind of game it will be. Your prediction here is simply that both teams will taste the back of the net by the time 90 minutes have elapsed. Like so many other popular betting markets, the magic is in its simplicity.
Corners Betting
You can bet on just about everything in football, and corners markets are the perfect example. This asks you to go over or under on the number of corners taken in a CPL match. It’s the kind of thing casual bettors may have never considered, but it really does make you think about the strategy and play style of different teams in a new and interesting way.
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Corners betting is a perfect market to utilise our page on football statistics.
The above markets are just a few examples of what you can bet on for the CPL – you can also bet on booking points, on goals to be scored in both halves, specific players to be sent off, and more. The possibilities are endless!
Canadian Premier League Betting Promotions
Considering that the Canadian Premier League remains in its early years and unfortunately is not yet as well-covered as some other sports leagues like NHL betting, you might be worried that this would mean a lack of sports promotions for the Canadian Premier League.
However, that’s not the case.
While it is true that promotions aimed exclusively on the CPL are less common than what you may find for established alternatives, such as on horse racing betting for instance, there are still plenty of promotions to choose from. That’s because most sports promotions are available across a broad variety of options.
For instance, a bet365 football betting promotion may not mention the CPL specifically, but would almost certainly be applicable to those markets.
These include the best bookies promotions, free bets, acca insurance, enhanced odds and more, all of which are also commonly available on the best mobile betting apps. So, if you don’t hear the Canadian Premier League mentioned on a bonus page, don’t fret – there’s likely plenty of promotions to be enjoyed on your favourite CPL markets.
5 Reasons To Bet on the CPL
If you’ve never bet on the Canadian Premier League before, and even if you have, here’s five key reasons we think this is such a special league to wager on.
1. Commonly available as a new tournament
Although it remains true that some sports and tournaments are more frequently covered than the Canadian Premier League, the impact the CPL has had on the betting world so early on remains an immense achievement. They have only been around for a few years at this point, yet if a game were playing today, you will likely be able to find multiple competitive markets on the best football betting sites and apps. It takes most leagues decades to get that kind of recognition.
2. It’s expanding every year
The Canadian Premier League getting bigger in terms of popularity, confirmed by news of the CPL expansion. We will soon be seeing new teams join the league, with a Vancouver area team confirmed for 2023. That means you really are getting in on the ground floor here, with so much to look forward to, and getting involved sooner can only be a good thing for your football betting strategy.
3. Plenty of closely matched teams
While we are looking forward to the Canadian Premier League expansion, we do hope they can maintain what we think is one of their greatest assets, which is that most teams are fairly evenly matched. Or, at the very least, the Canadian Premier League standings contains less lopsided contests than most international football games. This makes them fun to watch and interesting to bet on.
4. Extra room for surprises
The short history of the competition also means that these Canadian Premier League teams have not played an endless number of times, so there is plenty of room left for surprise and upsets regarding many of the Canadian Premier League standings. Variety is the spice of life, and the CPL has plenty of new things to show off.
5. Amazing market variety
One awesome advantage that the Canadian Premier League has over most other newer leagues is that football is such an established sport to bet on. As a result, there is already a great selection of football betting markets ready to go, so even at this early stage, the CPL has a better set of markets than many long-standing leagues. This includes great Canadian Premier League team and players markets.
Betting sites With Canadian Premier League Live Streaming
Unfortunately, the CPL will overwhelmingly not be available for live streaming at the time of writing. The reason for this isn’t the fault of the Canadian Premier League teams or bookmakers, but comes down to simple TV rights – put simply, operators are not allowed to legally live stream the CPL. Right now, it will be broadcast across on the likes of OneSoccer.CA, Telus Optik TV CH980 and on FuboTV.
Important Canadian Premier League Dates
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Regular Season Matches – 7th April till 9th October 2022
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Playoff Semi-finals – 15th October till 23rd October 2022
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Canadian Premier League Playoffs Final – Saturday 29th October 2022
History of the Canadian Premier League
The CPL came from the closure of the Canadian Soccer League in 1992, leaving a hole at the top of the domestic system. There were a few attempts to rectify this, but none really took off until this league was unanimously approved by the Canadian Soccer Organisation in 2017.
In 2018 the famous CPL logo, based on the northern lights, was created. There was then a Canadian Premier League schedule for the announcement of teams on a weekly basis until eight were ready for launch.
The first ever match for the Canadian Premier League saw Forge FC and York9 FC go to a 1-1 draw at Tim Hortons field. This was at the start of the inaugural 2019 season.
Since their first season in 2019, the CPL suffered the same setbacks the rest of the sporting world did due to the coronavirus pandemic affecting the Canadian Premier League schedule. However, it has still gone strength to strength in popularity.
In fact, this season alone has seen many tens of thousands of spectators attend, and with new teams set on the horizon, it’s not just the standings table that looks to get bigger and better, but Canadian football as a whole.
Recent Canadian Premier League Winners
| Season | Winners | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Forge FC | Cavalry FC |
| 2020 | Forge FC | HFX Wanderers FC |
| 2021 | Pacific FC | Forge FC |
Canadian Premier League Key Stats
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There have only ever been three champions in CPL history.
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Forge FC have been champions twice, and were runners-up in the only tournament they did not win.
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The team which has sat upon the top of the Canadian Premier League standings has never won the championship.
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2021 featured the most goals scored so far, reaching an impressive total of 282.
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João Morelli Neto, who plays as a forward for HFX Wanders, holds the record for most goals in a CPL season at 14 goals in 2021.
Similar Tournaments to the Canadian Premier League
While the Canadian Premier League is a fairly new franchise, it’s got plenty in common with most football leagues. Although you could compare the CPL to pretty much any domestic league across the world, here’s three that we feel closely resemble the Canadian Premier League.
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Major League Soccer: The top tier of the American soccer league is very similar to the Canadian Premier League schedule – there’s even been Canadian teams involved. If you want to check out another league to see what the CPL betting will likely look like in a few years, there’s nowhere better to look than the best MLS betting sites.
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Canadian Soccer League: Not only is there another key Canadian football league, but it’s one with a long and illustrious history. However, there is a reason the CPL is already considered a higher tier. The CSL is a semi-professional league with only six official squads, even less than the current Canadian Premier League teams. But it’s still well worth a look to get a more complete idea of the Canadian football scene.
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English Premier League: Moving away towards Europe, there are plenty of great leagues we could have picked – but none are more prestigious than the English Premier League, one of the top domestic tournaments in the world. Also, the best English Premier League betting sites are also often the best options for CPL betting.
You may have seen the headlines announcing “FuboTV buys Canadian rights to English Premier League” but if not, we can confirm that Canadians can find the EPL there.
Canadian Premier League betting FAQs
The CPL is the top domestic soccer league in Canada.
The Canadian Premier League was founded in 2017 and had its first season back in 2019.
The CPL has changed dates each year since its inception. In 2022, it will take place between April 7th and October 29th.
All kinds of promotions can be utilised on the CPL, including free bets, welcome offers, bet boosts, acca insurance, cash back offers, VIP offers, and more.
The answer to this is a matter of opinion, but the most successful team in the league’s history so far is Forge FC, with two championship wins in their short existence.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
Although the Canadian Premier League remains relatively new, it already has all the talent and bookie backing to be well worthy of your betting slip. It’s easy to find and bet on, and has plenty of varied, competitive betting markets to choose from along with excellent promotions to sweeten the deal. And, best of all, things are only just getting started!