2025 League1 Ontario season
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
← 2024 2026 → | |
The 2025 Men's League1 Ontario season is the eleventh of League1 Ontario, a Division 3 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid and the highest level of soccer based in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league is split into three divisions with promotion and relegation between them.
The Premier division will be composed of 11 clubs, the Championship division of 12 clubs, all returning from last season. The League2 Ontario will be made up by three conferences containing reserve teams and newly licensed clubs.
League1 Ontario Premier
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 19 – August 28 |
| Relegated | FC London |
← 2024 2026 → | |
League1 Ontario Premier will be composed of 11 teams. FC London and St. Catharines Roma Wolves were promoted from the Championship division last season. ProStars FC dropped out of the league shortly prior to the release of the schedules and were not replaced.[1] Blue Devils FC have re-branded as Oakville SC following a merger.
The 11 teams will face each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 20 matches. At the end of the season, the club at the top of the standings will be crowned as League1 Ontario champions and gain a berth for the 2026 Canadian Championship. The club that finishes in 10th will advance to the promotion playoffs against the third place finisher in the Championship, while the 11th placed club will be automatically relegated to the Championship division.[2]
Clubs
| League1 Premier | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | City | Principal stadium | Head coach | ||
| Alliance United FC | Scarborough (Toronto) | Centennial College | Nikola Stakic | ||
| Burlington SC | Burlington | Corpus Christi | Mark Worton | ||
| FC London | London | Tricar Field | Yiannis Tsalatsidis | ||
| North Toronto Nitros | North York (Toronto) | Downsview Park | Filip Prostran | ||
| Oakville SC | Oakville | Sheridan Trafalgar Campus | Duncan Wilde | ||
| Scrosoppi FC | Milton | St. Francis Xavier | John Yacou | ||
| Sigma FC | Mississauga | Paramount Fine Foods Centre / Tim Hortons Field | John Zervos | ||
| Simcoe County Rovers FC | Barrie | J.C. Massie Field | Doneil Henry | ||
| St. Catharines Roma Wolves | St. Catharines | Club Roma – Under Armour Field | Federico Turriziani | ||
| Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan | North Maple Field | Anthony Vadori | ||
| Woodbridge Strikers | Woodbridge (Vaughan) | Vaughan Grove Field | Peter Pinizzotto | ||
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodbridge Strikers | 19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 18 | +25 | 40 | Qualification to 2026 Canadian Championship |
| 2 | Scrosoppi FC | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 39 | 23 | +16 | 38 | |
| 3 | Alliance United FC (E) | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 32 | +9 | 32 | |
| 4 | Simcoe County Rovers FC (E) | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 27 | +5 | 30 | |
| 5 | Oakville SC (E) | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 29 | |
| 6 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves (E) | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 28 | |
| 7 | Vaughan Azzurri (E) | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 26 | |
| 8 | Burlington SC (E) | 19 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 28 | 33 | −5 | 24 | |
| 9 | Sigma FC (E) | 19 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 41 | −11 | 21 | |
| 10 | North Toronto Nitros (Q) | 19 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 32 | 51 | −19 | 17 | Qualification to relegation playoffs |
| 11 | FC London (R) | 19 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 18 | 49 | −31 | 8 | Relegation to League1 Ontario Championship |
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
League1 Ontario Championship
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 18 – August 24 |
← 2024 2026 → | |
League1 Ontario Championship is composed of 12 teams, seven of those returning from the 2024 season. Toronto FC Academy withdrew from the league, after winning the title last season. Guelph United FC and Hamilton United join after being relegated from the Premier Division. Sudbury Cyclones and The Borough FC were promoted from League2 Ontario, while York United FC Academy joined as an expansion team. Darby FC rebranded as Whitby FC for this season, while BVB IA Waterloo rebranded as Waterloo United.[1]
The top two teams in the standings will be automatically promoted to the Premier Division for 2026, while the third place finisher will advance to the promotion playoffs against the 10th place finisher in the Premier Division. There will be no relegation this season.[2]
Clubs
| League1 Championship | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | City | Principal stadium | Head coach | ||
| Guelph United F.C. | Guelph | Centennial Bowl | Keith Mason | ||
| Hamilton United | Hamilton | Ron Joyce Stadium | Francesco Cardillo | ||
| Master's FA | Scarborough (Toronto) | L'Amoreaux Sports Complex | Ivan Galarza | ||
| North Mississauga SC | Mississauga | Churchill Meadows (Mattamy Sports Park) | Peyvand Mossavat | ||
| Pickering FC | Pickering | Pickering Soccer Centre | Eric Polo Soldevila | ||
| Sudbury Cyclones | Sudbury | Cambrian College / James Jerome Sports Complex | Joe Politi | ||
| The Borough FC | Scarborough (Toronto) | Birchmount Stadium | Zico Mahrady | ||
| Unionville Milliken SC | Unionville (Markham) | Ontario Soccer Centre | Wais Azizi | ||
| Waterloo United | Waterloo | RIM Park | Michael Marcoccia | ||
| Whitby FC | Whitby | Telus Dome | Ramin Mohammadi | ||
| Windsor City FC | Windsor | St. Clair College | Gabriel Poulino | ||
| York United FC Academy | Toronto | York Lions Stadium | Marco Bonofiglio | ||
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sudbury Cyclones (P) | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 43 | Promotion to League1 Ontario Premier |
| 2 | Unionville Milliken SC (Y) | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 40 | |
| 3 | The Borough FC | 20 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 36 | 21 | +15 | 36 | Qualification to promotion playoffs |
| 4 | York United FC Academy | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 33 | +5 | 35 | |
| 5 | Whitby FC | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 33 | |
| 6 | Master's FA | 20 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 31 | |
| 7 | Windsor City FC (E) | 21 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 25 | |
| 8 | North Mississauga SC (E) | 21 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 25 | |
| 9 | Pickering FC (E) | 21 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 25 | |
| 10 | Waterloo United (E) | 21 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 41 | 35 | +6 | 22 | |
| 11 | Guelph United FC (E) | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 33 | 46 | −13 | 22 | |
| 12 | Hamilton United (E) | 21 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 13 | 60 | −47 | 4 |
(E) Eliminated; (P) Promoted; (Y) Qualified for at least promotion playoff
League2 Ontario
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 22 – August 1 |
| Champions | St. Catharines Roma Wolves B (1st title) |
| Promoted | Cambridge United |
| Matches played | 168 |
| Goals scored | 668 (3.98 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Christian Ferraro (14 goals) |
← 2024 2026 → | |
League2 Ontario clubs will be divided in three regional conferences. Those clubs will be either the "B" team of Premier and Championship clubs or newly licensed clubs. Railway City FC and Cambridge United join as expansion teams.
The winner of each division, as well as the best second place finisher will advance to the League2 Playoffs. The winner of the playoffs will earn promotion to the Championship division. If the winner of the playoffs is a B team, they may decline promotion, and instead the top two A teams with the most regular-season points in the division will meet in a playoff to earn promotion.[2]
Northeast Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaughan Azzurri B | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 19 | +41 | 40 | Qualification to promotion playoffs and L2O finals |
| 2 | Alliance United FC B | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 26 | |
| 3 | Whitby FC B | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 25 | 18 | +7 | 22 | |
| 4 | Simcoe County Rovers FC B | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 20 | +9 | 20 | |
| 5 | The Borough FC B | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 17 | |
| 6 | Master's FA B | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 25 | 31 | −6 | 16 | |
| 7 | Unionville Milliken SC B | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 23 | 44 | −21 | 15 | |
| 8 | Sudbury Cyclones B | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 28 | 48 | −20 | 12 | |
| 9 | Pickering FC B | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 25 | 40 | −15 | 10 |
Central Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burlington SC B | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 14 | +18 | 31 | Qualification to promotion play-offs and L2O finals |
| 2 | Rush Canada SA | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 41 | 14 | +27 | 25 | |
| 3 | Woodbridge Strikers B | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 24 | |
| 4 | North Toronto Nitros B | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 22 | |
| 5 | Oakville SC B | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 22 | 25 | −3 | 20 | |
| 6 | Scrosoppi FC B | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 16 | |
| 7 | Sigma FC B | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 25 | 30 | −5 | 15 | |
| 8 | North Mississauga SC B | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 11 | 53 | −42 | 3 |
Southwest Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge United (P) | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 14 | +34 | 36 | Qualification to promotion play-offs and L2O finals |
| 2 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves B (C) | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 17 | +13 | 30 | |
| 3 | Railway City FC | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 20 | +14 | 21 | |
| 4 | Waterloo United B | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 30 | −17 | 17 | |
| 5 | Windsor City FC B | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 23 | −6 | 17 | |
| 6 | Guelph United B | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 17 | |
| 7 | FC London B | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 12 | |
| 8 | Hamilton United B | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 44 | −30 | 8 |
League2 Ontario Finals
| Semifinals July 29 | Championship Game August 1 | ||||||||
| C1 | Burlington SC B | 0 | |||||||
| SW1 | Cambridge United | 1 | |||||||
| SW1 | Cambridge United | 1 | |||||||
| SW2 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves B | 2 | |||||||
| NE1 | Vaughan Azzurri B | 3(3) | |||||||
| SW2 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves B | 3(5) | |||||||
Promotion/relegation playoffs
St. Catharines Roma Wolves B declined the promotion spot to the League1 Ontario Championship. As such, per league rules, a promotion playoff match was scheduled between the two A teams with the most points during the regular season to replace them (Cambridge United and Rush Canada SA). However, Rush Canada SA declined and forfeited the match.
| August 8, 2025 | Cambridge United | 3–0 (ff) | Rush Canada SA | St. Thomas, Ontario |
| Stadium: 1Password Park | ||||
| Note: The match did not occur as Rush Canada SA forfeited the match. | ||||
L1 Cup
The L1 Cup is a league cup tournament that was contested by A teams from all three tiers of League1 Ontario.
All 26 "A" teams participate in the five-round knockout competition, which is played concurrently with the league season. Eighteen clubs entered the first round (five clubs from the Premier Division, all twelve clubs from the Championship division, and the three A teams from League2), while six clubs from the Premier Division received a bye to the round of 16.[3]
Bracket
- ^ Scrosoppi and North Toronto originally had their match scheduled on July 2. At the 15th minute, the match was abandoned due to lightning and eventually re-scheduled for July 16
- ^ North Mississauga and Master's FA originally had their match scheduled for April 13. The match was abandoned after the 68th minute due to darkness with the score at 1–1. Instead, their league matchup on May 2 was counted as both a league match and a cup match. The match ended in a 1–1 draw for league purposes, with a penalty shootout followed to determine the cup winner
U20 Reserve Division
The league operated a reserve division which was split into regional conferences. It is not part of the regular pyramid and teams are not eligible for promotion.
Northeast Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Durham U20 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 33 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Woodbridge Strikers U20 East | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 58 | 19 | +39 | 32 | |
| 3 | Aurora FC U20 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 20 | +11 | 28 | |
| 4 | The Borough FC U20 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 22 | |
| 5 | Unionville Milliken SC U20 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 20 | |
| 6 | Pickering FC U20 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 20 | |
| 7 | Whitby FC U20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 36 | −14 | 18 | |
| 8 | Alliance United FC U20 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 27 | −4 | 13 | |
| 9 | Simcoe County Rovers FC U20 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 56 | −31 | 11 | |
| 10 | Master's FA U20 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 22 | 42 | −20 | 5 |
Central Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaughan Azzurri U20 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 18 | +38 | 37 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Woodbridge Strikers U20 West | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 67 | 18 | +49 | 35 | |
| 3 | Oakville SC U20 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 39 | 23 | +16 | 30 | |
| 4 | North Toronto Nitros U20 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 26 | |
| 5 | North Mississauga SC U20 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 33 | −4 | 24 | |
| 6 | Sigma FC U20 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 33 | −9 | 15 | |
| 7 | Rush Canada SA U20 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 41 | −18 | 13 | |
| 8 | Burlington SC U20 East | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 23 | 46 | −23 | 8 | |
| 9 | Richmond Hill SC U20 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 37 | −28 | 6 | |
| 10 | Scrosoppi FC U20 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 44 | −29 | 6 |
Southwest Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC London U20 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 19 | +18 | 34 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Railway City FC U20 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 16 | +35 | 33 | |
| 3 | Burlington SC U20 West | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 26 | |
| 4 | Hamilton United U20 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 33 | −6 | 18 | |
| 5 | Cambridge United U20 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 28 | 30 | −2 | 17 | |
| 6 | Windsor City FC U20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 34 | 42 | −8 | 16 | |
| 7 | Guelph United U20 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 37 | −19 | 10 | |
| 8 | Waterloo United U20 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 46 | −28 | 6 |
Playoffs
The top team in each division plus the best runner-up qualified for the playoffs.
| Semifinals July 28–30 | Championship Game August 2 | ||||||||
| SW1 | FC London U20 | 3 | |||||||
| NE1 | FC Durham U20 | 2 | |||||||
| SW1 | FC London U20 | 0 | |||||||
| WC | Woodbridge Strikers U20 West | 9 | |||||||
| C1 | Vaughan Azzurri U20 | 3 | |||||||
| WC | Woodbridge Strikers U20 West | 4 | |||||||
References
- ^ a b "Locked In: All six divisions in the 2025 season". League1 Ontario. February 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Every Point Matters: Here's how champions will be decided in 2025". League1 Ontario. April 8, 2025.
- ^ "The Grand Return: A bluffer's guide to the L1 Cup". www.league1ontario.com. League1 Ontario. Retrieved February 14, 2024.