Expansion always sounds like momentum, and in one sense it is. A league that appears ready to grow beyond eight clubs is clearly thinking bigger. The report says commissioner James Johnson wants the next market finalised soon, with longer-term ambition stretching even further.
But adding teams is only the visible part of the job.
The CPL has already learned that geography alone is not enough. Any return to former markets would need stronger foundations than before.
If the league is serious about capitalising on a post-World Cup moment, regular habit matters more than one-off excitement. The report says attendance remains uneven, even with promotional offers in place, and that is the challenge facing every emerging competition: converting curiosity into routine.
Broadcast distribution may be just as important. Greater availability can make the league feel less niche and more present in the weekly football conversation. For a domestic league, visibility is credibility.
This is where the CPL has its strongest case. The report says more than 200 players are now working professionally in Canada, compared with none before the league’s launch in 2019. That matters. So does the emergence of prospects such as Emrick Fotsing and Sergei Kozlovskiy, and the wider sense that young Canadians can now see a route into the professional game at home.
If expansion arrives on schedule, the next question will be simple: can the CPL make 2027 and 2028 feel like milestones rather than just markers? The next season, and the next transfer cycle for young domestic talent, should offer the first real clues.