In its six years of existence, the Canadian Premier League (CPL) hasn’t featured a Québec side, even though it’s the country’s second-largest province. This is about to change in an effort to gather at least one club per province in the league, as FC Supra du Québec have announced they’ll feature starting from the 2026 season.
There’s already a major club in Montréal, the capital of the province, but it competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), which is why Supra’s official announcement is exciting for the Canadian crowds.
Why Supra de Québec Are Unique
Given Québec’s cultural importance and vast territory, it might seem surprising at first to see that Supra du Québec will be the first team to feature in the CPL. However, most talents came through the Montréal CF academy, who would, in turn, either feature in MLS or leave for the Old Continent.
Supra present themselves as a new club modelled after Athletic Club’s “local” strategy, committing to only selecting players from the area. This isn’t only a new approach in the province, but also in the CPL itself. To date, no club have relied so heavily on their academy graduates to compete at the highest level.
A Pool Full of Quality
There are several academy graduates from the region who currently feature in the best leagues worldwide. Ismaël Koné, on loan to Sassuolo from Marseille, and OGC Nice defender Moïse Bombito are the only Québec-born players to feature in Europe’s top five leagues. Though of lesser quality, Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht), Samuel Piette (CF Montréal), and Maxime Crépeau (Portland Timbers) also stand out as notable names from Québec.
There’s no doubt that there’s plenty of talent, many of whom are graduates from the Montréal academy. However, no club have yet found the formula to assemble and shape these players into a single team.
An Experienced Board
This is Supra’s ambition. Three key investors are behind the team, combining expertise in food, entertainment, and real estate investment. This diverse mix of knowledge at the board level will be essential in helping the club flourish financially. Supra have already unveiled their new red and blue logo, loyal to Québec’s colours.
Supra du Québec’s Home
The home stadium has also been revealed: the famous Stade Boréale, which can accommodate 5,600 fans. A deal has already been struck, which would run at least for the next three years, though the club aim to play in other venues across Québec to provide a closer link between the team and the fanbase.
The name itself, “Supra”, pays homage to “Montréal Supra”, a team that competed in the Canadian Soccer League between 1988 and 1992. This was Québec’s first professional club to feature in a national league: it’s a sweet memory for many Québecois. In this spirit, Supra du Québec also revealed their slogan: “d’ici pour les gens d’ici”, best translated to English as “from here for the people from here”.
The Québec Version of “Athletic Club”
For many, this is an opportunity to recall several Québec talents back to their homeland, reconnecting them with their roots. The project also aims to create its own grassroots movement, which in turn would allow more Québecois to flourish on their beloved land.
Similar to the Basque Athletic Club, the ideal is to also create more than a soccer club: the project wants to promote the Québec identity, which differentiates itself from the broader Canadian image. With a different language and culture, there are plenty of reasons to believe that locals will be drawn to a club that represents their traditions.
Among potential signings, Ballou Tabla appears to be the most realistic high-profile target. While he currently plays for Atlético Ottawa in the CPL, there are reasons to believe the club could lure him into the project.
It’s a more delicate discussion when it comes to those who moved to Italy or France, where the higher salaries and better-quality soccer mean they might refuse the offer. The same challenge exists with those Québec-born players who feature in MLS, though a return home might inspire those who are already in the advanced stages of their soccer career.
An International Grassroots Movement
Supra’s mission extends beyond Québec: it could inspire other clubs in the entire North American hemisphere to prioritize local quality above the usual transfer market struggles. Many clubs have functioning academies, which consistently produce talented players, but rarely are they used in the club’s methodology at the top level.
In the context of Québec, this type of project is even more important, as the CPL has long considered expanding into the region. The league aims to reach 16 teams by 2032, with representation in every Canadian province. Such an expansion would also be to the benefit of local teams, given that they would have to travel less.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup
There’s only one other region without representative clubs in the CPL: Saskatchewan, which the league hopes to change. Supra’s 2026 arrival is perfectly timed with the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Mexico, the U.S., and, you guessed it, Canada. Such projects would allow Québec to showcase its talent to a wider audience, especially with the club’s unique identity and focus on academy graduates featuring for the first team.
Supra du Québec President Rocco Placentino didn’t hide his ambitions: “We will show all of Canada who Québec really is. Quebec is producing world-class talent, and with the arrival of a Canadian Premier League team in the province, we now have a platform that will allow local players to shine, inspire the next generations, and compete at the highest level in the country”.
He’s not alone in his ambitions, as coach Mauro Biello noted: “It’s great for young kids, it’s great for the province, the country”.
