Canada Soccer x CSME: New deal kicks off next chapter in Canadian soccer

Friday marked a monumental step forward for the Canadian sports landscape, as Canada Soccer and Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment (formerly Canadian Soccer Business) announced a renewed representation partnership, meaning the two organizations will continue to work in close alignment for years to come.

The new agreement, which spans a term from Jan. 1, 2026 to the end of 2037 — with scheduled "look-ins" every three years to assess the terms — is built on a revenue-sharing framework, as well as commitment to wide broadcast distribution for both of Canada's senior national teams.

Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue and CSME Group CEO James Johnson spoke to the media in a press conference in downtown Toronto on Friday, highlighting some details of how the partnership will influence the next decade-plus of Canadian soccer.

"What this agreement allows to happen is some additional certainty financially, especially in the out years, as the revenue grows," Blue said. "It gives me some personal comfort and it gives us some comfort that in the long term, as the sport continues to get more popular and as commercial values increase, that Canada Soccer will be able to participate in the upside."

Johnson added: "From our standpoint, this isn't just an extension of a contract, it's actually a transformation, both commercially and structurally, of our sport here in Canada, and we're really proud of that."

He went on to explain that, ultimately, this agreement is founded in a mutual desire to invest in the overall health of the sport in this country.

"There's been a lot of thought about how we connect the base of the pyramid to the peak, and that's healthy for the sport," he said. "What we like about this agreement, we like that it's incentive based. We like that it's performance based. And the way that we get the most out of this deal, both Canada Soccer and ourselves, is by working together. There's a revenue share which is healthy, because that's going to generate the right environment to bring the right revenue into the sport that ultimately gets re-invested into the players, into the national teams through Canada Soccer, but also to the CPL to the PSLC across the country and also into areas of the sport that need to grow, from refereeing to coaching."

Blue echoed Johnson's explanation, expressing his excitement at working alongside CSME with a shared interest in putting soccer into the spotlight in Canada, particularly as the country gears up to host a World Cup.

"The second important message that I really want to emphasize is one of alignment," he said. "This is alignment occurring between our organizations, and hopefully a unifying movement in the sport at the most important time for Canadian soccer to be aligned. We are really, really eager to be aligned with CSME and the players, and move forward together in a really positive and productive fashion for Canadian soccer."

More details on the new partnership agreement between Canada Soccer and CSME are available here.