Sixteen student athletes from 11 Canadian universities are one step closer to playing professional soccer on Thursday, after they were selected by the Canadian Premier League’s eight member clubs during the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, presented by Degree.
The annual draft was this year headlined by Jevontae Layne, a forward from Brampton, Ont. who was selected by Valour FC out of Toronto Metropolitan University with the first overall pick. It marked a significant moment in CPL-U SPORTS Draft history, as the 100th all-time pick since the inaugural draft in 2018.
All eight CPL clubs each selected two players during a live broadcast of the two-round draft on Thursday evening. This year’s proceedings were hosted by OneSoccer’s Adam Jenkins and aired for free to all viewers via the Canadian Premier League and OneSoccer’s YouTube channels, as well as via CBC Sports digital platforms, including CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca and CBC Sports’ YouTube channels.
Now selected, players may be invited to preseason training with their prospective club, where they can compete for a roster spot for the 2025 CPL season.
The complete 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft results are as follows.
