Canada Soccer agrees and expands 12-year CSME extension in bid to open revenue ‘floodgates’

February 13 – Canada Soccer has extended commercial partnership with Canadian Soccer Media and Entertainment (the renamed Canadian Soccer Business), for a further 12 years.

Under the new mandate CSME has expanded its commercial role to include Canada Soccer merchandising and licensing rights, on top of the media and sponsorship rights it already sells.

James Johnson, Group CEO, CSME, said that the new deal is an “important moment for soccer in Canada, structurally and commercially”. A further expansion to include responsibility for all match day revenue marketing and sales was looked at but the timing wasn’t felt to be right to include those rights. It is an area that could be revisited.

“We now have a complete commercial package that can transform the sport and open the floodgates for more commercial revenue,” said Johnson. “We can unleash the potential for the sport in Canada.”

A significant change to the new deal is that it has moved from a flat rate agreement to a performance-based revenue share one, that is aimed at incentivising both partners. The agreement is backstopped by guaranteed minimum payments.

The foundation and fundamental mission for CSME is to drive increased revenue for Canada Soccer and additional investment into its national team structures, and then the wider Canadian soccer eco-system.

To do that the vision has been to bring the rights under the control of a single commercial entity in CSME. “We think that by centralising the value of the sport we can generate most revenue,” said Johnson.

The biggest example of that philosophy in action is with CSME’s OneSoccer platform, which has seen the streaming channel acquire international leagues including the Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie, CONCACAF competitions, and the NWSL. Leagues that have Canadian players are of particular interest.

“We know Canadians are watching soccer,” said Johnson. “By bringing it all under one platform we can put national teams and the Canadian Premier League (CPL) at the centre of that strategy.”

CSME is currently closing a rate and distribution negotiation with Rogers Communications and its cable television business that will see OneSoccer secure carriage and enable it to become a more widely accessible channel nationally.

The new CS/CSME deal runs from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2037, with three years reviews. There is a mutual option for a five-year extension at the end of the term.

Kevin Blue, CEO and General Secretary, Canada Soccer, said: “At its core, this partnership is about performance, innovation and belief in what Canadian soccer can become. As CSME’s mandate broadens, we now have a more integrated platform to drive sustainable growth across the entire business of soccer in Canada. By working together with ambition and discipline, we can strengthen the foundations of the game and unlock long-term value for the sport across the country.”

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