How do promotion, relegation and the route to the Canadian Championship work?

These are the 2026 season structures in the league's Operations Manual (Appendix B). Match results are 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw.

Men

• M-OPL1: 12 teams play 22 matches. The team that finishes top is M-OPL1 Champion for 2026 and the OPL representative in the 2027 TELUS Canadian Championship, run by Canada Soccer. 12th is automatically relegated to M-OPL2. 11th plays a playoff against 2nd in M-OPL2, and the winner plays in M-OPL1 in 2027.
• M-OPL2: the top team is M-OPL2 Champion, 12th is relegated to M-OPL3, and there is a promotion playoff match.
• M-OPL3: conference champions and a wild card play semi-finals and a final. The winner can accept promotion to M-OPL2 for 2027. If it declines, a promotion playoff is staged.

Women

• W-OPL1: 10 teams play 18 matches. The top team is W-OPL1 Champion and advances to a post-season competition organised by Premier Soccer Leagues Canada, which is a qualifier for the 2027 Women's Canadian Championship run by Canada Soccer. 10th is relegated to W-OPL2. 11th plays a playoff against 2nd in W-OPL2.
• W-OPL2 and W-OPL3: the same pattern applies, with 10th in W-OPL2 relegated to W-OPL3 and the W-OPL3 final winner able to accept promotion to W-OPL2.

Tied promotion playoff matches go to extra time (two 15-minute halves) and then kicks from the penalty spot.

Players named only on an OPL Supplemental Roster cannot play in post-season playoffs, including promotion/relegation playoffs, and "playing down" is not permitted in the M-OPL3, W-OPL3 or U20 post-season matches.