Which age rules and permits apply to each OPL tier in 2026?

Question

Accepted Answer

Without a permit: to be on an official OPL match roster in 2026 you must have been born in 2008 or earlier. Players born in 2009 or 2010 need an Exceptional Player Permit or a Special Circumstances Permit. OPL1 and OPL2 (men's and women's): open age. There is no maximum age. OPL3 "A" teams: open age. OPL3 "B" teams are U23 teams: only players born 2003 or later can be registered, though "overage" players (born 2002 or earlier) can play down from the "A" team in the regular season only, up to a collective 1,860 minutes. U20 divisions: only players born 2006 to 2010 can be registered, though "B" teams may use overage players (born 2005 or earlier) playing down from the OPL3 "A" team, in the regular season only, up to a collective 1,260 minutes. League Cup: open age, but each team must dress at least eight U23 players (born 2003 or later) on its match-day roster. Minutes quotas (clubs, not individuals): in OPL1 and OPL2, "A" teams must give U23 players a collective minimum of 9,000 minutes (men) or 6,500 minutes (women) in the 2026 regular season, and men's U20 players (born 2006 or later) a minimum of 1,250 minutes. Exceptional Player Permit (2009 and 2010-born): priority goes to players who, between 2022 and 2026, were selected for a Canada Soccer youth or senior national team camp or another nation's camp, selected by a Canadian Premier League club for first-team training, joined an MLS or CPL academy (2021 to 2026), were in an Ontario Regional Excel Super Centre, National Development Centre Ontario or another REX/NDC programme, or were in an Ontario Soccer Provincial Xcel Team. A 2009-born player registered with the club's youth teams in each of the 2022 to 2025 outdoor seasons can also qualify. Special Circumstances Permit: a technical director or head coach applies. These players can only be registered to a "B" or "C" team, with an interim report and video required after 5 matches (failure means the permit is revoked).