Introduction

The Canadian sports law sector continues to provide diverse opportunities for legal practitioners of varying expertise and specialties, be it by:

• assisting local, amateur or professional sports teams and regional or national sports associations;
• drafting rules and contracts, overseeing day-to-day legal matters and representing athletes and coaching staff at all levels;
• negotiating contracts related to anything from employment and sponsorship to image rights and broadcasting rights;
• assisting sporting venue and event organisation with risk management and all the legal intricacies related to event planning; or
• advocating or adjudicating disciplinary and commercial sports-related disputes of all kinds, be it before the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), the Court of Arbitration for Sport, civil or criminal courts or any professional league or club arbitration and grievance or disciplinary processes.

Developing Trends

The general trends in amateur sport outlined in last year’s guide continue to impact all sports law practitioners in Canada, as do the growth of professional team sports, the anticipated changes to the existing Canadian Safe Sport mechanisms and the related government-mandated Commission appointed to investigate systemic abuse and human rights violations in Canadian sport.

This year, three other notable trends are having a significant impact on sports law in Canada:

• the exponential growth of women’s professional sport;
• Sport Integrity Canada now administers the Canadian Safe Sport mechanism; and
• the evolution of legislation governing match-fixing and gambling.

The exponential growth of women’s professional sport in Canada

As in Europe and the US, women’s professional sport in Canada has moved from a niche space to a mainstream commercial and cultural force. This shift has created new opportunities and legal considerations for practitioners.

Canada’s professional women’s sports market has approximately doubled since 2023, reaching an estimated CAD380–CAD400 million in 2025, with growth projected to reach approximately CAD570 million by 2030. This expansion ushered a need for qualified legal experts to advise on all aspects of women’s professional sports. Indeed, there was an urgent need to develop league structures, and women’s players’ association were created to engage in collective bargaining with the new leagues. There was also a requirement for club structures to be aligned with developing league processes and rules, with marketing and investment considerations additionally being thrown in at the forefront. Adjudication panels were created; regulations of all kinds were drafted. And this is just the beginning!

In a short period, Canada has moved from having no domestic professional women’s teams to having a successful and interconnected network. The scale of this growth has made Canadian women’s sport increasingly attractive to sponsors and investors, particularly those seeking early entry and long-term influence.

The growth of professional women’s sport in Canada is of course driven by the continued development of women’s sports worldwide, with many Canadian teams competing in women’s professional leagues. This includes the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which after a successful inaugural 2025 season has seen rapid growth. It currently has eight teams, four of which are Canadian, and is exploring expansion into Quebec City. Women’s professional basketball has also expanded in Canada. In May 2026, the Toronto Tempo will become the first Canadian team to compete in the Women National Basketball Association (WNBA). This development has already generated Canada-based franchise acquisition and financing work for law firms, with Toronto firms advising on the team’s ownership and capital structure.

It is noteworthy that, at the time of the publication of this article, and after over a year of tumultuous negotiations, the WNBA and the players’ union have come to a verbal agreement on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement set to redefine the economic and governing rules of the WNBA. The terms of the anticipated CBA include an increased salary cap and an increased minimum salary. Players will also receive and share 20% of gross league and team revenue, and be allowed to be true unrestricted free agents early in their career without their incumbent team controlling their negotiating rights. Exciting times for the WNBA and the sports lawyers that advise them.

Canada is also leading its own charge by way of the creation of its own professional leagues, notably the Northern Super League (NSL), the premier professional women’s soccer league (football to non-North Americans), which currently has six teams. Northern Super League (NSL): Pro Women's Soccer in Canada self-proclaims that “we are the first and only professional women’s soccer league in Canada. The NSL isn’t bound by legacy – we’re here to create one. One that is rooted in access, equity, and excellence. One that invites every player, fan, and community to shape the future of the game.” The NSL seeks to build something the next generation can believe in. It is indeed off to a ceiling-smashing success with nation-wide support.

To wit, although the Canadian government generally does not fund private professional leagues, in November 2025 it announced plans to invest up to CAD5.45 million to support the NSL and its related infrastructure. The stated objectives included strengthening local economies, enhancing community engagement and positioning Canada as a leader in women’s professional sport.

From a commercial rights perspective, the NSL’s early media strategy reflects the growing sophistication of women’s professional leagues in Canada. The league announced multi-year media partnerships with Bell Media and CBC/Radio-Canada to support national access and long-term viability. It also entered into a multi-year agreement with ESPN to bring matches to US audiences, expanding both cross-border exposure and commercial reach.

Overall, the rapid growth of women’s professional team sports in Canada is increasingly visible across the professional services ecosystem, creating multiple and varied opportunities for legal professionals.

Sport Integrity Canada has officially replaced the Office of the Sporting Integrity Commissioner and SDRCC

On 1 April 2025, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) assumed responsibility for developing and implementing a new national-level safe sport programme in Canada. Considering this new mandate, the CCES reviewed its strategic plan and its organisational strategy and structure, and in the process decided to change its name to Sport Integrity Canada.

Through the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP), Sport Integrity Canada receives and responds to reports of prohibited behaviour under the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) committed by individuals who are part of national, federally funded sport organisations. The CSSP Rules clearly and publicly set out how Sport Integrity Canada operates and administers the programme, including defined timelines at each stage of the reporting process, confidentiality parameters, appeal pathways and mechanisms, and the posting of sanctions and violations imposed on participants on its Public Registry. The CSSP also offers support services to connect participants with help along the way.

The UCCMS is the core document setting out harmonised rules to be adopted by sport organisations that receive funding from the government of Canada, in order to advance a respectful sport culture that delivers quality, inclusive, accessible, welcoming and safe sport experiences.

The UCCMS includes:

• common principles and a commitment to advance a respectful sport culture;
• standard definitions of various forms of maltreatment, including grooming, neglect, and physical, sexual and psychological abuse;
• a list of other prohibited behaviour, such as retaliation, failure to report maltreatment, intentionally filing false allegations, misuse of power, etc; and
• a framework for determining appropriate sanctions against such prohibited behaviour.

All organisations that receive Sport Canada funding are subject to the UCCMS.

Sport Integrity Canada’s CSSP Rules provide that appeals of applicable and narrowly defined decisions issued under the CSSP are to be appealed to the SDRCC. Those appeals are governed by the Canadian Sport Dispute Resolution Code, the CSSP Rules and the UCCMS.

The evolution of legislation governing match-fixing and gambling

Historically, Canada’s Criminal Code broadly prohibited most forms of sports betting. Canadian bettors were restricted to “parlay” wagers, meaning they had to combine multiple outcomes into a single bet. This effectively barred single-event sports betting for decades.

A major turning point came with Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, which came into force in August 2021 and amended the Criminal Code to decriminalise single-event sports betting. With betting no longer being a criminal matter, legislative jurisdiction now belonged to the province rather than the federal government.

Ontario was the first province to step into the legislative vacancy, allowing sportsbooks to register with it to provide markets in Ontario in April 2023. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) adopted a self-regulatory regime for sportsbooks, which were required to have an independent monitor and to self-regulate and report based on the regulations of the AGCO. All provinces and territories can regulate and license wagers on individual games and contests (excluding horse racing, which is still federally regulated). Legal online betting has since grown in popularity across the country – for example, Ontario now embraces private operators regulated by provincial authorities, and Alberta is expected to legislate similarly in 2026.

The strict regulatory regime of the AGCO was to pull billions in previously illegal or offshore betting into a secure and transparent legal framework, in an effort to enhance consumer protections and generate new public tax revenue. However, the expansion of legal sports wagering has also brought increased concerns about match-fixing. Under the current law in Canada, there are no specific Criminal Code provisions criminalising match-fixing. This forces authorities to rely on general fraud statutes, highlighting a significant gap in the legal regime.

To address these risks, Canadian sports and integrity bodies have stepped up efforts, with groups like the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) working to strengthen monitoring, education and reporting mechanisms. In 2025, joint programmes between the IBIA and the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada trained athletes on betting integrity, with the primary focus being on identifying and reporting suspicious approaches and activity that could undermine sport fairness.

Despite these initiatives, many advocates are pushing for more comprehensive legislative action, including the regulation of advertising and the potential ratification of international instruments that provide global legal frameworks for the criminalisation of match-fixing and the co-ordination of enforcement.

In sum, by 2025 Canada and its provinces had transitioned away from restrictive gambling laws towards a regulated sports betting market. However, the country continues to grapple with how best to legally deter and punish match-fixing in a landscape shaped by technology, global betting flows and commercial growth.

Other Trends and Developments

Team eligibility challenges prior to the Milano Cortina Games, and other unforeseen legal changes

2026 is an Olympic year. This usually leads to some last-minute eligibility and team selection challenges being raisedwith the SDRCC by athletes. These of course will be adjudicated, often on an expedited basis by the Ordinary Tribunal of the SDRCC.

The process for such appeals and challenges is governed first by the regulations of the relevant National Sports Organisation (NSO). However, given that the challenges are usually quite urgent, the parties – here the athlete and the NSO – will typically agree to bypass their internal procedures and grant the SDRCC jurisdiction to hear and resolve the dispute. Interested parties, who may lose their spots on the relevant team as a result of the matter, are also invited to participate in these adjudications, which are governed by the Canadian Sport Dispute Resolution Code.

Various other unforeseeable legal challenges involving Canada and/or Canadian athletes may arise at or from the Cortina Games, regarding the eligibility of other “neutral” nations, doping matters, safe sport matters, etc. Whatever the legal challenges arising from Milano Cortina 2026 may be, counsel and arbitrators qualified in sports law will surely be on hand to assist.

Changes to U Sports transfer rules

The Canadian university sports landscape is changing. Beginning in the 2026–27 season, U Sports (the governing body for Canadian University sport) will alter its transfer rules, allowing first- and second-year student-athletes to transfer to other schools without penalty.

The decision focuses on improved player empowerment, providing young athletes with the opportunity to make decisions to benefit their future. The head of U Sports said the new rule ensures student-athletes have more flexibility earlier in their academic journeys. U Sports’ director of compliance and eligibility, Tara Hahto, stated: “A meaningful amount of transfer activity takes place during the first two academic years of a student-athlete’s journey, often when they are working to find the right fit academically, athletically and personally ... This policy change responds directly to that reality.”

Under the current rules, non-graduating student-athletes who transfer must sit out for exactly one year from their last date of competition. Exceptions were made for those who competed in cross-country, swimming or track and field, which have existing exemptions in place.

The transfer decision was met with differing opinions from some head coaches of university varsity programmes and athletes alike. For some, it is a logical and smart step forward to support student-athletes; for others, the danger is that a lack of continuity and roster stability could tank a team’s aspirations. From a legal perspective, it will generate some fine tuning of student-athlete contracts and transfer clauses, and the adjudication of likely legal challenges from universities or athletes. The consensus, however, is that it is up to the athletic programme to keep its student-athletes happy by living up to expectations, by devising sound regulations and contracts, and by respecting them (while expecting that athletes will respect “their” end of the bargain).

As schools prepare for the changes to come, it is hard to predict exactly how teams will adjust and what the regulatory and legal impact will be for students, schools and U Sports along the road. For the moment, athletes are the clear winners.