The Canadian Soccer Association (French: Association canadienne de soccer; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Canadian Premier League, youth organizations, beach soccer, futsal, Paralympic and deaf national teams. The Canadian Soccer Association also administers and operates the Canadian Championship.

Quick Facts CONCACAF, Short name ...

Canadian Soccer Association

CONCACAF
Short name	CSA
Founded	May 1912; 111 years ago (1912-05)
Headquarters	237 Metcalfe Street Ottawa, Ontario
FIFA affiliation	1912–1926; 1948–present
CONCACAF affiliation	September 18, 1961 (original member)[1]
President	Charmaine Crooks
General Secretary	Kevin Blue
Website	www.canadasoccer.com

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The Dominion of Canada Football Association, today known as the Canadian Soccer Association, was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in July 1912.^[2][3] The organization joined FIFA on December 31, 1912. On June 21, 1926, the DCFA resigned from FIFA, only to rejoin on June 20, 1948. The governing body of the game retained that name until it was changed to The Football Association of Canada on June 6, 1952. The association later changed its name to the Canadian Soccer Football Association in 1958 and then at last to the Canadian Soccer Association in 1971.

Canada Soccer has hosted several global soccer tournaments, including the 1976 Olympic football tournament, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, and will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup along with Mexico and United States. The association has also hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup (2007), the FIFA U-16 World Championship (1987), and the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup (2002, 2014).

Canada Soccer is a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors consisting of 14 directors: a President, Vice President, six elected directors, and six appointed or independent directors.^[4][5] Each of the six elected directors is elected from one of six geographic regions. The board must include at least three men and three women. The president of the board is Charmaine Crooks, a five-time Olympian and Olympic Silver Medallist in track & field, and the vice president is Kelly Brown.

Canada Soccer is administered by the General Secretariat, which is led by general secretary Peter Montopoli and deputy general secretary Earl Cochrane.^[6] The general secretary is the chief executive of Soccer Canada, and is appointed by the board of directors.^[4]

Canada Soccer is a member of the worldwide soccer body FIFA and the North American soccer body CONCACAF and also has a relationship with the International Olympic Committee.

Canada Soccer's objectives, as described in its by-laws, are to:^[4]

1. promote, regulate and control the game of soccer throughout Canada, particularly through youth and development programs;
2. organize competitions in Association Football in all its forms at a national level, by defining the areas of authority conceded to the various leagues of which it is composed;
3. draw up Association Football regulations and provisions, and ensure their enforcement;
4. protect the interests of its Members;
5. respect and prevent any infringement of the statutes, regulations, directives and decisions of FIFA, CONCACAF and The CSA, as well as the Laws of the Game;
6. prevent all methods or practices that jeopardize the integrity of matches or competitions or give rise to abuse of Association Football;
7. control and supervise all friendly Association Football matches played throughout Canada;
8. manage international sporting relations connected with Association Football;
9. host competitions at international and other levels.

Despite a long history of professional soccer in the country, Canada have struggled to build and sustain domestic soccer leagues. They have gone through many different iterations, finally landing on the Canadian Premier League that was founded in 2019.

In July 2022, an independent review summarized in a 125-page report by McLaren Global Sport Solution, commissioned by Canada Soccer, concluded that Canada Soccer mishandled sexual harassment allegations in 2008 against then Canada U-20 women's soccer coach Bob Birarda, who was later found guilty of three counts of sexual assault. It said Canada Soccer was "described by many as being dysfunctional and inefficient" in 2007 and 2008, and concluded among other things that "harassment was not a priority issue amongst the senior Canadian Soccer Association leadership team" at the time.^[16]

In 2022, Canada Soccer's then newly appointed Secretary General Earl Cochrane said: "We are going to be leaders in this safe sport – through policy, practice, programs."^[17]

• Canada men's national soccer team
• Canada women's national soccer team
• Canadian soccer league system
• Soccer in Canada
• Challenge Trophy
• Jubilee Trophy