The Montreal Roses and AFC Toronto meet in the nsl final on Saturday, November 14, at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET, with the Diana B. Matheson Cup on the line between the league’s last two Supporters’ Shield winners.
It is the second Northern Super League final, and it pairs the 2026 Shield winners against the club that lifted the Shield in 2025 and lost the final. Montreal is chasing a first league double. Toronto is chasing the cup that got away.
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The stage is set. Two teams, 90 minutes, and the Diana B. Matheson cup on the line.
That was the Northern Super League’s own post on November 8, the night both semifinals closed. Here is how the montreal roses afc toronto final came together, and what decides it.
How The Semifinals Set The Final
Montreal handled the defending champions. The Roses won the first leg 3-0 away to the Vancouver Rise at Swangard Stadium on November 1, then drew 2-2 at home on November 8 to close the series 5-2 on aggregate, as TSN reported. Vancouver, the club that lifted the cup last season, is out, and the Shield winners move on.
Toronto’s route was louder. AFC Toronto beat the Ottawa Rapid 4-2 in the first leg at York Lions Stadium on October 31, then won the return leg 4-0 at TD Place on November 7, an 8-2 aggregate that stands as the most one-sided series of the playoffs. Toronto returns to the final for the second straight year, and the final sits in the same Ottawa stadium where it finished the job against the Rapid.
The Double Against Redemption
Montreal finished the regular season on top with 45 points, on a 12-9-4 record, and won the Supporters’ Shield. No team in the league’s short history has won the Shield and the championship in the same season: last year Toronto took the Shield and Vancouver took the cup. The Roses can complete the first double in league history on Saturday, a full account of their run is in the Northern Tribune final preview.
Toronto’s motivation runs the other way. AFC Toronto lost the 2025 final 2-1 to Vancouver on home turf, and coach of the year Marko Milanovic brings back a side that has already beaten one Ottawa team in this stadium this month. There is history between these two as well: last season, Toronto eliminated Montreal in the semifinals on a 6-1 aggregate. The Roses have waited a year to answer that.
Bennett And Hunter Lead The Scoring Lines
The individual matchup sits up front. Montreal’s Elyse Bennett has scored 12 goals this season, the Roses’ leading edge across the Shield run and the semifinal. Toronto leans on Kaylee Hunter, who scored 11 goals in the regular season and added four more in the postseason, including a four-goal haul across the playoff run that carried Toronto through Ottawa. Whichever defence manages the other’s finisher shapes the final.
How To Watch The Northern Super League Final
The northern super league final kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 14 at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, the neutral site announced before the season’s playoff field was set. The match airs on TSN, CBC and RDS, with a stream on the league’s YouTube channel, and tickets are available through the league site. One game, one cup, and either a first double or a redemption story by Saturday evening.
