8 April 2025

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Every Point Matters: Here’s how champions will be decided in 2025

It’s all to play for in League1 Ontario as promotion and relegation continues into the new season.

As the League1 Ontario season draws closer, we’ve already recapped the team allocations, rebrands, and expansions, and announced the schedules for each division.

But how will champions be crowned in 2025? Here’s a breakdown of the promotion, relegation, and title-winning rules for the upcoming campaign.

Women’s Premier

• 10 teams play 18 regular-season matches.

• The team at the top of the standings at the end of the season will be crowned champions, and represent League1 Ontario at the 2025 League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship.

• The team that finishes bottom will be automatically relegated to the Women’s Championship.

• The ninth-placed team will play to avoid relegation in a Pro/Rel Playoff with the runners up in the Women’s Championship.

Women’s Championship

• Nine teams to play 16 regular-season matches.

• The team at the top of the standings at the end of the season will be crowned champions, and earn automatic promotion to the Women’s Premier.

• The team that finishes second in the standings will take on the ninth-placed finisher in the Women’s Premier in a Pro/Rel Playoff, with the winner securing a Premier spot in 2026.

• There is no automatic relegation to the Women’s League2 Division.

Women’s League2

• 22 teams divided into two regional conferences.

• Each team to play 14 regular-season matches.

• The top two teams from each conference advance to playoffs, where the winner is crowned League2 Division champions and can accept promotion to the Women’s Championship.

• If the League2 Division champion is a second (‘B’) team and does not accept promotion, the two first (‘A’) teams with the most regular-season points in the division will meet in a playoff to become the 10th team in the Women’s Championship next year.

• There is no relegation from League2.

Men’s Premier

• 11 teams to play 20 regular-season matches.

• The team at the top of the standings at the end of the season will be crowned champions, and represent League1 Ontario in the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship.

• The team that finishes bottom will be automatically relegated to the Men’s Championship.

• The 10th-placed team will play to avoid relegation in a Pro/Rel Playoff with the third-placed team in the Men’s Championship.

Men’s Championship

• 12 teams to play 22 regular-season matches.

• The team at the top of the standings at the end of the season will be crowned champions, and earn promotion to the Men’s Premier.

• The team that finishes second in the standings will also earn automatic promotion to the Men’s Premier.

• There will be no automatic relegation to the Men’s League2 Division.

Men’s League2

• 25 teams divided into three regional conferences.

• Each team to play 14 regular-season matches.

• Winner of each conference plus the best second-placed team will advance to playoffs, where the winner is crowned the League2 Division champion and can accept promotion to the Men’s Championship.

• If the League2 Division champion is a second (‘B’) team and does not accept promotion, the two first (‘A’) teams with the most regular-season points in the division will meet in a playoff to become the 12th team in the Men’s Championship next year.

• There is no relegation from League2.

L1 Cup

• Both the Men’s and Women’s L1 Cup will consist of five knockout rounds.

• A draw was made to determine which Premier Division teams received byes to Round Two, and each team’s record in the 2024 season influenced their odds.

• All first teams will take part, and some League2 teams have been drawn against Premier Division opposition.

• Please click here to read more about the Round One draw.

Published On: 8 April 2025

League1 Ontario staff