Could Southwestern Ontario support another major professional sports franchise? A closer look at London, Kitchener–Waterloo and the opportunities beyond Toronto.
When Canadians think of major professional sports in Ontario, three cities usually dominate the conversation: Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton.
Toronto has the Maple Leafs, Blue Jays, Raptors, Argonauts and Toronto FC. Ottawa has the Senators and Redblacks. Hamilton has the Tiger-Cats and a newly returned American Hockey League franchise.
But what about the rest of Ontario?
Southwestern Ontario contains growing cities, established sporting traditions, manufacturing industries, universities and hundreds of thousands of potential fans. Yet much of the region remains outside the country’s highest-profile professional sports markets.
If Ontario were to build one new stadium or arena with the intention of attracting a major professional franchise, where should it go?
Our choice would be London, Ontario, with a new Canadian Football League franchise.
However, Kitchener–Waterloo presents an interesting alternative for professional hockey, while baseball deserves consideration at a more modest level.
The question isn’t simply which city has the largest population. It is which community could support a team financially, attract regional fans and turn a major sports facility into a lasting economic and cultural asset.
1. London: An Overlooked Professional Sports Market
London occupies an important position in Southwestern Ontario.
Located along the Highway 401 and 402 corridors, the city connects communities from Windsor and Chatham-Kent to Sarnia, Woodstock, St. Thomas and beyond.
According to Ontario’s 2026 population and economic fact sheet, the London census metropolitan area had an estimated 633,002 residents in 2025.
That is a sizeable market in its own right.
But London’s potential advantage is its geography. A professional team could market itself not merely as a London franchise but as a team representing Southwestern Ontario.
Imagine residents from Sarnia, Chatham, Strathroy, St. Thomas, Woodstock and nearby rural communities travelling to London for a Saturday football game.
Rather than requiring an expensive trip to Toronto, supporters could enjoy a major professional sporting event within their own region.
There is also an established football tradition.
Western University’s Mustangs have built a strong university football identity, and Western Alumni Stadium already accommodates approximately 8,000 permanent seated spectators, with additional standing capacity.
London also has the successful London Knights junior hockey franchise and a downtown arena, Canada Life Place, which accommodates approximately 10,000 people.
The city has demonstrated an appetite for live sports. The challenge is determining whether that enthusiasm could translate into the recurring ticket sales, sponsorships and broadcasting opportunities required to sustain a major professional franchise.
2. Why the CFL Makes More Sense Than the NHL
The Canadian Football League may provide a more achievable opportunity than the National Hockey League.
A CFL team would require a suitable stadium and committed ownership, but would not face the same scale of franchise and arena investment associated with entering the NHL.
For context, the CFL averaged approximately 22,578 spectators per regular-season game in 2026, according to a compilation of team-reported attendance by 3DownNation.
That suggests a well-designed 25,000-seat stadium could be a reasonable starting concept for a prospective London franchise, although the city’s actual ticket demand would need independent verification.
What would a London stadium look like?
Our proposed facility would include:
- Approximately 25,000 permanent seats, expandable to 30,000 or more for special events.
- A regulation Canadian football field capable of accommodating professional soccer.
- Covered seating sections to improve comfort during poor weather.
- Hospitality suites and corporate sponsorship opportunities.
- Facilities for concerts, university championships, community sports and major outdoor events.
- Accessible public transit, sufficient parking and convenient highway connections.
Southern London, with access to Highway 401 and connections toward Highway 402, would be worth examining.
However, an existing developed or underused site should be considered before converting productive farmland. Highway access alone would not justify a location that creates excessive traffic, weak transit connections or unnecessary urban sprawl.
The objective should be more than constructing a football stadium. It should be developing a venue that benefits the surrounding community throughout the year.
Could Southwestern Ontario rally behind one team?
There is a Canadian precedent for regional sporting identity.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders represent far more than the city of Regina. Their supporters are found throughout Saskatchewan, demonstrating how a professional football franchise can become part of a province’s broader identity.
London could attempt something similar on a regional scale.
A Southwestern Ontario CFL team would need to establish loyalties of its own while acknowledging that many fans already support the Hamilton Tiger-Cats or Toronto Argonauts.
The market would not be uncontested.
Nevertheless, a successful franchise could provide Southwestern Ontario with a new sporting identity and create an attractive destination for fans who seldom attend professional games in larger cities.
3. Kitchener–Waterloo: Ontario’s Interesting Hockey Alternative
If the goal were an NHL arena rather than a football stadium, our preferred market would shift to Kitchener–Waterloo.
The Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo census metropolitan area reached an estimated 701,568 residents in 2025, making it larger than the London metropolitan area.
The region combines established manufacturing, technology businesses, educational institutions and a longstanding hockey tradition.
The Kitchener Rangers are an important part of that identity.
The Rangers play at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, commonly known as The Aud, which has a hockey capacity of approximately 7,636 spectators, including suites and standing room.
A new NHL-calibre arena would be a substantially different undertaking.
A possible 18,000-seat arena
A hypothetical Kitchener–Waterloo NHL project might feature:
- 17,000 to 19,000 seats.
- Modern suites, restaurants and entertainment facilities.
- Strong links to public transit and regional highways.
- Space for concerts, trade shows and other major events.
- Opportunities for surrounding hotels, restaurants and commercial development.
But there is a major obstacle: proximity to Toronto.
The Maple Leafs already command an enormous following across Southern Ontario. Any new franchise would have to convince the NHL that it could establish a financially independent market without creating unacceptable commercial or territorial conflicts.
Furthermore, the league expanded its regular season to 84 games in 2026–27, including 42 home games per team.
Selling enough tickets, premium seating and corporate sponsorships for 42 home games is a very different proposition from supporting a CFL football schedule.
There is also the question of how an NHL team would affect the existing Rangers and the region’s junior hockey traditions.
Kitchener–Waterloo may possess the population and corporate potential to justify further investigation, but that is not the same as having a viable NHL expansion proposal.
4. Why Not Hamilton?
Hamilton deserves consideration because it already possesses significant professional sports infrastructure.
The city’s renovated TD Coliseum provides an approximately 18,000-seat venue for major indoor events.
In October 2026, the Hamilton Hammers began their inaugural American Hockey League season as the New York Islanders’ development affiliate.
The return of AHL hockey reinforces Hamilton’s importance as a professional sports city.
However, it also changes the investment question.
Rather than constructing another large hockey facility, Hamilton already has a modernized venue and an established pathway for professional hockey.
Any future NHL bid would still face complex financial, ownership and league-approval issues.
For that reason, building an entirely new arena in Kitchener–Waterloo could offer a different regional opportunity, although the business case would remain challenging.
5. Could Ontario Support Another Major League Baseball Team?
Baseball presents perhaps the most difficult proposition.
The Toronto Blue Jays already represent a major national baseball brand. Establishing another MLB franchise in Ontario would require an enormous investment in ownership, stadium development and continuing operations.
A Major League Baseball club generally needs to fill its stadium for 81 regular-season home games.
That is a substantial demand on a regional market.
London does, however, have an important baseball heritage.
The London Majors play at historic Labatt Memorial Park, whose organized baseball history dates to 1877.
The park remains an important part of Canada’s sporting history and should be protected.
A smaller-scale professional or developmental baseball opportunity could be worth examining, provided it complemented rather than displaced existing local baseball organizations.
But if choosing between MLB baseball, NHL hockey and CFL football, we believe a London CFL franchise offers the most practical starting point.
6. Comparing Ontario’s Potential Markets
| Proposed market | Sport | Main strength | Greatest obstacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | CFL football | Central Southwestern Ontario location and regional fan potential | Stadium funding, ownership and league approval |
| Kitchener–Waterloo | NHL hockey | Large population and established hockey culture | Enormous franchise costs and proximity to Toronto |
| Hamilton | NHL hockey | Existing large arena and professional sports infrastructure | Commercial competition and securing an NHL franchise |
| London or Windsor | MLB baseball | Regional population and existing baseball traditions | Stadium expense and sustaining 81 home games |
These are editorial assessments, not approved expansion projects or financial feasibility studies.
7. The Economic Opportunity — and the Financial Risk
A professional sports facility could create economic activity beyond the games themselves.
Potential benefits include construction employment, hospitality spending, restaurant traffic, tourism, event hosting and increased visibility for regional businesses.
A well-located stadium could also offer new opportunities for local contractors, suppliers, skilled tradespeople and service businesses.
But the economic case must be approached carefully.
A stadium is not automatically a profitable public investment.
Large facilities have construction costs, ongoing maintenance expenses, utilities, staffing requirements and long-term capital replacement obligations.
Claims about new jobs and visitor spending should also distinguish genuinely new economic activity from money that local residents would otherwise have spent elsewhere in the community.
Before any government funding is committed, a serious proposal should establish:
- Private ownership and financial backing: A credible investor group prepared to carry meaningful risk.
- Verified fan demand: Independent analysis of season-ticket potential, sponsorships and regional attendance.
- A sustainable facility model: Realistic construction, operating and maintenance budgets.
- Community benefits: Year-round use, accessible facilities, local business opportunities and reasonable transportation connections.
- Taxpayer protection: Transparent agreements that prevent the public from carrying an unreasonable share of financial losses.
Public investment should not be justified simply by the prestige of having a professional team.
The project must demonstrate value to the community even when the team is not playing.
8. The Biggest Obstacle May Be the League Itself
There is an important distinction between identifying a promising market and having a league prepared to award it a franchise.
As of autumn 2026, Quebec City is a leading contender for a potential tenth CFL team.
In September, the CFL acknowledged serious expansion discussions involving Quebec City, while emphasizing that no final expansion announcement had been made.
That means London would be competing for attention in a league already evaluating other opportunities.
Any realistic London proposal would require a credible ownership group, financing, municipal cooperation and a suitable stadium before expecting serious consideration.
The idea has potential, but an opportunity should not be mistaken for an approved project.
9. Our Choice: Make London the Sporting Home of Southwestern Ontario
If we were deciding where Ontario should pursue its next major professional sports project, our first choice would be London.
Not because London is guaranteed to attract a team.
Not because a stadium would automatically pay for itself.
And certainly not because taxpayers should fund an expensive facility without strong financial protections.
We would choose London because its combination of regional location, population, university football heritage and access to surrounding communities makes it a sensible place to investigate a CFL franchise.
A 25,000-seat stadium could be designed around a broader Southwestern Ontario identity, with events that attract visitors from Sarnia, Chatham-Kent, Windsor, St. Thomas, Woodstock and nearby rural communities.
Kitchener–Waterloo would remain our preferred alternative for an NHL-calibre arena, assuming a credible ownership and expansion opportunity eventually emerged.
The larger point is that Ontario’s sporting potential does not end at the Greater Toronto Area.
Communities across Southwestern Ontario have their own histories, economies and loyalties.
A successful professional franchise could bring those communities together around something distinctly regional.
Perhaps the next major Canadian sports success story does not need to be built in Toronto. Perhaps it could be built in London.
What Do You Think?
Would you support a CFL team in London, an NHL team in Kitchener–Waterloo, or a professional baseball franchise somewhere else in Ontario?
And would you be willing to travel from your community to support a team representing Southwestern Ontario?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Sources and Further Reading
The following sources support the population, facility and league information discussed in this article:
- Ontario Government — Population, Labour Market, Economy and Trade Fact Sheet
- Statistics Canada — Population Estimates for Subprovincial Areas, 2025
- Western Mustangs — Western Alumni Stadium Facilities
- City of Kitchener — Community Arenas and Memorial Auditorium
- NHL — Official 2026–27 Regular-Season Schedule
- American Hockey League — Return of Professional Hockey to Hamilton
- London Majors — History of Labatt Memorial Park
- 3DownNation — 2026 CFL Attendance Analysis
- Sportsnet — CFL Expansion Discussions Involving Quebec City
Editorial disclosure: This article presents an independent opinion and hypothetical sports-development scenarios. No London CFL franchise or Kitchener–Waterloo NHL project is presented as an approved development. Population, stadium and league information has been checked against the sources listed above.
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