Joey Saputo announces that CF Montréal has initiated the process to put club up for sale "I want to sell the club"

https://img.onesoccer.ca/qpglJuvRBEg9p52Xn_liHHz4rbsVZz-LmPs_WaIytQ8/xs/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yYWdlLmdvb2dsZWFwaXMuY29tL2NhbnBsL2Fzc2V0cy81NmJjZWViMy0wNjI5LTRmN2EtODdhMC1jZjY0MmE2YmU1OTIucG5n.jpg

MLS

In a surprise announcement, longtime CF Montréal owner Joey Saputo revealed on Monday that the club had initiated the process of putting the Major League Soccer franchise up for sale. Here's the latest.

In a surprise announcement, longtime CF Montréal owner Joey Saputo revealed on Monday that the club had initiated the process of putting the Major League Soccer franchise up for sale.

BREAKING: Club owner Joey Saputo announces CF Montréal is now up for sale 🇨🇦 "After more than three decades of family ownership and leadership, the decision was made to undertake a structured sale process." #CFMTL | #IMFC https://t.co/yWzSIhMY6f
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 9, 2026

After his family helped found the club as the Montréal Impact in 1992, with Saputo operating as the club’s first president, that launched a journey that saw the club navigate through stints in the APSL (which later rebranded as the A-League, and then the USL), before eventually joining MLS in 2012.

Across their history, Saputo has remained a key piece in Montréal’s history, eventually becoming the club’s full-time owner in the 2000s. Throughout their time, they had all sorts of success, including an APSL title, two USL titles and five Canadian Championships, among others.

Now, though, the Saputo chapter looks set to come to an end, as Joey Saputo himself announced in a rare media appearance on Monday.

RÉACTION 🎙️ On a demandé aux journalistes locaux @GavinoDe_Falco et @QParisis leur avis sur l'annonce de la vente du CF Montréal 🗣️ #CFMTL | #MLS https://t.co/JR6HI06STc
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 9, 2026

Yet, while the news itself certainly came as a bit of a shock to many, even if the club’s recent on-pitch struggles have opened up the idea that something like this could be coming, what was more surprising was Saputo’s comments on the sale, more specifically.

When asked whether his priority was to keep the club in Montréal, Saputo noted that while that was his biggest wish as he looks for a new buyer, he made it clear that if the best offer for the club is one that opens the door for the club to relocate, he wouldn’t hesitate in taking it.

“Again, the sale is not to look for a partner. I don't need a partner. The sale is because I want to sell the club,” Saputo affirmed. “I would love for the club to stay here in Montréal, but if the club doesn't find a local buyer and I get an offer, and the club needs to be relocated, then I have no choice, and that's the decision I will take.”

“I will not discount the club to the point of just giving it away just for the sake of giving it away. I want to be perfectly clear. I love this club, I would love this club to stay here, but if an owner comes in that doesn't have the capacity to keep the club at the level that it needs to be at, and to spend the money that needs to be spent to bring in the players that this city wants to see, and at that point, I'm not doing anyone a favour by selling it to someone just to keep it here, if they won't have the capacity to bring the club to the next level.”

“It’s important to understand that I will stay with the club until there is a buyer. It’s not just about selling the club for the sake of selling the club; it's selling the club to ensure what we have built can be built upon and be better than what we did.”

Joey Saputo on selling CF Montréal and possible MLS relocation to a U.S. city 🎙️ "If #CFMTL doesn’t find a local buyer and I get an offer where the club needs to be relocated, then I have no choice – that is the decision I will take." https://t.co/kDPrM1LtFN
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 9, 2026

Of course, this is big news on multiple fronts, but especially when considering the process that one of the other three Canadian MLS clubs, the Vancouver Whitecaps, have gone through over the last two years.

With their club also up for sale, they’ve made it clear that their priority is to remain in Vancouver. As a result, they’ve fended off potential interest from ownership groups who have wanted to move the club away, continuing to work towards a goal of keeping the club in Vancouver, with a solution yet to materialize despite interest due to the club's finances.

Therefore, to see Saputo say that he doesn’t want to go through a similar process is noteworthy, as it opens the door for a potential relocation, as you have to imagine that some of the same people who were interested in the Whitecaps would make similar offers to Montréal.

To be fair, there are also some fundamental differences between the sales of both clubs, with Montréal owning their stadium, unlike the Whitecaps, although there are still questions about the viability of Montréal’s Stade Saputo as MLS begins a calendar switch that is set to make life quite difficult for teams in northern climates, especially for stadiums that aren’t fully winterized (as is the case with Stade Saputo).

Joey Saputo offers that MLS relocation is not his preference as he puts CF Montréal up for sale 🎙️ “Our clear preference is to find a buyer who shares our commitment to Montréal and who will ensure #CFMTL remains in the city.” https://t.co/xDL0eG1LMs
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 9, 2026

Because of that, there have been discussions about CF Montréal working with a renovated Stade Olympique to help bridge that gap, which would obviously change the nature of the club’s future given what that relationship would look like.

Whether that helps or hinders the club’s chances of remaining in Montréal as an MLS franchise is yet to be determined, but that’s all worth noting amid Saputo’s comments, as he begins to prepare for this eventual sale.

It might take a while for all of this to come together, but it gives an idea of what could be to come as this process continues, as well as what will be some key negotiation points around a potential sale, one that will be closely followed.

Given that it could be quite significant for the future of both professional men’s soccer in Canada, as well as MLS’s future in the country, it’ll be fascinating to see what the next steps end up being.

“I hope I answered some of the questions, and I'm trying to be as transparent as possible,” Saputo offered. “As much as I would love for this club to be here, if someone has the capacity to do it, and I feel that they have the capacity to do it, then I would love for this club to be here, and stay here, and continue to build on what we did.”

“But if there isn't, and there's an offer that comes in to relocate the club, and it's in line with Major League Soccer and what they want to do, then yeah, that's what it's going to be”