Vancouver Rise FC and AFC Toronto will kick off the Northern Super League with a bang 鈥� with opening games at B.C. Place Stadium and BMO Field, respectively.

Vancouver will host Calgary Wild FC on April 16 in the first fixture of the new women鈥檚 pro league, with Toronto entertaining Montreal Roses FC three days later in the second.

Both games are one-offs. Vancouver will stage its remaining home games at Swangard Stadium in suburban Burnaby, while Toronto will play the rest of its home schedule at York Lions Stadium, which is also home to the Canadian Premier League鈥檚 York United FC.

But the two stadium openers should make for impressive curtain-raisers, showcasing the new league in the two Canadian stadiums that will stage games during the 2026 World Cup.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e only got one chance to introduce yourself to Canada, so we wanted to make a splash from Day 1,鈥� said NSL co-founder and chief growth office Diana Matheson.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 pretty apt to be starting off in Vancouver. There鈥檚 been so many incredible women鈥檚 soccer moments at B.C. Place already,鈥� added Matheson, who won 206 caps for Canada during her playing career. 鈥淎nd Vancouver was the first (NSL) team aboard.鈥�

The rest of the schedule is to follow.

The six NSL teams 鈥� Halifax Tide FC and Ottawa Rapid FC are the other founding franchises 鈥� will each play a 25-game regular-season schedule from April to November, followed by playoffs and the championship game.

Each team will face the other clubs five times with the top four sides making the post-season.

It will all start at B.C. Place 鈥� 鈥渁n incredibly exciting moment for our team and the league,鈥� said Vancouver Rise president Sinead King.

鈥淜icking off the NSL in Vancouver feels especially meaningful, given the city鈥檚 passion for soccer and the key role our ownership played in bringing the league to life,鈥� she added in a statement.

The game at BMO Field is a partnership with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns Major League Soccer鈥檚 Toronto FC and operates the city-owned BMO Field.

鈥淢LSE and AFC Toronto aim to inspire and better our community through sport and we are proud to bring this dream to life at our inaugural game,鈥� AFC Toronto co-founder and CEO Helen Ruken said in a statement. 鈥淭ogether, we are enhancing the landscape of women鈥檚 sports and encourage supporters to seize the opportunity to witness the beginning at BMO Field this April.鈥�

Added MLS COO Nick Eaves: 鈥淲e will continually look for ways to support the exciting growth of women鈥檚 professional sports to create opportunity for today鈥檚 athletes, and just as importantly, to inspire future generations of girls who dream of playing their respective sports at the professional level.鈥�

Ruken declined to provide details of the partnership with MLSE.