CF Montreal are for sale: What it means, how much it could cost, and what’s next for the MLS club

In a rare press conference, CF Montreal owner Joey Saputo announced that his family was beginning the process of “initiating a structured sale process” of the MLS club. Saputo informed the public of his intentions on Monday afternoon, pausing multiple times to fight back tears after over three decades of owning the Quebecois club.“This decision is neither driven by urgency, nor dictated by circumstance,” Saputo said in his initial scripted remarks. “It’s the result of a careful and deliberate reflection on where we stand today, and more importantly, on the opportunities that lie ahead for the club.”Throughout his statement, Saputo stressed his desire to keep the club in Montreal, saying he hoped to find someone who “shares commitment to Montreal and who will ensure that the club remains in the city for many years to come.”Yet, more than half an hour into the event after the floor was open for in-person questions, Saputo refused to rule out selling to a buyer who might move the club.“I will not discount the club to the point of just giving it away just for the sake of giving it away,” Saputo said. “I want to be perfectly clear. I love this club. I will 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 in order to bring in the players that this city wants to see, then at that point I’m not doing anyone a favor by selling it to someone just to keep it here.“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 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, then yeah, that’s where it’s going to be.”Stade Saputo was opened in 2008 and expanded in 2012 when the club entered MLS. Photograph: Minas Panagiotakis/MLS/Getty ImagesHow much might CF Montreal sell for?Saputo declined to provide estimates for his selling point, nor for his and MLS’s timeline to find a suitable buyer. Saputo said the sales process will be conducted in coordination with MLS as well as the club’s retained investment bankers.But based on recent history, Saputo stands to receive many times more than the $40m expansion fee he paid to join the league in 2012.In January, the Illig family sold 71% of ownership of Sporting Kansas City to Peter Malouk at a $700m valuation. In May, the Haslem family sold a 37% stake in the Columbus Crew at a valuation of $900m. Both teams own their own home stadium; Forbes rated SKC as the league’s 16th most valuable franchise in 2025, while Columbus ranked 18th at the time of their partial sale.As of June 2025, Forbes ranked CF Montréal as the second least-valuable club in MLS at an estimation of $435m, only ahead of Stan Kroenke’s Colorado Rapids. The club does own its own stadium, Stade Saputo – modestly sized at just over 19,000 capacity but on its day one of the better atmospheres in the league.However, MLS’s decision to flip its season calendar means that Montreal could be in line to play more matches in the winter – a tough proposition in Stade Saputo’s outdoor environs. The Montreal Olympic Stadium, located next door, is due for a modernization and will reopen in 2028 but the club would be tenants there, should they move on a more permanent basis.Montreal enjoyed some of its most high-profile moments with Didier Drogba leading the line Photograph: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesWhy sell now?Saputo initially launched the club in late 1992, then as the Montreal Impact, serving as the club’s day-to-day steward for most of his ownership tenure. He guided the club through two decades in five different leagues before becoming an MLS expansion franchise, debuting in 2012. Two years later, Saputo led a consortium that bought a controlling interest in Italian Serie A side Bologna, where he remains president.Saputo acknowledged an earlier aspiration, stated in early 2023, to position Montreal for long-term success on and off the field. That declaration came after the club had lost Wilfried Nancy to the Columbus Crew after two seasons of greatly outperforming expectations under the French manager. Nancy went on to win MLS Cup that season and reached the Concacaf Champions League final in 2024 with the Crew.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionMeanwhile, Montreal have been at the very bottom of MLS since Nancy’s departure. Only three other teams have accrued as few points (139) over the past four seasons: DC United (139), Sporting KC (136), and Toronto FC (130). Montréal has won just one playoff game since 2016, with their best stretches directly coinciding with the brief tenures of striker Didier Drogba (from 2015 to 2016) and Nancy on the touchline (from 2021 to 2022).Montreal have routinely been among MLS’s most thrifty operations this decade in terms of roster spending, both on salaries and transfer fees. Saputo acknowledged the need for the next owner to “start spending in line with some of the other teams,” a tacit admission of missing that mark.“We’re going to continue to run the club,” Saputo said regarding the interim. “It will be challenging for us, but we are going to stay here until we find the buyer for the club.”Montreal finished last in MLS in 2026, facing protests and walkouts from supporters’ groups. Photograph: Tim Austen/MLS/Getty ImagesCould the club actually move from Montreal?According to Saputo, yes. In opening that door, the club becomes the second of MLS’s three Canadian teams to be relocation candidates – the other being the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have been in the midst of their own sale and facilities quagmire.These days, when an American sports league is looking to move a team, Las Vegas is an obvious first suitor. The city is no longer just for gambling and debauchery, with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights joining as an expansion side in 2017. The NFL’s Raiders became the first team to relocate to Nevada in 2020, leaving Oakland. The WNBA relocated the San Antonio Stars, now the Las Vegas Aces, in 2022.Golden Knights owner Bill Foley initially looked into buying an MLS franchise to play in the city, only to ultimately buy AFC Bournemouth for £100m (roughly $121m at the time).“MLS, unfortunately, requires a stadium to be built and, in the United States, that is costing $600-700m,” Foley said in 2022. “The franchise fee itself, I think, is $300m so you are into it for a billion dollars before you have a team. I thought Bournemouth was a bargain.”Sacramento is another popular suggestion for relocation. The California capital was awarded an MLS expansion slot in 2019, but primary owner Ron Burkle put those plans on “indefinite hiatus” two years later citing financial strain due to the Covid-19 pandemic. MLS ultimately rescinded their claim as the ownership group folded, and awarded its 30th expansion slot to San Diego. The city’s second-division team, Sacramento Republic, is currently constructing a 20,000-seat venue to open in 2028 on the site which was previously intended to house Burkle’s MLS team.Other cities that have confirmed interest in MLS, either at the government level or from local buyers, include Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Detroit.Saputo’s stressing that local buyers won’t be given a discounted rate to keep the club in Quebec evokes memories of another longtime Montreal sporting organization. In the early 2000s, the MLB’s Montreal Expos struggled to find a buyer who could afford to keep the team in the city while meeting the requisite and rapidly growing financial might.The Expos played their final season in 2004, relocating to the US capital and playing as the Washington Nationals for the ensuing 22 years to date.