I guess it really depends on how 'big' the league hopes to be. Accounting for the inevitable failure of some markets, you're looking at CMAs in the neighbourhood of 200,000 at the low end. Which seems small, but is still putting you in markets like Saskatoon, Regina, Sherbrooke and St. John's.
And if promotion/relegation is still a thing they want, that also means multiple teams in some CMAs becomes a necessity. Namely, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver. Where the CPL is competing directly against MLS. I don't see multiple teams working well in cities like Calgary or Edmonton.
IMO, 16 is doable for a single league. Add promotion/relegation, and you're probably going to have to be 8/8 or 10/10
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