Final draw procedures confirmed for the Canadian Championship Draw

Canada Soccer have confirmed additional procedures in advance of Tuesday’s Official Draw for the 2023 Canadian Championship. Featuring 14 clubs across four rounds, the potential home and away sides for all 13 matches will be determined as part of the Official Draw, with the Preliminary Round match schedule dates and venues to be confirmed following the Official Draw.

The Official Draw for the 2023 Canadian Championship will be broadcast on OneSoccer starting at 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT on Tuesday 31 January. From 14 clubs, the Preliminary Round will feature 12 clubs in six matches from 18-20 April, the earliest start date ever for the Canadian Championship. Official Draw results and Canadian Championship coverage will be published via CanadaSoccer.com and across Canada Soccer’s digital channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube featuring the hashtag #CanChamp.

Preliminary Round
From the 12 clubs in the Preliminary Round, five clubs have committed to hosting a Canadian Championship match at their home venue in April (matches one through six): Vancouver Island’s Pacific FC and Richmond’s TSS Rovers FC from Pot A (Western Clubs); Forge FC Hamilton, York United FC and CF Montréal from Pot B (Eastern Clubs). To organise six and six “Home” and “Away” sides for the Preliminary Round, a two-step draw process will divide the 12 clubs into corresponding Western and Eastern brackets for the 2023 Canadian Championship Draw.

Pot A1: Pacific FC and TSS Rovers FC

Pot A2: Vancouver FC, Calgary’s Cavalry FC, Winnipeg’s Valour FC

Pot B1: Forge FC Hamilton, York United FC, CF Montréal

Pot B2: Atlético Ottawa, Halifax Wanderers FC

Pot C: Vaughan SC Azzurri, FC Laval

Step 1: Western Bracket (Pots A1 and A2)

One Home club will be drawn from Pot B1 and moved into Pot A1

Step 2: Eastern Bracket (Pots B1 and B2)

One club from Pot B2 will be drawn into Pot B1 after which both clubs from Pot C will be moved into Pot B2

The club drawn from Pot B2 into Pot B1 (either Ottawa or Halifax) will serve as a Home team at a neutral venue to be determined by Canada Soccer when the Preliminary Round match schedule is published following the Official Draw.

Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals & Canadian Championship Final
The reigning 2022 champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC and runners up Toronto FC (both from Pot D) will be drawn into their respective Western and Eastern brackets. The Official Draw will determine whether they will serve as either the Home or Away side for matches eight (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and 10 (Toronto FC). The Official Draw will next determine the potential Home and Away sides for matches seven (Western bracket) and nine (Eastern bracket).

Pot D: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Toronto FC

Quarter-Finals (Home sides to be determined)

Match 7: Winner match 1, Winner match 2

Match 8: Winner match 3, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Match 9: Winner match 4, Winner match 5

Match 10: Winner match 6, Toronto FC

Home sides for the last three rounds will be further confirmed once winning clubs have advanced from a previous round. The drawn Home sides will have the right to host their corresponding Canadian Championship knockout matches at their home venue. In the case that a drawn Home side has opted out of their hosting responsibilities, then the hosting rights for the match will be transferred to their opponent.

From the Quarter-Finals through to the Canadian Championship Final, only four clubs have opted out of hosting Canadian Championship matches in May and June: Vancouver FC, Vaughan SC Azzurri, Atlético Ottawa, and FC Laval. In the case that two of these clubs meet beyond the Preliminary Round, the match may be played at a neutral venue as determined by Canada Soccer.

Semi-Finals  (Home sides to be determined)

Match 11: Winner match 7, Winner match 8

Match 12: Winner match 9, Winner match 10

Canadian Championship Final (Home sides to be determined)

Match 13: Winner match 11, Winner match 12

Canadian Championship
Canada Soccer’s Canadian Championship, also known as the Battle of the North, is the nation’s highest men’s domestic competition featuring clubs from coast to coast across the country, notably professional teams in Major League Soccer and the Canadian Premier League as well as league winners in League1 BC, League1 Ontario and Québec’s Premier League (Première ligue de soccer du Québec). Winners of the 2023 Canadian Championship lift the Voyageurs Cup and qualify to the annual international competition, Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Winners of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.