Featuring its biggest field of clubs and its earliest start date ever, Canada Soccer’s 2023 Canadian Championship will kick off Tuesday 18 April 2023 with clubs spread from coast to coast across the nation in the annual “Battle of the North.” Fourteen clubs, including reigning winners Vancouver Whitecaps FC as well as three first-time participants, will feature in this year’s Canadian Championship across four rounds from April through June 2023.
“We look forward to welcoming three new Canadian soccer clubs to one of the most exciting competitions in professional sports in Canada,” said Dr. Nick Bontis, Canada Soccer President. “With every match an elimination match across four rounds, the Canadian Championship is an exhilarating battle that crowns our Canadian champion on the road to Concacaf Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.”
The 2023 Canadian Championship features four rounds culminating with the Final in early June. The fourteen clubs represent five different leagues: Major League Soccer (MLS), Canadian Premier League (CPL), League1 BC (L1BC), League1 Ontario (L1O), and Québec’s Premier League (Première ligue de soccer du Québec or PLSQ).
New to the Canadian Championship in 2023 are the CPL’s newest club Vancouver FC, League 1 BC’s TSS Rovers FC from Richmond, and PLSQ side FC Laval. Returning clubs are: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Toronto FC and CF Montréal from Major League Soccer; Pacific FC, Calgary’s Cavalry FC, Winnipeg’s Valour FC, Forge FC Hamilton, York United FC, Atlético Ottawa and Halifax’s HFX Wanderers FC from the Canadian Premier League; and Vaughan SC Azzurri from League1 Ontario.
The Official Draw for the 2023 Canadian Championship is scheduled for Tuesday 31 January 2023 at 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT and will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, with extended coverage for the Canadian Championship across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CanChamp.
The victors of the 2022 Canadian Championship Vancouver Whitecaps FC as well as runners up Toronto FC will receive byes into the Second Round of the competition. The remaining 12 clubs will begin the competition in the First Round in April, with Official Draw details and pots to be announced on Tuesday 24 January 2023.
The First Round will be scheduled from 18-20 April, the Quarter-Finals will be scheduled from 9-11 May, the Semi-Finals will be scheduled from 23-25 May, and the Final will be scheduled in June.
About 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.
