Path laid out for 17th annual Canadian Championship

Posted January 31, 2023 9:33 pm.

Last Updated February 1, 2023 9:13 am.

The path for the 17th annual Canadian Championship is now known.

The 2023 tournament will have its earliest start date as matches get underway on April 18, less than a week after the fifth season of the Canadian Premier League kicks off.

Canada Soccer hosted the draw at OneSoccer’s studio, where they brought back the East vs. West bracket that was seen in the 2022 competition. That being said, the addition of TSS Rovers of League 1 BC increased the tournament numbers giving the draw some workarounds.

Teams were split into six pots ahead of Tuesday night’s draw. Pots A1 and A2 being the West side of the bracket — Pots B1 and B2 being the East side of the bracket — Pot C being semi-pro east teams that wouldn’t host a match in the first round — and Pot D being the winner and runner-up of the 2022 competition.

Pot A1: Pacific FC (CPL) and TSS Rovers FC (League 1 BC);
Pot A2: Vancouver FC, Cavalry FC and Valour FC (all from the CPL);
Pot B1: CF Montreal (MLS), along with Forge FC and York United FC (both from the CPL);
Pot B2: Atlético Ottawa and HFX Wanderers (both from the CPL);
Pot C: Vaughan SC Azzurri (League 1 Ontario) and FC Laval (Première Ligue de soccer du Québec);
Pot D: Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC (MLS)

To add some confusion and balance out both sides of the bracket, after the pots were selected, a team from Pot B1 — which ended up being York United FC — was selected and moved to Pot A1.

Additional “pre-draw” moves were made within Pots B1, B2 and C which balanced out the first four with three teams each.

According to Canada Soccer, a multitude of different reasons, including field availability was the explanation for the split Pots for each side of the bracket. Cavalry FC, Valour FC and HFX Wanderers either opted out or aren’t able to host a home match that early in the year, so they were given away matches for Round 1.

Atlético Ottawa, Vancouver FC, Vaughan SC Azzurri and FC Laval also opted out or are unable to host certain matches, and they will be the away team throughout the entire tournament.

If any of the teams that opted out of home matches meet in the tournament, Canada Soccer will select a neutral venue for the match.

After the balancing out processes happened, the draw for each match of the 2023 tournament began.

The 2023 #CanChamp Bracket is SET ???????????? pic.twitter.com/YHg1TQrd4n

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) February 1, 2023

Round 1 matchups:

Match 1: Valour FC @ TSS Rovers FC
Match 2: Cavalry FC @ Pacific FC
Match 3: Vancouver FC @ York United FC
Match 4: Laval FC @ Forge FC
Match 5: Atlético Ottawa @ HFX Wanderers — (this match will be played at a neutral venue)
Match 6: Vaughan SC @ CF Montreal

Round 2 matchups:

Match 7: Valour FC/TSS Rovers FC @ Cavalry FC/Pacific FC
Match 8: Vancouver Whitecaps @ Vancouver FC/York United FC — (match could swap if Vancouver FC win)
Match 9: Laval FC/Forge FC @ Atlético Ottawa/HFX Wanderers — (match location TBD based on teams opting out of hosting)
Match 10: Vaughan SC/CF Montreal @ Toronto FC