The schedule is now set for the 2019 Canadian Championship.
Canada Soccer conducted the draw Tuesday night for the expanded 13-team, 24-match tournament. All rounds will follow a home-and-home two-leg format, beginning May 15.
Canadian clubs from Major League Soccer, the Canadian Premier League, USL Championship, Première Ligue de soccer du Québec, and League1 Ontario will participate.
Permanent Canadian Championship clubs
| Team | City | League | Years |
| Cavalry FC | Calgary | CPL | 2019–present |
| FC Edmonton | Edmonton | CPL | 2011–2017, 2019–present |
| Forge FC | Hamilton | CPL | 2019–present |
| HFX Wanderers | Halifax | CPL | 2019–present |
| Montreal Impact | Montreal | MLS | 2012–present |
| Ottawa Fury FC | Ottawa | USLC | 2014–present |
| Pacific FC | Langford, BC | CPL | 2019–present |
| Toronto FC | Toronto | MLS | 2008–present |
| Valour FC | Winnipeg | CPL | 2019–present |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Vancouver | MLS | 2011–present |
| York9 FC | York Region | CPL | 2019–present |
2019 Qualifiers for the Canadian Championship
| Team | City | League | Years |
| AS Blainville | Blainville, QC | PLSQ | 2018, 2019 |
| Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan | L1O | 2019 |
Hamilton’s Forge FC will meet the winner of the all-CPL 1st round qualifying matchup between Cavalry FC and Pacific FC on June 5 and 12. In the other opening round matches, Vaughan Azzurri plays HFX Wanderers FC with the winner moving on to face Valour FC; while FC Edmonton meet the winner of AS Blainville and York9 FC.
“We pride ourselves on providing Canadians with expanded opportunities to compete in and attend competitions at the highest levels of international soccer,” said Peter Montopoli, General Secretary, Canada Soccer on the organizations official website. “The Canadian Championship has provided a tremendous springboard for Canadian players and Canada’s professional teams to gain invaluable experience in international competition with Toronto FC, Montreal Impact FC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps having advanced deep into the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.”
“The opening round matchups kick off a unique coast-to-coast competition with Canadian Championship matches hosted in five different Canada Soccer Member Association provinces.”
Major League Soccer clubs Montreal Impact FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and United Soccer League’s Ottawa Fury FC are set to kick off their Canadian Championship in qualifying round 3 on July 10, returning home for the second leg on July 24.
The semi-final round will see Toronto FC join the competition on Aug. 7, meaning soccer fans in Hamilton could see TFC make the trip to Tim Hortons Field this summer.
The 2019 Canadian Championship will be the twelfth edition of Canada’s national soccer cup tournament, awarding the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League.
Forge FC will host York9 FC at Tim Hortons Field in the Canadian Premier League’s inaugural match Sat., April 27, at 1 p.m.
The CPL will launch with seven teams: Cavalry FC (Calgary), FC Edmonton, Forge FC (Hamilton), HFX Wanderers FC (Halifax), Pacific FC (Victoria), Valour FC (Winnipeg), York 9 FC (York Region).
More teams are expected to join in 2020.
Comments