2020 Canadian Championship

The 2020 Canadian Championship will be the thirteenth edition of Canada's national soccer cup tournament, awarding the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. It will be held as a final between one representative each from Major League Soccer and the Canadian Premier League, in the first quarter of 2021.[1][2] Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was scheduled to be held from June 16 to September 24, 2020, between twelve teams.

2020 Canadian Championship
Championnat canadien 2020
CountryCanada
DatesTBD 2021
Teams2 (from 2 leagues)
Defending championsMontreal Impact (Did not qualify)
← 2019
2021 →

The twelve teams originally planned to participate were the three MLS clubs, seven Canadian Premier League clubs, and the champions of League1 Ontario and Première Ligue de soccer du Québec.[3][4] The city of Ottawa had looked to be absent for the first time since 2013, with Ottawa Fury FC having suspended operations in late 2019, and Atlético Ottawa having joined the Canadian Premier League after the original draw had been finalized.[5]

Format

The tournament will consist solely of a final to be held between the winner of the head-to-head series between a Canadian team from Major League Soccer and the champion of the Canadian Premier League. The format of the final has not been announced.

Original format

The format of the competition was originally changed slightly from the 2019 edition to accommodate the departure of Ottawa Fury FC. Each round of the four-round tournament would be played in a two-legged tie format. The League1 Ontario champion Master's FA, Première Ligue de soccer du Québec champion A.S. Blainville, and six CPL clubs would enter in the qualifying round in June. They would be joined by the three Major League Soccer teams and the remaining CPL club (given bye as the furthest advancing club in the 2019 Canadian Championship) in the quarter-finals in July. The semi-finals would follow in August, and the finals would be in September.[6] Atlético Ottawa were not included in the original format because they joined the CPL after the schedule was announced.

The format was revised in June to exclude the League1 Ontario and Première Ligue de soccer du Québec 2019 champions, who will instead qualify for the 2021 tournament. Atlético Ottawa's inclusion was also confirmed.[7]

Teams
Team League City Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners)
Toronto FC Major League Soccer Toronto, Ontario 7 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Forge FC Canadian Premier League Hamilton, Ontario None

Qualification

Major League Soccer
Main article: 2020 Major League Soccer season

As part of the MLS regular season, Canada's three Major League Soccer clubs played each other three times from August 18 to September 16. The team with the most points from this series, Toronto FC, qualified for the Canadian Championship.[8]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Toronto FC 6 4 0 2 9 5 +4 12 2020 Canadian Championship Final
2 Montreal Impact 6 3 0 3 9 8 +1 9
3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 6 2 0 4 8 13 −5 6
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals for; 7) home goal differential; 8) home goals for 9) coin toss or drawing of lots.

Canadian Premier League
Main article: 2020 Canadian Premier League season

The winner of the 2020 Canadian Premier League season, Forge FC, qualified for the Canadian Championship. The season was held from August to September in three stages – a first stage, group stage, and final.

First stageGroup stage
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 Cavalry 7 13
2 HFX Wanderers 7 12
3 Forge 7 12
4 Pacific 7 11
5 York9 7 10
6 Valour 7 8
7 Atlético Ottawa 7 8
8 FC Edmonton 7 1
Source: CanPL.ca
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 Forge 3 7
2 HFX Wanderers 3 4
3 Cavalry 3 3
4 Pacific 3 3
Source: CanPL.ca
2020 Canadian Premier League Final
Forge FC2–0HFX Wanderers FC

Final

The final is expected to be held sometime before the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League which starts on April 6, 2021.[9]

Forge FCvToronto FC
TBD

See also

References
  1. "Canadian Championship Final: Forge FC to face Toronto FC in new year". Canada Soccer. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  2. "Canada Soccer announces format for 2020 Canadian Championship Final". Canada Soccer. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  3. "Voyageurs Cup creator delighted with addition of CPL clubs to future Canadian Championships". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  4. Jacques, John (September 28, 2019). "Master's Futbol Academy Wins League1 Ontario For The First Time". Northern Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  5. "Ottawa Fury". www.ottawafuryfc.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  6. "Canada Soccer announces 2020 Canadian Championship schedule". Canada Soccer. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  7. "Canada Soccer gives 2020 CanChamp update: CPL & MLS clubs only, Atlético Ottawa added to tournament". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  8. Davidson, Neil (August 13, 2020). "Canada's MLS teams to play each other for next stretch of schedule". Lethbridge News Now. The Canadian Press. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  9. "2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League set for April kickoff". www.concacafchampionsleague.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
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