Canadian Championship to feature 11 soccer teams, down from 13 last year

TORONTO — The 2020 edition of the Canadian Championship will feature 11 clubs, down from 13 last year.

Clubs from League 1 Ontario (Toronto Master’s FA) and Quebec’s PLSQ (AS Blainville) will return to the Canadian tournament next year in the wake of COVID-19 delays to play.

The revised 2020 field will draw on the three Canadian teams from Major League Soccer and the eight Canadian Premier League sides. There is no word yet on when the tournament will begin, with Canada Soccer saying “health and safety is the top priority to everyone involved in the game.”

The Canadian Championship was originally slated to kick off June 16 and run through Sept. 23, but was delayed when soccer suspended play in the wake of the global pandemic.

The original field contained 12 teams: three from MLS, seven from CPL and one each from the Ontario and Quebec leagues. The new format includes expansion CPL side Atletico Ottawa, which had initially been excluded from the tournament.

The 2019 field included the USL’s Ottawa Fury FC, which has since closed shop.

Both MLS and CPL teams are back training, with MLS due to kick off the “MLS is Back” tournament on July 8. The CPL has yet to announce the kickoff date for its season.

The Canadian Championship was first held in 2008. Toronto FC has lifted the Voyageurs Cup seven times compared to four for the Montreal Impact and once for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The tournament winner earns a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. This year there is a second route to that competition for Canadian MLS teams, with the winner of the MLS is Back tournament also earning a berth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2020.

The Canadian Press