CanChamp: What’s On Deck (And When) For The Preliminary Round

Canada Soccer has unveiled the dates and kickoff times for all seven preliminary round matches in the 2025 Canadian Championship.

With the calendar dates now penciled in, here’s what to expect from each cup match that will kick off between Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, May 7:

Tuesday, April 29 at 7:00PM EST: Atletico Ottawa (CPL) vs Scrosoppi FC (League1 Ontario)

This year’s Canadian Championship festivities will kick off with a sole Tuesday match. Ottleti will be looking to start strongly under head coach Diego Mejia, who will be four league games deep and unlikely to take any chances against his opposition, be they semi-pro or not.

The reigning League1 Ontario champions are helmed by head coach John Yacou, who is hoping keep a star-studded roster intact for their trip to the nation’s capital. That includes former Halifax striker Tomasz Skublak, who bagged 12 goals en route to their cup qualification.

Beyond the goals, Scrosoppi has shown a tactical cutting edge that Atletico Ottawa won’t take lightly, particularly with League1 Canada cupsets becoming a recurring theme in the preliminary round.

Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00PM EST: Toronto FC (MLS) vs CF Montreal (MLS)

In what will go down as one of the biggest preliminary round clashes in Canadian Championship history, at least one perennial contender will drop out of contention just 90 minutes into their cup campaign.

Eight-time champions Toronto FC will host rivals CF Montreal following an absolutely disastrous MLS season, though they still reached the cup final last year. Under the guidance of Robin Fraser, they’ll seek to establish a new era at BMO Field.

Visitors CF Montreal were knocked out by Forge last year, but unlike their new cup counterparts they did reach the playoff wild card stage in MLS action – and on a smidgeon of TFC’s budget, too. They’ll be hungry to get a 401 Derby win in cup play, particularly with the tournament offering the most direct and plausible root for a Canadian MLS side’s Champions Cup qualification.

Tuesday, May 6 at 7:00PM EST – York United (CPL) vs FC Laval (League1 Quebec)

After last year’s League1 Quebec entrants knocked out Halifax, York United and newly-named head coach Mauro Eustaquio will enter this match with both eyes open – especially given their first-ever Canadian Championship match came against a semi-pro team from Quebec, and that nearly went to penalties.

The Nine Stripes have a strong record in the preliminary round, having only lost in once – but that’ll be fresh in the memory, given it came against Forge last year. Banking heavily on local players this year, it’ll be interesting to see how things come together.

League1 Quebec’s FC Laval have tasted the tournament before, falling three-nil to Forge, but they’ve shown a lot of grit to get themselves back into the tournament not long after. We know La Belle Province has untapped talent worthy of the pro ranks, and they’ll be hungry to spotlight themselves here.

Tuesday, May 6 at 9:00PM EST Cavalry FC (CPL) vs Edmonton Scottish SC (League1 Alberta)

It’s another piece of history for a Cavalry side riding high following a playoff championship and a first-ever continental match win, too. The Cavs will now become the first taem to host a League1 Alberta entrant in the Canadian Championship, and it’s a fitting match how appropriate that an Edmontonian side immediately draws the reigning champions over in Calgary? The Battle of Alberta is back, eh?

Given that Cavalry have beaten out Major League Soccer competition in this tournament before, they”ll enter as having favourites – though Edmonton Scottish can count former Eddies lads like Marcus Velado-Tsegaye and Chance Carter amongst their ranks, along with intriguing CPL-adjacent faces like Ali Yildiz.

This is going to be a fun one to watch.

Tuesday, May 6 at 10:00PM EST – Pacific FC (CPL) vs Vancouver FC (CPL)

There’ll be no love lost between Pacific FC and Vancouver FC for what will be the second Salish Sea Derby of the year, the first of which comes in league play on April 26. This’ll be the first one to take place in the cup, however, so the popcorn will be thoroughly popped at Starlight Stadium.

Pacific will enter as favourites after reaching the semi-final stage last year and, of course, being the only of the two to reach league playoffs this season – and with a retooled roster that includes returnees like Marco Bustos and former VFC man Kadin Chung, they pack a lot of punch.

Vancouver FC will board the ferry knowing hoping to secure their first-ever Canadian Championship match win, but have historically had the edge over the Tridents to claim five wins in eight previous meetings, so don’t sleep on the Eagles, particularly with Terran Campbell coming home.

Wednesday, May 7 – Forge FC (CPL) vs Halifax Wanderers (CPL)

Make no mistake about it: no CPL team looks more dangerous in big game cup action than Forge. The hammers dunked CF Montreal out of the tournament last season and weren’t far off from doing the same to runners-up Toronto FC, now arriving to 2025 with a lot of core squad retention and with former Halifax defender Dan Nimick in tow.

Conversely, Halifax suffered defeat to a semi-professional side last year, and Patrice Gheisar’s prior season also opened with a cup loss to Ottawa. Suffice to say, he’ll be hungry for a win in the cup – something that last came to him with Vaughan, when he defeated his current team in one of the legs.

With the victor advancing to face either Toronto FC or CF Montreal, we expect this match will be a bloodbath on the pitch as the clubs go full-tilt.

Wednesday, May 7 at 8:00PM EST – Valour FC (CPL) vs TSS Rovers FC (League1 BC)

The preliminary round will close out with a matchup with will prove mouth-watering for a multitude of reasons: there’s the allure of a semi-professional team potentially providing an upset, and there’s the reality that the Rovers have already made it happen against Valour in the past.

The League1 BC side has been an absolute powerhouse in provincial semi-pro ranks, but a Valour side in desperate need of brighter days will come in unbelievably hungry. After losing out to their repeat semi-pro opposition in 2023, they lost 7-0 to Atletico Ottawa this year. This is a statement match, and what better time for the club to finally host a knockout cup game.

The Winnipeg hosts have have done some intriguing roster building for 2025, now featuring plenty of Portuguese flair in midfield with star player Kian Williams expected to be fit.

The winner will take on a Vancouver Whitecaps side going for a four-peat in total cup dominance, so whoever takes the preliminary round still has a mountain to climb regardless.

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The preliminary round of this year’s Canadian Championship has plenty of mouth-watering fixtures, and with each match being a one-legged affair there’s the potential for big upsets as the action unfolds in April and May.

Those who advance to the quarter-final stage will earn home-and-away fixtures, but only eight teams be left involved when the preliminary round comes to a close on May 7. As the reigning champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps get a bye from the preliminary round.

Each match will be available to watch on OneSoccer, fuboTV, and Telus Optik.

Header Image Photo Credit: Tom Ewasiuk / AFTN