Here’s The CPL’s Opening Weekend Matches

The opening weekend of the 2023 Canadian Premier League season has now been unveiled.

The league’s fifth season will kick off on Friday, April 14 with Pacific FC hosting brand new expansion time Vancouver FC at Starlight Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00PM PT (10:00PM EST).

This will be followed by a double-header on Saturday, April 15 with Atletico Ottawa hosting the Halifax Wanderers at TD Place at 1:00PM ET (2:00PM AT). Following that, reigning champions Forge FC will host rival side Cavalry at Tim Hortons Field at 4:00PM EST (2:00PM MT).

The opening weekend will conclude with a Sunday afternoon clash at York Lions Stadium, where York United will host Valour on April 16 at 2:00PM ET (1:00PM CT).

The 2023 CPL season will see eight teams aim to top the regular season table, where the top-placed team of those standings will now earn a trophy, monetary prize, and qualification to the Concacaf Champions League as well as favorable playoff seeding.

Assuming the playoff format is unchanged, four teams will then progress to a home-and-away semi-final before the highest-seeded team hosts the CPL Final, with the victor getting the North Star Shield and a spot in the Concacaf Champions League.

The full regular season schedule will be posted by the league on Monday, allowing fans a full look at the bulk of the league’s fifth-ever season.

The 2023 Canadian Premier League season will see clubs operate with an increased salary cap budget, with the league also set to undergo negotiations for a historic and first-ever collective bargaining agreement with PFA Canada.

The league’s fifth-ever season will be commemorated with an anniversary logo, and will see eight teams take to the pitch. That’s the same number as last year, but with one team dropping out and a new one replacing it: the league made the decision to terminate the ownerless FC Edmonton last November, with Vancouver FC now embarking on its inaugural year.

This won’t be the only big scheduling update set to come, with the 2023 Canadian Championship draw taking place two days after the regular season schedule is announced. Wednesday.

Header Image Credit: Canadian Premier League