Ottawa, Halifax To Play Cup Match In Toronto

The 2023 Canadian Championship’s earliest start in tournament history hasn’t been without difficulty, with several clubs unable to host matches – one of them due to an administrative mistake.

Last week’s draw saw Halifax Wanderers and Atletico Ottawa paired together in the preliminary round, but with both clubs having opted out of hosting rights, the match will be required to play out of a neutral venue.

Today, Canada Soccer has confirmed that both teams will play at York Lions Stadium on Wednesday, April 19, at 5:00PM EST, just three hours before York United hosts Vancouver FC at the same venue – the first double-header in Canadian Championship history.

Both matches are wedged in between regular season weekend home games for the Nine Stripes, so suffice to say it’ll be quite a busy week at YLS.

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It’s also a tough sell, travelling wise, for both sets of fans – but it’s one of a select few locations relatively near both teams which meets the hosting standards Canada’s domestic cup.

“When life gives you lemons,” Wanderers President Derek Martin succinctly posted online as he shared the news.

Atletico Ottawa has also released a club statement confirming that it made an administrative error in opting out as a host club for this year’s iteration of the tournament when it only meant to opt out of the opening round. The club is in discussions with Canada Soccer regarding possible solutions should they reach the tournament’s later stages.

Further information on ticket allocation for the neutral venue match will be released soon.