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Recap: 2026 Canadian Championship Draw
By The draw for the 2026 Canadian Championship has revealed the starting bracket positions for all fifteen teams.
Canada Soccer has confirmed that the preliminary round will take place between May 5 and May 10, marking a later start to the cup action than we typically see.
With tournament debuts from Calgary Blizzard, Langley United, FC Supra du Quebec, and the Woodbridge Strikers, there’s a lot of excitement about cup magic as teams from all statures dream of hoisting the national trophy and qualifying for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Reigning Voyageurs Cup champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC have been given the lone bye to the quarter-finals, facing the winner of the single knockout Pacific vs Cavalry FC clash. The rest of the fourteen teams know where they lie in the cup’s seven one-legged preliminary round matches, with two-legged quarter-finals following in July, two-legged semi-finals in September, and a single knockout Voyageurs Cup final scheduled for October 21, with the west bracket finalist hosting the game.
Without further ado, here’s a look at the 2026 Canadian Championship preliminary round fixtures:
Pacific FC vs Cavalry FC
The first match of the bracket is a Canadian Premier League battle between a Pacific FC side in need of returning to its established, fluid counter-attacking roots and a Cavalry team that, while a proven danger in league and cup play, will have undergone some key player shuffling following an intriguing offseason. Cavalry will likely trek to Vancouver Isle as slight favourites, but nothing is ever certain in a ninety-minute cup match.
After all, the Isle has witnessed some truly spectacular Canadian Championship wins in the past.
CF Montreal vs Calgary Blizzard
A true David-versus-Goliath fixture has been locked in as Major League Soccer side CF Montreal hosts first-time tournament newcomers Calgary Blizzard, who secured passage after finishing top of their provincial semi-pro league. CF Montreal have been knocked out by Forge for two years running, so ownership will not take this tournament for granted. On the opposite end, the Blizard will be hoping that Gianmarco Plenzik and Moe El Gandour can supply some cup magic akin to what the TSS Rovers once procured.
The last time an MLS side faced League1 Canada competition in the opening round, Toronto FC bested Simcoe County Rovers five-nil in one leg before beating Ligue1 Quebec’s CS Saint-Lauren eleven-one through a two-legged affair. CF Montreal faced Vaughan Azzurri in 2023, securing a two-nil win. The MLS hosts will be hungry for success, particularly after being knocked out by Forge FC for two consecutive years. Suffice to say, the Blizzard will know they’re up against it in their visit to Stade Saputo.
Vancouver FC vs Langley United
It’s the local cup clash of dreams out west.
Vancouver FC will be amidst an interesting 2026 when this preliminary round match goes ahead: they’ll have dipped their toes into Concacaf Champions Cup action despite a last-placed finish in league play from ’25, having qualified by way of going all the way to the Voyageurs Cup Final last season. Before ’25, they lost their first match in both previous cup appearances.
Head coach Martin Nash will be about one month deep into his proper reign at Willoughby, so the pressure will be on to ensure his philosophy guides last year’s runners-up into a comfortable win over semi-pro League1 BC champions Langley United. That side, however, shares more than the same home ground with VFC: Eagles assistant coach Azad Palani is also the head coach of Langley United, with TrueNorthFoot gleaming that he would represent Langley United if they ever squared up against his professional employers.
Forge FC vs Halifax Wanderers
Deja vu: just like last year, Forge and Halifax will meet in the preliminary round. The hammers came out three-nil winners a year ago before beating CF Montreal and falling to eventual champion Vancouver Whitecaps. Forge have been a strong force in the tournament, while the Wanderers have fallen in the preliminary round for three years running, once against semi-pro opposition.
Flashback: Thomas Muller Eyes Forge As ‘Tough Team’
With the high-profile recruitment of Vanni Sartini – a three-time Canadian Championship winner – the Wanderers will be hoping to instill a new status quo. With both clubs seeing some interesting roster shuffling this season, the May-time cup clash will be a strong all-CPL affair.
Inter Toronto FC vs CS Saint-Laurent
Ligue1 Quebec powerhouse CS Saint-Laurent is back and hoping to repeat some giant killing. They handily won their league, boasting the best offence and defence, but CPL side Inter Toronto FC enters on a fresh rebrand and renewed promises of cup-chasing glory.
York Lions Stadium has been privy to lopsided routs over semi-pro opposition before, and CS Saint-Laurent will enter with plenty of staff changes by way of FC Supra du Quebec taking both their sporting director and head coach, amongst others. It’s hard to predict how the semi-pro visitors will adapt, with Inter Toronto FC entering as favourites.
Toronto FC vs Atletico Ottawa
A tantalizing preliminary round matchup beckons as a Toronto FC side touting a club-sized turnaround squares off against the reigning Canadian Premier League champions. Atletico Ottawa has never faced MLS opposition before, so the Atletico Madrid-backed organization will be salivating at the matchup.
The Reds, meanwhile, were knocked out in the first round last year and needed penalties to beat CPL opposition the year prior. They’ve got the budget and the backing, but what Toronto FC really needs is the belief – expect a cagey opening to this cup clash.
FC Supra vs Woodbridge Strikers
The Canadian Premier League’s new expansion side FC Supra du Quebec will face its first hurdle with League1 Ontario champions Woodbridge Strikers, kicking off their cup era with a nice slice of Quebec-versus-Ontario action. It’ll be a Voyageurs Cup debut for both sides, with FC Supra still assembling a roster and Woodbridge Strikers – who had the top two goalscorers in the league with Ronaldo Marshall and Anthony Morano – hoping to keep most of their players in place for the tilt against pro opposition.
The 2026 Canadian Championship will see some functional changes: single and two-legged matchups still level at the end of regulation time will no longer go straight to penalties, with extra time now set to be imposed prior. Canada Soccer has dropped the re-draws following the quarter-final stages, which means clubs can already see their path to the final and their possible opponents along the way.
