Fourteen teams learned their Preliminary Round opponents for the 2026 Canadian Championship, while the Vancouver Whitecaps, who enter at the quarter-final stage, watched on.
The seven fixtures of the opening round:
- Pacific FC vs. Cavalry FC
- CF Montréal vs. Calgary Blizzard (L1AB)
- Vancouver FC vs. Langley United (L1BC)
- Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
- Inter Toronto FC vs. CS Saint-Laurent (L1QC)
- Toronto FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
- FC Supra vs. Woodbridge Strikers (L1ON)
The Whitecaps, who received a bye to the quarter-finals as reigning champions, will face the winner of Pacific FC vs. Cavalry FC in a two-legged series, with the return leg set for BC Place in July.
The Preliminary Round will be played between May 5 and 10.
THE FULL CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET! 🇨🇦🏆 #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/p6cvMN4163
— TrueNorthFoot ⚽️🇨🇦 (@truenorthfoot) January 18, 2026
The highlight of the draw is Toronto FC vs. Atlético Ottawa, as the Reds, who have struggled in recent years, take on the reigning Canadian Premier League champions. Despite entering its 7th season, it will be Ottawa's first-ever match against a Canadian MLS team.
Out west, Vancouver FC will face partner club Langley United, who both share Willoughby Community Park as their home venue. Among the many storylines, one stands out as particularly rare in football: Vancouver FC assistant coach Azad Palani is also the head coach of Langley United. Asked in August what would happen if the two teams met, he said, “If we’re drawn in the first round, you can expect me to have a Langley hat on, because [Vancouver] will have plenty of staff.”
League1 Alberta side Calgary Blizzard SC will make its Canadian Championship debut with a tough matchup against MLS club CF Montréal.
In a repeat of last year’s Preliminary Round, Forge FC will host fellow CPL side Halifax Wanderers.
Inter Toronto, formerly York United, will face CS Saint-Laurent, while FC Supra will meet Woodbridge Strikers of League1 Ontario as both sides make their competition debut.
The finalist from the West side of the bracket will host the single-match final on October 21.
The 2026 Canadian Championship will now use extra time if any match or series is tied after regulation. The change was confirmed by Richard Scott, Canada Soccer’s manager of amateur competitions, during the draw.
As part of the tournament changes, there will be no re-draws after the quarter-finals, meaning each team’s path to the final is already set.
With the exception of the final, Preliminary Round matches and second-leg games in the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be hosted by the higher-ranked team in the Canadian Championship Index Ranking, which goes like this:
- Vancouver Whitecaps
- Forge FC
- Toronto FC
- CF Montréal
- Pacific FC
- Atlético Ottawa
- Vancouver FC
- Inter Toronto FC
- Halifax Wanderers FC
- Cavalry FC
- FC Supra
- Langley United (L1BC)
- CS Saint-Laurent (L1QC)
- Woodbridge Strikers (L1ON)
- Calgary Blizzard SC (L1BC)
