The 2026 Canadian Championship will see a few tweaks as it gears up for another record-breaking year.
While the full format hasn’t yet been revealed, Canada Soccer confirmed earlier this year that the 2026 edition will build on the major changes introduced in 2025, with even more adjustments on the way.
The confirmed change is that the ranking index, which combines results from the past four seasons, will now be used to pre-seed the top-ranked teams in the tournament bracket. This will ensure those clubs don’t face each other in the Preliminary Round, while also factoring in regional considerations.
In 2025, MLS rivals CF Montréal and Toronto FC were drawn against each other in the opening round, with Montréal advancing after a penalty shootout.
Concacaf uses a similar approach for the Champions Cup, pre-seeding the top eight teams in the competition to ensure they don’t face each other in the opening rounds.
What's the Ranking Index?
Introduced in 2024, the Canadian Championship ranking index calculates professional clubs’ performances in the competition over the past four seasons — with the most recent edition weighted more heavily — to create a ranking used to determine host teams in all rounds except the final.
The 2025 ranking saw the three MLS clubs occupy the top three spots, with Forge FC right behind them in fourth place:
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS)
- Toronto FC (MLS)
- CF Montréal (MLS)
- Forge FC (CPL)
- Pacific FC (CPL)
- York United (CPL)
- Cavalry FC (CPL)
- Atlético Ottawa (CPL)
- Halifax Wanderers FC (CPL)
- Valour FC (CPL)
- Vancouver FC (CPL)
- League1 BC representative
- Ligue1 Québec representative
- League1 Ontario representative
- League1 Alberta representative
As usual, individual League1 Canada clubs don’t earn ranking points on their own. Instead, their results are combined with those of other teams from the same league across different years and counted collectively under their respective league.
The formula for the ranking index has yet to be shared publicly by Canada Soccer, but the federation confirmed to TrueNorthFoot that it will be released in the coming days.
One more team means a format change
With the arrival of FC Supra to the Canadian Premier League, the 2026 Canadian Championship is set to feature a record 16 teams.
If logic prevails, the format should be straightforward; all 16 clubs starting in the opening round to form a round-of-16 bracket. It would mark the first time since 2013 that no team receives a bye, with every side entering the competition at the same stage.
Since 2024, the Canadian Championship has used regionalized draws in the first two rounds, preventing teams — particularly semi-pro sides — from making long trips early on.
The 16 participating clubs are:
- CF Montréal (MLS)
- Toronto FC (MLS)
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS)
- Atlético Ottawa (CPL)
- Cavalry FC (CPL)
- Forge FC (CPL)
- HFX Wanderers FC (CPL)
- Pacific FC (CPL)
- FC Supra du Québec (CPL)
- York United FC (CPL)
- Valour FC (CPL)
- Vancouver FC (CPL)
- Calgary Blizzard SC (League1 Alberta)
- Langley United (League1 British Columbia)
- CS Saint-Laurent (Ligue1 Québec)
- Woodbridge Strikers (League1 Ontario)
