Canadian Championship
Championnat canadien

Founded	2008; 17 years ago (2008)
Region	Canada (CONCACAF)
Teams	15
Current champions	Vancouver Whitecaps FC (5th title)
Most championships	Toronto FC (8 titles)
Broadcaster(s)	OneSoccer TSN
Website	canadasoccer.com
2025 Canadian Championship

TheCanadian Championship (French:Championnat canadien) is an annualsoccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded theVoyageurs Cup and a berth in theCONCACAF Champions Cup.^[1] It is contested byMajor League Soccer sidesToronto FC,Vancouver Whitecaps FC, andCF Montréal, eightCanadian Premier League sides, and the champions ofLeague1 Ontario,League1 British Columbia,Ligue1 Québec, andLeague1 Alberta. The tournament is organized by theCanadian Soccer Association^[2] and has been broadcast onOneSoccer since 2019^[3] with some matchessimulcast onTSN.^[4]

The Canadian Championship is adomestic cup competition organized by theCanadian Soccer Association. The championship determines one of Canada's entries in the annualCONCACAF Champions Cup. Until the creation of theCanadian Premier League in 2019, all fully professional Canadian soccer teams played in United States–based leagues. Prior to the creation of the official competition in 2008, there was no domestic competition to determine the best Canadian professional team (as Canada Soccer'sChallenge Trophy only crowned the best amateur team). Though a notable attempt was conducted by theCanadian Soccer League through theOpen Canada Cup, which ultimately managed to attract professional and amateur clubs from British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.^[5] The tournament was dissolved in 2008 after the creation of the Canadian Championship.

An unofficial Canadian Champion determined in the same manner as 2008–2010, a home-and-away series with the games taken fromUSL First Division (USL-1) regular season league games, was awarded by the Canadian national teams' supporters group, The Voyageurs. This unofficial Canadian Championship became less legitimate when Toronto was awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to start play in 2007 in the USSF Division 1 MLS league above the USSF Division 2 USL-1 league. Toronto's USL-1 team self relegated, while the other two Canadian professional soccer teams did not play meaningful games against the new MLS team in 2007.^[6]

For the 2008–09 season,CONCACAF changed their eight teamFIFA Club World Cup qualification tournament from a two-legged aggregate goals knockout elimination format, named the CONCACAF Champions Cup, to a format mirroring the UEFA Champions League with a play-in round, a group stage, and lastly a two-leg aggregate score knockout format for the final rounds. The format change for the2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League provided the opportunity to expand the number of qualifying teams from different countries, and Canada was awarded a single entry in the play-in round preceding the group stage. The year 2008 was the first time a Canadian entry had been awarded by CONCACAF since1992, and the first time a Canadian team participated since1976.^[7] To award the new Canadian entry, the CSA created a new competition consisting of a home-and-away round-robin series between the three fully professional Canadian teams:Montreal Impact,Toronto FC and theVancouver Whitecaps.^[8] The2008 Canadian Championship was contested between May and July 2008 and won by the Montreal Impact. As the Canadian champions, Montreal qualified for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League.^[7][9][10]

The2009 Canadian Championship's format and participants were the same, contested by the three clubs in May and June 2009. It was closely contended by Toronto and Vancouver and won by the former viagoal differential in the tournament'sfinal game against the defending champions, Montreal, giving the Toronto franchise its first ever trophy and a spot in the qualifying round of the2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League.^[11] Toronto repeated as champions in the2010 competition, qualifying for the2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League. Toronto won it for the fourth consecutive season in the2012 competition.

In 2011, with the start of a fourth fully professional Canadian soccer team,FC Edmonton, the competition was changed from the home-and-away round robin series to a double-leg aggregate score knockout cup format with the two MLS teams seeded first and second, and NASL teams seeded third and fourth based on league standings of the previous year and the USSF tiering of Division 1 and Division 2.^[12] This format mitigated competitive concerns regarding already eliminated teams and the number of additional (extra to their regular league) games each team would be required to play during a season.

On June 6, 2016, Canadian Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli toldTSN that plans were well under way to expand the tournament to include an access point for any team in Canada. He said that he expected the expansion to take place for 2017. His statement seemed to confirm other reports saying similar.^{[13][better source needed]} On March 9, 2017, Canada Soccer Association announced that from the 2018 edition the winners of theLeague1 Ontario andPremière ligue de soccer du Québec would compete.^[14]

In January 2019, a new five-round format was announced to include the seven teams of the newly formedCanadian Premier League, bringing the total number of teams competing to 13.^[15] In 2020, with the dissolution of Ottawa Fury FC, a modified four-round tournament was announced featuring 12 teams, the first contraction in the competition's history.^[16] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition was instead held between two teams qualified through league play, with the top Canadian MLS team meeting the CPL winners.^[17][18]

Beginning in 2023, the league winner ofLeague1 British Columbia joined the tournament as a competitor. They were also joined by newCanadian Premier League club,Vancouver FC.^[19]

In the 2023 preliminary round,TSS Rovers of League1 British Columbia became the first semi-pro team to advance in the tournament against a professional team. They defeated Canadian Premier League sideValour FC 3–1 to reach the quarter-finals.^[20]

In 2025, the league winner of the nascentLeague 1 Alberta competition became the fourth semi-pro entrant, joining the three existingLeague 1 champions fromBritish Columbia,Ontario and (Ligue 1)Quebec, alongside the eleven professional teams, three CanadianMajor League Soccer franchises and the eight teams of theCanadian Premier League. The cup format now included a regional element, with and East and West bracket to meet geographical considerations in the early rounds to reduce travel for the semi-pro teams.

The winners of the Canadian Championship are awarded theVoyageurs Cup.^[21] From 1993 to 2007, there was no domestic competition open to top-tier Canadian professional clubs. From 2002 to 2006, theUSL First Division was the highest level in which Canadian men's soccer teams competed.The Voyageurs, asupporters' group, developed a method of tracking league results between Canadian clubs to determine a professional Canadian champion.

With the introduction of the Canadian Championship as a separate competition, the Voyageurs donated the cup to theCanadian Soccer Association to award to the winners. The trophy is still awarded by a Voyageurs member to the current winning club.^[22][23][24]

From 2008 to 2010, the tournament consisted of the three professional teams in Canada in a home-and-away series with the top team winning entry into the qualifying stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. These teams competed in the two top US-based professional soccer leagues, which in 2010 wasMajor League Soccer and the temporaryUSSF Division 2 Professional League. In 2011, theNorth American Soccer League received sanctioning as the USSF's new second-division league.

WhenFC Edmonton joined the NASL in 2011, the tournament was expanded to include all four professional clubs in the country. The tournament consisted oftwo-legged semifinals and a two-legged final. In the first semifinal of 2011, Toronto, as reigning champions, was assigned the first-place seed and played Edmonton, which was assigned the fourth seed as newcomers to the tournament. The two remaining teams, Montreal and Vancouver, faced off in the other semifinal. This was to be followed by a one-game final to be hosted by the highest remaining seed;^[25] but the Canadian Soccer Association decided to go with a two-legged final instead. The format was repeated in subsequent years with the previous year's league placement being used to seed the teams.^[2]

Starting with the 2014 competition, due to the introduction of theOttawa Fury FC to the NASL, the two Canadian NASL teams played in a play-off quarter-final to determine which team made it to the semi-finals, in which the MLS teams were introduced.^[26]

Due to scheduling conflicts with the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup,^[27] the 2015 edition was held during April, May, and August^[28] but did not provide a competitor for the2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League; instead the best-placed Canadian Major League Soccer team in the2014 regular season was the country's representative.^[27] The Whitecaps qualified for the championship on October 19, 2014.^[29] The winner of the2015 Canadian Championship qualified for the2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League instead and starting in 2016, the competition will be held in June and July.^[27]

Since 2017, competition regulations state that each team must field a minimum of three Canadian starters for each match.^[30]

In 2018, following the suspension of operations at FC Edmonton, the format of the Championship was amended once more to allow for the admission of two clubs from the Division 3 provincial leagues:League1 Ontario andPremière ligue de soccer du Québec.^[31] The two provincial champions meet in a first qualifying round, with the winner progressing to meet the sole CanadianUSL team (not includingToronto FC II, which is a department of the MLS side Toronto FC), Ottawa Fury FC in a second qualifying round. The winner of this match joins the three Canadian MLS teams in the semifinals.A.S. Blainville andOakville Blue Devils qualified to represent the Quebec and Ontario leagues respectively in 2018.^[32][33]

The 2019 Canadian Championship was the first to feature teams from the newly createdCanadian Premier League. With 13 teams competing, the competition was expanded to include three qualifying rounds along with the semi-finals and final. The first qualifying round began with six teams, with three new teams entering each round until the semi-finals where the previous year's champion entered. All rounds were two-legged match ups.^[15]

In 2021, a format was introduced with four rounds consisting of single leg ties.^[34] First round matchups have been determined geographically (i.e. east and west) and byes have been awarded to the previous year's tournament finalists. In 2024 the format was altered slightly to feature two-legged matchups for the quarter-final and semi-final rounds.^[35] Starting that year, hosting privileges up to the semifinals are based on performances in the past three editions of the tournament.^[35]

Permanent Canadian Championship clubs

2025League1 Canada qualifiers for the Canadian Championship

Clubs that have previously participated

† – Defunct club
‡ – Defunct club replaced byphoenix club

Timeline

As of October 1, 2025

• Statistics forVancouver Whitecaps FC include the originalVancouver Whitecaps who took part in the tournament in the first three editions from 2008 through 2010. This team ceased operations in 2011 and was replaced by a new MLS franchise of the same name and ownership.
• In 2012 theMontreal Impact of MLS replaced the formerMontreal Impact of the NASL in the Canadian Championship. Statistics include data from both iterations of the Impact. They re-branded asCF Montreal in 2021.

The George Gross Memorial Trophy was created by theCanadian Soccer Association in 2008 to recognize each tournament's most valuable player.^[36] The Trophy was named after the lateGeorge Gross, a former soccer administrator and a respected journalist.

Year	Player	Position	Nationality	Team
2008	Matt Jordan	Goalkeeper	United States	Montreal Impact
2009	Dwayne De Rosario	Midfielder	Canada	Toronto FC
2010	Dwayne De Rosario	Midfielder	Canada	Toronto FC
2011	Joao Plata	Forward	Ecuador	Toronto FC
2012	Ryan Johnson	Forward	Jamaica	Toronto FC
2013	Justin Mapp	Midfielder	United States	Montreal Impact
2014	Justin Mapp	Midfielder	United States	Montreal Impact
2015	Russell Teibert	Midfielder	Canada	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2016	Benoît Cheyrou	Midfielder	France	Toronto FC
2017	Sebastian Giovinco	Forward	Italy	Toronto FC
2018	Jonathan Osorio	Midfielder	Canada	Toronto FC
2019	Ignacio Piatti	Forward	Argentina	Montreal Impact
2020	Not awarded[a]
2021	Sebastian Breza	Goalkeeper	Canada	CF Montréal
2022	Ryan Gauld	Midfielder	Scotland	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2023	Julian Gressel	Defender	United States	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2024	Isaac Boehmer	Goalkeeper	Canada	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2025	Ali Ahmed	Midfielder	Canada	Vancouver Whitecaps FC

The Best Young Canadian Player award was created by theCanadian Soccer Association in 2019 to recognize each tournament's best Canadian under-23 player.^[38]

The Top Scorer of the Canadian Championship is the player who scores the most goals during the competition. In case two or more players are tied, the first tiebreaker is most assists and the second tiebreaker is fewest minutes played.^[39]

Year	Player	Nationality	Team	Total
2008	Roberto Brown	Panama	Montreal Impact	2 goals (0 assists, 157 minutes)
2009	Dwayne De Rosario	Canada	Toronto FC	3 goals
2010	Dwayne De Rosario	Canada	Toronto FC	1 goal (1 assist)
2011	Maicon Santos	Brazil	Toronto FC	3 goals
2012	Sebastien Le Toux	France	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	2 goals (0 assists, 168 minutes)
2013	Camilo Sanvezzo	Brazil	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	3 goals
2014	Jack McInerney	United States	Montreal Impact	3 goals
2015	Tomi Ameobi	England	FC Edmonton	4 goals
2016	Jordan Hamilton	Canada	Toronto FC	2 goals (1 assist)
2017	Sebastian Giovinco	Italy	Toronto FC	3 goals
2018	Jonathan Osorio	Canada	Toronto FC	3 goals (1 assist)
2019	Ignacio Piatti	Argentina	Montreal Impact	4 goals
2020	Tristan Borges	Canada	Forge FC	1 goal (0 assists, 67 minutes)
2021	Austin Ricci	Canada	Valour FC	3 goals
2022	Sunusi Ibrahim	Nigeria	CF Montréal	3 goals (0 assists, 62 minutes)
2023	Sunusi Ibrahim	Nigeria	CF Montréal	3 goals
2024	Deandre Kerr	Canada	Toronto FC	5 goals
2025	Samuel Salter	Canada	Atlético Ottawa	4 goals (1 assist)

As of April 30, 2025

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Nationality	Appearances
1	Jonathan Osorio	Toronto FC	Canada	33
2	Russell Teibert	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Canada	32
3	Ashtone Morgan	Toronto FC, Forge FC	Canada	24
4	Kyle Bekker	Toronto FC, Montreal Impact, Forge FC	Canada	21
5	Justin Morrow	Toronto FC	United States	20
6	Eddie Edward	FC Edmonton, Ottawa Fury	Canada	18
	Doneil Henry	Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Canada
	Maxim Tissot	Montreal Impact, Ottawa Fury, Atlético Ottawa	Canada
9	Michael Bradley	Toronto FC	United States	17
	Mark Delgado	Toronto FC	United States

As of October 3, 2025^{[citation needed]}

Rank	Player	Club	Nationality	Goals
1	Jonathan Osorio	Toronto FC	Canada	8
2	Jozy Altidore	Toronto FC	United States	6
	Ryan Gauld	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Scotland
	Sebastian Giovinco	Toronto FC	Italy
	Sunusi Ibrahim	CF Montréal	Nigeria
	Nicolás Mezquida	Vancouver Whitecaps /Vancouver FC	Uruguay
	Ignacio Piatti	Montreal Impact	Argentina
	Samuel Salter	HFX Wanderers /Atlético Ottawa	Canada
9	Tomi Ameobi	FC Edmonton	England	5
	Jordan Hamilton	Toronto FC /Forge FC	Canada
	Deandre Kerr	Toronto FC	Canada
	Prince Owusu	Toronto FC / CF Montréal	Ghana
	Ballou Tabla	CF Montreal / Atlético Ottawa	Canada
	Brian White	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	United States

Bolded players are still active players with a Canadian team.

Season	Player	Club	Nationality	Goals
2008	Roberto Brown	Montreal Impact	Panama	2
	Rohan Ricketts	Toronto FC	England
	Eduardo Sebrango	Vancouver Whitecaps	Cuba
2009	Dwayne De Rosario	Toronto FC	Canada	3
2010	Chad Barrett	Toronto FC	United States	1
	Philippe Billy	Montreal Impact	France
	Peter Byers	Montreal Impact	Antigua and Barbuda
	Dwayne De Rosario	Toronto FC	Canada
	Marcus Haber	Vancouver Whitecaps	Canada
	Ty Harden	Toronto FC	United States
	Ansu Toure	Vancouver Whitecaps	Liberia
2011	Maicon Santos	Toronto FC	Brazil	3
2012	Eric Hassli	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	France	2
	Ryan Johnson	Toronto FC	Jamaica
	Reggie Lambe	Toronto FC	Bermuda
	Sébastien Le Toux	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	France
2013	Camilo	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Brazil	3
2014	Jack McInerney	Montreal Impact	United States	3
2015	Tomi Ameobi	FC Edmonton	England	4
2016	Jonathan Osorio	Toronto FC	Canada	2
	Jordan Hamilton	Toronto FC	Canada
	Nicolás Mezquida	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Uruguay
2017	Sebastian Giovinco	Toronto FC	Italy	3
2018	Jonathan Osorio	Toronto FC	Canada	3
	Jozy Altidore	Toronto FC	United States
	Kei Kamara	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Sierra Leone
2019	Ignacio Piatti	Montreal Impact	Argentina	4
2020	Tristan Borges	Forge FC	Canada	1
	Alejandro Pozuelo	Toronto FC	Spain
2021	Austin Ricci	Valour FC	Canada	3
2022	Myer Bevan	Cavalry FC	New Zealand	3
	Sunusi Ibrahim	CF Montréal	Nigeria
	Brian White	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	United States
2023	Sunusi Ibrahim	CF Montréal	Nigeria	3
2024	Deandre Kerr	Toronto FC	Canada	5
2025	Julian Altobelli	York United FC	Canada	4
	Samuel Salter	Atlético Ottawa	Canada

• Canada Soccer's National Championships
• Canadian soccer clubs in international competitions
• Open Canada Cup
• Canada Cup (soccer)

• Official website
• Canada Soccer Records & Results
• Canadian Championship Final Match Program
• Canada - List of Champions, RSSSF.com

• Canadian Championship
• National association football cups
• Soccer cup competitions in Canada
• National championships in Canada
• Voyageurs Cup

• Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
• Articles with short description
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