On Saturday night, the road to the Voyageurs Cup was unveiled as the draw for the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship took place.
This year's tournament will not feature a re-draw after the quarter-final round, giving clubs a better idea of what their road to the final could look like. The draw also revealed that the final will be hosted by the team that emerges from the west side of the bracket. The Whitecaps have hosted the past four Canadian Championship finals at BC Place.
As the defending champions (for a fourth consecutive year), the Whitecaps will get a bye to the quarter-final round. The remaining 14 teams, including all eight Canadian Premier League sides, begin the tournament in the preliminary round. Those matchups will take place between May 5-10. The winners of that round advance to the home-and-away quarter-finals.
The one preliminary round matchup not involving a Canadian Premier League club sees CF Montréal host League1 Alberta champions Calgary Blizzard. The Blizzard are one of four debutants in the 2026 tournament, including the CPL's FC Supra du Québec, League1 Ontario's Woodbridge Strikers and League1 BC's Langley United. Here is a quick look at the full bracket.
Here is a breakdown of the preliminary round matchups, and the draw in general, for each CPL side.
Toronto FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
The defending CPL champions will face a Major League Soccer club for the first time in club history in next month's Concacaf Champions Cup first round, Nashville SC.
They will now do so for the first time in Canadian Championship action as well, opening the tournament against eight-time champions Toronto FC at BMO Field. Atleti are coming off a run to the tournament semifinals for the first time, but having lost to Vancouver FC will be disappointed they couldn't reach the final.
Toronto FC are the only MLS club on the east side of the bracket, and were eliminated in the preliminary round last season, so they will be hungry to set things right in 2026. The winner advances to take on either FC Supra du Québec or Woodbridge Strikers.
Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
The first of two all-CPL matchups in the 2026 Canadian Championship preliminary round sees Forge FC host the Halifax Wanderers for a second consecutive year. The Hamilton club prevailed by a 3-1 scoreline last year.
Forge, who are one of two CPL teams to appear in a Canadian Championship final, have reached the semi-finals in four of the past five editions of the tournament. They have never lost to the Halifax Wanderers at home.
Halifax are looking to advance in the CanChamp for the first time since 2022. Whoever does move on takes on either Inter Toronto or CS Saint-Laurent.
Inter Toronto vs. CS Saint-Laurent
For a second consecutive year, Inter Toronto FC host the Ligue1 Québec champions, which this time are the storied CS Saint-Laurent.
Last year, Inter Toronto defeated FC Laval 5-0 at York Lions Stadium. This year, however, it might be a much taller task as they face a club with history in this competition, CS Saint-Laurent. They became just the second semi-pro team to defeat a CPL club in the competition when they outlasted the Halifax Wanderers on penalties in 2024, before advancing to play Toronto FC.
Still, Inter Toronto will fancy themselves to advance, and would meet another CPL side, either provincial rivals Forge or the Halifax Wanderers, in the quarter-final.
Pacific FC vs. Cavalry FC
The west side of the bracket's all-CPL matchup features Pacific FC hosting Cavalry FC.
This is the fourth time that the two West Coast rivals have met in the tournament, most recently in 2023, with the Tridents winning on penalties. They also eliminated Cavalry back in 2021, with Cavalry prevailing in their first-ever meeting back in 2019.
The winner of the match faces an incredibly difficult challenge: a home-and-away matchup against four-time defending champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps. It is a challenge that both will relish, however.
FC Supra du Québec vs. Woodbridge Strikers
FC Supra kick off their inaugural Canadian Championship against a fellow debutant, League1 Ontario champions Woodbridge Strikers.
Woodbridge topped the table this season with a strong 13-4-3 record, conceding a league-low 18 goals in 20 matches. They are looking to become the first League1 Ontario team to advance in the competition.
For Supra, meanwhile, this could be an exciting opportunity early in the club's history, as advancing would mean playing a home-and-away quarter-final against either CPL Champion Atlético Ottawa or Toronto FC.
Vancouver FC vs. Langley United
After an incredible run to the Canadian Championship final in 2025, Vancouver FC begin the 2026 edition with a local derby against League1 BC champions Langley United.
While it will be a home match for the Eagles, both clubs call Willoughby Community Park home. It will be a fun celebration of local football, but any pleasantries will certainly end at the opening kickoff. Vancouver will be incredibly keen for more Canadian Championship magic, while Langley will want to pull off a cupset of their own.
The winner could face an even bigger challenge, as the winner of CF Montréal and Calgary Blizzard awaits — with the MLS club heavily favoured in that matchup.
