The Canadian Premier League's penultimate matchweek of the 2025 season
Starting on Thursday, it features four matches over four days, all of which have significant implications in the league's final standings.
The CPL Shield could be won, as well as various crucial playoff seeding battles.
As an important reminder this time of year, the first tie breaker in the standings is total number of wins, followed by the head-to-head record between the two (more) clubs before goal differential comes into play. For a full list of tiebreakers, click here.
Here is a look at the playoff bracket as things stand heading into the matchweek, as a reminder of what is at stake for each team as they jockey for various positions ahead of The Outcome -- the final matchday of the CPL season.
Below is a full summary of what is at stake in each of the Canadian Premier League's four matches this Thanksgiving weekend:
Thursday, October 9 - York United vs. Pacific FC
7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on OneSoccer
The CPL weekend begins in Toronto, where the Nine Stripes are looking for a club record eighth home win in their final regular season match at York Lions Stadium.
With a victory, York move up into third place and put the pressure squarely on Cavalry FC on Friday in the race to avoid the mid-week Knockout Match between 4th and 5th that kicks off the 2025 playoffs.
York could also clinch a home playoff match for a second consecutive year if they win on Thursday and the Halifax Wanderers lose in Winnipeg on Saturday. Regardless, a victory on Thursday night and they head into the final week of the season no lower than fourth place.
Friday, October 10 - Cavalry FC vs. Forge FC
9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT on OneSoccer, TSN5
Should Forge defeat Cavalry, and Atlético Ottawa fail to match those three points against Vancouver FC on Sunday, the Hamilton club are back-to-back CPL Shield winners.
Regardless, any points they pick up in Calgary on Friday gives them control of their fate heading into The Outcome, even if Atlético Ottawa defeats Vancouver FC.
This match has big implications for both sides, however. If Cavalry win, the defending CPL champions clinch the third spot, avoiding the mid-week knockout match that begins the playoffs and confirming that they'd host the semi-final qualifier.
Saturday, October 11 - Valour FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT on OneSoccer
On Saturday in Winnipeg, the fifth-place Halifax Wanderers look to get back to winning ways, and in the process climb out of the final playoff spot in their search for just their second-ever home playoff match.
If they lose, and York United win earlier in the week, however, that dream is dead. A win, and York dropping points at home to Pacific, and they move into fourth.
Third place is still a faint possibility as well, but Halifax need to win out, York to be limited to just three points or fewer, and for Cavalry to pick up one point or fewer in their final two matches.
This match is about more than just points for Halifax, however. Heading into the playoffs, they need to prove to themselves that they can win away from home. The Wanderers have not won on the road since May 17.
In their final road match of the regular season, breaking that streak is critical before the playoffs, where they will need to find a way to win outside of Halifax in order to go on any sort of run.
Sunday, October 12 - Atlético Ottawa vs. Vancouver FC
3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT on OneSoccer
The matchweek concludes in the nation's capital, where Atlético Ottawa go into their final home match of the season knowing that only three points guarantee their title hopes remain alive going into The Outcome.
Should Forge win on Friday in Calgary, and Atleti drop points, the Hamilton club clinch the shield. Even a draw would be enough for Forge should Atleti lose as they control the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The best-case scenario for Atleti, of course, would be a Forge loss. Combined with them being Vancouver FC, that would put them at the top of the table heading into the final matchweek for the first time since the start of August.
There is also, of course, a bit of a score to settle here, as the last time these two sides met, Vancouver FC eliminated Atleti from the 2025 Canadian Championship.
Standings heading into Matchweek 27
Here is quick refresher on the standings headed into the weekend's action. As aforementioned, all five playoff places have been clinched, but what order they end up in is still very much up in the air.
