The preliminary round for the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship is now set, after Canada Soccer conducted the official draw on Saturday at the OneSoccer studio.
Fourteen of the 15 competing clubs will enter in this first round, with the Vancouver Whitecaps (the top-ranked side in the Canadian Championship Ranking Index) receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.
All eight Canadian Premier League teams, as well as League1 Canada provincial champions Langley United (League1 BC), Calgary Blizzard SC (League1 Alberta), Woodbridge Strikers SC (League1 Ontario) and CS Saint-Laurent (Ligue1 Québec). Canadian Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC and CF Montréal are also in the preliminary round.
Headlining the list of seven fixtures for this opening stage are a handful of local derbies.
CPL side Vancouver FC will host Langley United, a strategic partner of the club and fellow tenant of Willoughby Community Park. Meanwhile, CPL newcomers FC Supra du Québec will host League1 Ontario champions Woodbridge Strikers.
Alberta's Calgary Blizzard will get a dream trip east to play CF Montréal at Stade Saputo, while reigning CPL champions Atlético Ottawa head to BMO Field to play Toronto FC. It'll be Atleti's first ever meeting with an MLS opponent.
Inter Toronto will host L1Q champs CS Saint-Laurent, who will look to repeat their previous CanChamp success and knock out a CPL opponent.
Finally, a pair of all-CPL matchups offer familiar pairings. Forge FC host the Halifax Wanderers for a second straight year after knocking the Wanderers out in 2025. Meanwhile, Pacific FC host Cavalry FC, as the two sides meet for a fourth year in the Canadian Championship.
The winner of the Pacific-Cavalry clash will advance to play the Whitecaps in the quarter-finals. The bracket is split regionally with three preliminary round ties (including CF Montréal vs. Calgary Blizzard) on the "West" side, and four on the "East."
This year's TELUS Canadian Championship preliminary round will be played between May 5-10.
A full list of matchups is available below:
West:
Bye: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Pacific FC (CPL) vs. Cavalry FC (CPL)
CF Montréal (MLS) vs. Calgary Blizzard SC (L1A)
Vancouver FC (CPL) vs. Langley United (L1BC)
East:
Forge FC (CPL) vs. Halifax Wanderers FC (CPL)
Inter Toronto FC (CPL) vs. CS Saint-Laurent (L1Q)
Toronto FC (MLS) vs. Atlético Ottawa (CPL)
FC Supra du Québec (CPL) vs. Woodbridge Strikers SC (L1O)