Preliminary Round Action Kicks Off in the 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship

The 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship Preliminary Round begins today, officially kicking off this year’s chase for the Voyageurs Cup. Fans across the country can look forward to  an exciting spring of action as the nation’s top men’s professional and semi-professional clubs clash in the iconic “Battle of the North.”

This year’s competition is historic, with a record 15 teams vying for Canadian soccer supremacy. The seven Preliminary Round winners will join defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC — who received a bye into the Quarter-Final stage — as the competition ramps-up. Quarter-Finals will be played over two legs in May and July.

Familiar Favourites and New Faces

The TELUS Canadian Championship represents the crowning of the best in Canadian soccer, with Toronto FC and CF Montréal combining for 13 of the 17 championships, while Vancouver Whitecaps FC captured their third consecutive Voyageurs Cup in 2024

This year’s Preliminary Round promises high drama, featuring a mix of established powerhouses, ambitious challengers and captivating storylines. Notably:

• TSS Rovers FC made history in 2023, becoming the first League1 Canada side to defeat a professional club in the competition, knocking off Valour FC 3-1. The two sides meet again on Wednesday, 7 May.
• Scrosoppi FC and Edmonton Scottish United SC will make their tournament debuts after lifting the League1 Ontario and League1 Alberta trophies, respectively.
• The fierce rivalry between Toronto FC and CF Montréal will be reignited on Wednesday, 30 April, with both clubs having rich histories in the tournament.
• All-time leader in TELUS Canadian Championship appearances (32) and goals (8) Jonathan Osorio will look to expand his lead in both categories during this edition of the competition.
• Pacific FC and Vancouver FC will meet for the first time in TELUS Canadian Championship play, adding a new chapter to their growing west-coast rivalry.

Preliminary Round Fixtures

• Atlético Ottawa vs. Scrosoppi FC – Tuesday, 29 April
• Cavalry FC vs. Edmonton Scottish United SC – Tuesday, 29 April
• Toronto FC vs. CF Montréal – Wednesday, 30 April
• Pacific FC vs. Vancouver FC – Tuesday, 6 May
• York United FC vs. FC Laval – Tuesday, 6 May
• Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers FC – Wednesday, 7 May
• Valour FC vs. TSS Rovers FC – Wednesday, 7 May

Broadcast

All matches in the TELUS Canadian Championship can be watched live on OneSoccer, available on the fuboTV Canada streaming service platform, as a linear channel on TELUS Optik TV (Ch. 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app. Fans can follow the journey across Canada Soccer’s official channels on Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube with the hashtag #CanChamp.

About the TELUS Canadian Championship

The TELUS Canadian Championship is the premier annual professional soccer competition in Canada, featuring the Canadian teams from Major League Soccer (MLS), the Canadian Premier League (CPL), and league champions from League1 BC, League1 Alberta, League1 Ontario and Ligue1 Québec. Teams compete for the prestigious Voyageurs Cup, a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and the pride of being crowned Canadian Champions.