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The Canadian Premier League today announced the confirmed matchups and schedule for the first three games of the League’s 2023 playoffs, as well as potential dates for the bracket’s second semifinal and CPL Final, to be hosted in either Calgary or Hamilton.
The quest to reach the marquee CPL Final, hoist the soon-to-be-unveiled North Star Cup and earn a coveted spot in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup begins on Wednesday, October 11, when Pacific FC, which finished in fourth place in the regular season standings, hosts fifth-place finisher York United FC at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C. Kickoff for the opening match of the 2023 playoffs is at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
The winner of the midweek head-to-head between York and Pacific will advance to visit the regular season’s third place finisher, Halifax, in the playoff quarterfinal at Wanderers Grounds in Halifax, NS on Saturday, Oct 14 at 2 p.m. ET/3 p.m. AT. The match in Halifax will be one of two games contested next weekend, with regular season winners Cavalry FC also hosting second-place finishers Forge FC at ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows in the first of two semifinals, on Saturday, October 14 at 5 p.m. ET/3 p.m. MT.
Its opponent for the CPL Final will subsequently be decided in the second semifinal match on Saturday, October 21, when the winner of the meeting between Halifax and either York or Pacific takes on the loser of the match between Cavalry and Forge FC.
Following Saturday’s results, only Cavalry and Forge will be eligible to host the second semifinal match on October 21, as well as the CPL Final. Which team hosts which match will be decided by the result in the qualifying semifinal on Saturday, October 14. The winner of that match will secure home field advantage for the CPL Final, while the loser will host the playoffs’ second semifinal on October 21.
The potential times for the Saturday, October 21 semifinal in those markets are as follows:
- If Cavalry FC host the semifinal the match will be played at 4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. MT at ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, AB.
- If Forge FC host the semifinal, the match will be played at 4 p.m. ET at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont.
The potential dates for a CPL Final in those markets are as follows:
- If Forge FC hosts the CPL Final, the match will be played on Saturday, October 28
- If Cavalry FC host the CPL Final, the match will be played on Sunday, October 29
The CPL’s milestone fifth season marks the first time the League has contested its exciting new expanded five-team playoff format, which both gives an advantage to the teams that put in the most consistent performances over the course of the 2023 regular season, while creating the potential for a Cinderella run by a side that placed lower in the playoff bracket. Teams will be facing elimination in four of the five playoff matches, guaranteeing consistent tension throughout the playoff run.
All of the CPL’s remaining regular season and playoff matches will be broadcast on dedicated soccer channel OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Ch. 980), the pay-TV service operated by Telus, one of Canada’s “big three” telecoms companies, as well as on streaming service fuboTV Canada. OneSoccer is also offered as an affordable streaming service through the OneSoccer.ca website, via Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV devices and with the OneSoccer app for iOS and Android devices.
