The Canadian Championship final is the championship match or two-legged tie to determine the winner of the Canadian Championship. It was first held in 2011 following Canadian Soccer Association's decision to replace the round-robin format with a knockout tournament to reduce fixture congestion for the participating teams. The final was played as a two-legged series until changing to a single match in 2019.

Toronto FC are the most successful team in the finals, having won it six times. Since its inception, a non-Major League Soccer club has only reached the final twice: once due to a revised competition format for the shortened 2020 season where the Canadian Premier League automatically gained a berth into the final, and again in 2025.

Despite playing in five semi-finals, FC Edmonton were never able to reach the finals during their eleven seasons of professional soccer.

History

From 2008 to 2010, the Canadian Championship was played as a round-robin tournament between Canada's three professional soccer clubs: the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. In 2011, the addition of FC Edmonton to Canadian professional soccer meant that a league format would require each participant to play six matches instead of four, something that was unpopular with the participating clubs' players and staff. The round-robin format was also responsible for the controversial end of the 2009 Canadian Championship, which brought about further demand for a change in format, where a team could not suffer due to the results of a match between two other teams.[citation needed] The addition of a fourth team also meant that they could instead run the competition as an even two round tournament with no team requiring byes. It was decided in 2011 that the competition would be reformatted to have a two-legged semifinal round, of which the winners would then face each other in a single match final hosted by the higher seeded team.[citation needed] Before the beginning of the competition, this format was slightly amended once more so that the final would also be played over two legs.

As more Canadian teams were created and gained access into the Canadian Championship in the late 2010s, all rounds including the final would start to be played as a single match starting in 2021, with the host team being determined by draw at the beginning of the competition. In 2024, Canada Soccer brought back the usage of two-legged ties for the quarter-final and semi-final rounds, but the final remained as a single match.

Finals

Key
§Match decided by a penalty shoot-out with no extra time
&Series decided by away goals rule
^Attendance record
YearDate(s)WinnerScore(s)Runner-upVenueCityAttendance
2008round-robin format, no final held
2009
2010
2011May 18, 2011Toronto FC1–1Vancouver Whitecaps FCEmpire FieldVancouver, BC15,474
July 2, 20112–1BMO FieldToronto, ON18,212
2012May 16, 2012Toronto FC1–1Vancouver Whitecaps FCBC PlaceVancouver, BC14,878
May 23, 20121–0BMO FieldToronto, ON13,777
2013May 15, 2013Montreal Impact&0–0 &Vancouver Whitecaps FCStade SaputoMontreal, QC12,016
May 29, 2013&2–2 &BC PlaceVancouver, BC18,183
2014May 28, 2014Montreal Impact1–1Toronto FCBMO FieldToronto, ON18,269
June 4, 20141–0Stade SaputoMontreal, QC13,423
2015August 12, 2015Vancouver Whitecaps FC2–2Montreal ImpactStade SaputoMontreal, QC12,395
August 26, 20152–0BC PlaceVancouver, BC19,616
2016June 21, 2016Toronto FC&1–0 &Vancouver Whitecaps FCBMO FieldToronto, ON20,011
June 29, 2016&1–2 &BC PlaceVancouver, BC19,376
2017June 21, 2017Toronto FC1–1Montreal ImpactStade SaputoMontreal, QC14,329
June 27, 20172–1BMO FieldToronto, ON26,539 ^
2018August 8, 2018Toronto FC2–2Vancouver Whitecaps FCBC PlaceVancouver, BC16,833
August 15, 20185–2BMO FieldToronto, ON14,994
2019September 18, 2019Montreal Impact1–0Toronto FCStade SaputoMontreal, QC10,807
September 25, 2019§0–1 § (3–1 p)BMO FieldToronto, ON21,365
2020June 4, 2022Toronto FC§1–1 § (5–4 p)Forge FCTim Hortons FieldHamilton, ON13,715
2021November 21, 2021CF Montréal1–0Toronto FCStade SaputoMontreal, QC12,000
2022July 26, 2022Vancouver Whitecaps FC§1–1 § (5–3 p)Toronto FCBC PlaceVancouver, BC24,307
2023June 7, 2023Vancouver Whitecaps FC2–1CF MontréalBC PlaceVancouver, BC20,072
2024September 25, 2024Vancouver Whitecaps FC§0–0 § (4–2 p)Toronto FCBC PlaceVancouver, BC12,516
2025October 1, 2025Vancouver Whitecaps FC4–2Vancouver FCBC PlaceVancouver, BC18,372

Statistics

Team records

Appearances

As of 2025 final

ClubApp.WLW%Years wonYears lost
Toronto FC116554.52011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 20202014, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024
Vancouver Whitecaps FC105550.02015, 2022, 2023, 2024, 20252011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018
CF Montréal74357.12013, 2014, 2019, 20212015, 2017, 2023
Forge FC1010.02020
Vancouver FC1010.02025

Streaks

  • Most consecutive final wins: 4 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2022–2025)
  • Most consecutive final appearances: 7 – Toronto FC (2016–2022)

Player records

As of 2025 final

Top finals goalscorers
RankPlayerClubNationalityGoals
1Jozy AltidoreToronto FCUSA4
Sebastian GiovincoToronto FCITA
2Ali AhmedVancouver Whitecaps FCCAN2
Eric HassliVancouver Whitecaps FCFRA
Ryan GauldVancouver Whitecaps FCSCO
Kei KamaraVancouver Whitecaps FCSLE
Felipe MartinsMontreal ImpactBRA
Tim ParkerVancouver Whitecaps FCUSA
Camilo SanvezzoVancouver Whitecaps FCBRA
Brian WhiteVancouver Whitecaps FCUSA

Bold indicates that player is still active for a Canadian club.

See also

Notes