Canadian Premier League Finals

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Canadian Premier League Finals
CanPL Finals 2019.jpg
2019 Finals logo
Founded2019
RegionCanadian Premier League (CONCACAF)
Current championsPacific FC
(1st title)
Most successful club(s)Forge FC
(2 titles)
Television broadcastersOneSoccer
2021 Canadian Premier League Final

The Canadian Premier League Finals is the annual championship game of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top level of Canadian soccer. As of the 2021 Final, it is played as a single match hosted by the higher seeded team. The winner of the Finals earns Canada's berth in the following year's CONCACAF League.[1]

The inaugural Finals were held on October 26 and November 2, 2019. The winner is awarded the North Star Shield trophy.[2]

Format[]

Different formats and methods of qualification have been used for each of the first three CPL seasons.

In 2019, the Finals were contested between the winners of the Spring and Fall seasons.[3] The championship was contested as a two-legged tie, with each team hosting one leg at home. The winner was determined by aggregate score but if the aggregate score was tied, the team with the most away goals wins the series. A penalty shoot-out was the final tiebreaker.

The 2020 season saw the end of the split season format, with the 2020 Finals scheduled to be contested between the top-seeded regular season team and the winner of a playoff between the second and third-placed teams.[4] However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the season format was scrapped and replaced with a single-site tournament with a two-stage regular season. The Final was contested in a single match between the two top-seeded teams from the four-team second stage.[5]

The 2021 season used a four-team single leg knockout format with the two first round winners advancing to the Final.[6] The higher-seeded finalist will host the single leg game. If a match is tied at the end of normal playing time, extra time will be played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.[7]

Results[]

Season Date Champions Score Runners-up Venue Attendance Television
2019 Leg 1 October 26 Forge FC 1–0 Cavalry FC Tim Hortons Field 10,486 OneSoccer, CBC Sports
Leg 2 November 2 1–0 ATCO Field 5,831
2020 September 19 Forge FC 2–0 HFX Wanderers FC Alumni Field Closed doors OneSoccer, CBC Sports
2021 December 5 Pacific FC 1–0 Forge FC Tim Hortons Field 7,488 OneSoccer

Records and statistics[]

Finals wins[]

Club Wins Losses Appearances Years of appearance
Forge FC 2 1 3 2019, 2020, 2021
Pacific FC 1 0 1 2021
Cavalry FC 0 1 1 2019
HFX Wanderers FC 0 1 1 2020

Champions records in the CONCACAF League[]

Year Club Result
2019 Forge FC[a] Round of 16
2020 Forge FC Quarter-finals
2021 Forge FC Semi-finals
Note
  1. ^ For the inaugural CPL season, Forge FC qualified as the winner of the 2019 Canadian CONCACAF League series.

Trophy[]

The winning team is presented with the North Star Shield. It is a solid crystal circular shield engraved with the league's logo. The shield sits atop a maple wood base. The winners and finalists are also presented with gold and silver medals respectively.[8]

Venues[]

Name Location Hosted Years hosted
Tim Hortons Field Hamilton, Ontario 2 2019, 2021
Alumni Field Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island 1 2020
ATCO Field Foothills County, Alberta 1 2019

References[]

  1. ^ "CONCACAF creates club competition opening for a CPL team". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Spencer, Donna (November 2, 2019). "Forge claim inaugural CPL championship with gritty win over Cavalry". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  3. ^ Jacques, John (June 21, 2019). "Canadian Premier League Announces Championship Format". Northern Tribune. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Rhodes, Benedict (February 21, 2020). "Canadian Premier League releases 2020 schedule and format". Waking the Red. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  5. ^ "The Island Games". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "CPL reveals 2021 season format: 28-game schedule to conclude with four-team playoff for championship". Canadian Premier League. June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "2021 CPL Final: Tentative dates set for championship match next weekend". Canadian Premier League. November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Molinaro, John (October 25, 2019). "CPL unveils its championship trophy: The North Star Shield". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
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