The preliminary round draw for the 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship was conducted Thursday evening at the OneSoccer studios, where the 15 participating clubs learned how their campaign for the Voyageurs’ Cup will begin next season.
Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC and CF Montreal will face off in the preliminary round, as will B.C. rivals Pacific FC and Vancouver FC.
The 2025 competition will be the largest ever, with League1 Alberta represented for the first time by inaugural champions Edmonton Scottish United. The other three League1 Canada divisions from across the country will also take part, with League1 BC champions TSS Rovers back for a third consecutive year, Ligue1 Québec winners FC Laval making their return, and League1 Ontario champions Scrosoppi FC in the tournament for the first time.
Also in the tournament are all eight Canadian Premier League clubs, as well as the three Canadian Major League Soccer sides. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, as defending champions (for a third straight year), received a bye to the quarter-finals, while Toronto FC and CF Montréal will enter in the preliminary round alongside the other 13 competing teams.
This year’s draw was conducted in a regionalized format, with six teams in the West draw pot and eight in the East. Hosting rights for the preliminary round were awarded to the higher-seeded team in Canada Soccer’s Club Ranking Index. A further draw following the quarter-finals to determine the semi-final matchups.
The full schedule will be released later, but the preliminary-round matchups are as follows:
