Lone playoff spot, second and third seeds up for grabs on Saturday, Oct. 19
Toronto, ON – The five-team 2024 Canadian Premier League (CPL) playoff picture will be finalized on Saturday, Oct. 19, the last day of this year’s regular season, when all eight clubs will compete concurrently for the first time in League history.
Kickoff for all four matches is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Each of the four games that make up Matchweek 28 will be available for free on OneSoccer’s YouTube channel as part of its The Outcome! Presented By TonyBet coverage, which will be accessible by soccer fans across the country and around the world.
Regular season winners Forge FC as well as Cavalry FC, Atlético Ottawa and York United FC have each clinched a spot in the 2024 CPL Playoffs. Pacific FC, Vancouver FC and Valour FC head into Matchweek 28 still in contention to secure the fifth and final spot in this year’s CPL postseason.
The club that sits fifth in the League’s regular season standings after the final whistle of play on Saturday will advance to face York United FC in the opening match of the 2024 CPL Playoffs, which will be contested on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT at York Lions Stadium. The other two clubs that remained in the playoff hunt going into the matchweek will officially be eliminated.
The following are Matchweek 28 playoff clinch scenarios for Pacific FC, Vancouver FC and Valour FC.
- Pacific FC will clinch a berth in the 2024 CPL Playoffs if:
- Pacific FC beat Forge FC
- Pacific FC draw against Forge FC AND Vancouver FC draw or lose against Atlético Ottawa
- Pacific FC lose against Forge FC AND Vancouver FC draw or lose against Atlético Ottawa AND Valour FC draw or lose against Cavalry FC
- Vancouver FC will clinch a berth in the 2024 CPL Playoffs if:
- Vancouver FC beat Atlético Ottawa AND Pacific FC draw or lose against Forge FC
- Valour FC will clinch a berth in the 2024 CPL Playoffs if:
- Valour FC beat Cavalry FC AND Vancouver FC draw or lose against Atlético Ottawa AND Pacific FC lose against Forge FC
Meanwhile, Cavalry FC and Atlético Ottawa will compete to secure the coveted second spot in the CPL’s regular season standings. The club that finishes second in the table will land the opportunity to battle Forge in its first match of the 2024 CPL Playoffs. The winner of that match, which will be played on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT at Tim Hortons Field, will earn the right to host the marquee 2024 CPL Final.
The following scenarios will see either Cavalry FC or Atlético Ottawa clinch second place in the 2024 CPL regular season standings during Matchweek 28.
- Cavalry FC will clinch second place in the 2024 CPL regular season standings if:
- Cavalry FC beat Valour FC
- Cavalry FC draw or lose against Valour FC AND Atlético Ottawa draw or lose against Vancouver FC
- Atlético Ottawa will clinch second place in the 2024 CPL regular season standings if:
- Atlético Ottawa beat Vancouver FC AND Cavalry FC draw or lose against Valour FC
If two clubs finish the 2024 CPL regular season with the same number of points, tiebreakers will be exercised in the following order:
- Total number of wins
- Head-to-Head
- Goal Differential
- Goals For
- Away goals differential
- Away goals for
- Home goals differential
- Home goals for
- Fewest Disciplinary Points
- Most Under-21 Domestic Player Minutes
- Coin toss (tie between two (2) Clubs) or drawing of lots (tie between three (3) or more Clubs)
If two clubs are tied on points and total number of wins at the end of the 2024 CPL regular season, the second tiebreaker, head-to-head, will be exercised in the following order:
- a) Total points from head-to-head matchup
b) Greater goal differential from head-to-head matchups
The third tiebreaker, total goal difference, will only be exercised if the tied clubs remain deadlocked after both tiebreakers 2 a) and 2 b) are calculated.
As part of The Outcome! Presented By TonyBet, OneSoccer’s main channel will feature the TonyBet Match of the Week between Atlético Ottawa and Vancouver FC, with both English and French commentary available to viewers. Subscribers to OneSoccer can tune in at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT to be treated to an hour-long pre-game show hosted by award-winning broadcaster Andi Petrillo, alongside analysts Gareth Wheeler and Jordan Wilson. Kristian Jack will report live from the sidelines at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C. and OneSoccer will provide whip-around coverage during play, featuring updates from around the CPL to ensure viewers don’t miss a moment of the gripping action in all four matches. Subscribers will also have access to an hour-long playoff preview edition of Match Night, OneSoccer’s flagship show, following the day’s games.
OneSoccer is available as an affordable streaming service through the OneSoccer.ca website, via Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV devices, on streaming service fuboTV Canada and with the OneSoccer app for iOS and Android devices. It is also available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Channel 980), the pay-TV service operated by TELUS. Channel 980 is currently available to all Telus Optik TV customers through a Free Preview, which runs from Monday, Oct. 14 to Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The 2024 CPL Playoffs will subsequently kick off on Wednesday, Oct. 23 and run through the 2024 CPL Final. The preeminent match of the 2024 CPL calendar will be played on Saturday, Nov. 9, and broadcast live on OneSoccer, CBC, CBC Gem and cbcsports.ca.
Find more details on the CPL’s playoff format here; more information on the playoff schedule will be announced once matchups are confirmed following the conclusion of play on Saturday, Oct. 19.