The Canadian Premier League will open its season in Winnipeg.
The first games will be played on Saturday, June 26 with each club playing eight matches (32 games total) and all matches broadcast exclusively via OneSoccer.
“The level of support from the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg who have been at the forefront of all our planning has been tremendous and focused on delivering the season with safety for all a top priority,” said Canadian Premier League Commissioner, David Clanachan. “Everyone has come together to make this happen. We know what it takes, we have the playbook, and we know how to execute flawlessly as we did in 2020. We are planning to return to our home markets to play matches in front of fans following the single-city portion of the schedule.”
The CPL and the Province of Manitoba have been working to finalize the details on the 29-day single-city format, which will abide by all mandated public health protocols and measures.
The tournament is being supported by a commitment from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Winnipeg through a provincial long-term recovery fund. In November 2020, the Manitoba government provided $50 million to these organizations to administer towards Manitoba’s long-term economic recovery from COVID-19 and support projects that can kick-start the provincial economy.
“This major sporting event is going to be done safely and will be a boost for our tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the pandemic,” said Dayna Spiring, President & CEO, Economic Development Winnipeg. “The Kickoff will translate into more than 5,500 booked hotel room nights and $4.9M in economic spinoff. In addition, international media coverage will elevate Winnipeg on the global stage and position us as a premier city to host similar events in the future.”
The event will kick-off on Saturday, June 26 with the first two regular season matches and is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, July 24 at which point the potential of clubs returning to their home markets in front of supporters will be re-evaluated.
The Kickoff Weekend gets started at 3 p.m. AT on Saturday, June 26 with FC Edmonton vs Atlético Ottawa followed by Pacific FC vs Halifax Wanderers FC at 6 p.m. AT
The doubleheader matches continue Sunday, June 27 with Forge FC vs Valour FC followed by Cavalry FC vs York United FC at IG Field, the home of Valour FC.
