Prior to the start of the 2023 CPL campaign, The Canadian Premier League unveiled its new 5 team playoff format.
For the first time, the CPL will expand its postseason to include five teams, with a redesigned path to the Final that will put added emphasis on the regular season standings and give an advantage to the sides that have been most consistently strong throughout the year.
The new-look bracket is below, but a few key elements stand out. The top two teams will meet in a kind of semifinal match (hosted by the regular season champions), with the winner going directly to the CPL Final. However, all is not lost for the losing side, who enter the bottom half of the bracket and host a second semifinal against either the third-, fourth-, or fifth-placed team.
As the bracket shows, the fourth-place team hosts a knockout match in a play-in round against fifth place, with the winner heading to the home of the third-place club. The winner of that, of course, will be awaited by the aforementioned first- or second-placed side in a match that will determine the second finalist.
Under this format, the league will see the exact same number of total playoff games (five) as it did in 2022, but each will have additional significance and higher stakes as a single-elimination match rather than part of a two-legged tie. Also identical to 2022: Each of the top four sides are guaranteed to host at least one playoff game – and this time, that home game will be a do-or-die encounter.
A champion will be crowned the weekend of October 28-29, but exactly what path that team takes en route to its triumph could differ. To help break it all down, here are a few key takeaways from the CPL’s new playoff bracket.
Under this format, the order of finish for teams in the regular season takes far more importance than ever before. Each spot from first to fifth comes with particular advantages or disadvantages, which will encourage teams to jockey for position right down to the end of the season.
First and Second Place Scenario
Finishing in the top of the table is always the goal for every club coming into a CPL campaign, but this year it holds a top 2 finish leaves even more to desire. The first place team in the CPL will not only bring home the regular season title, they will also host an in kind semi-final match against the second place team in the regular season to see who will host the CPL Finals. The loser of this matchup will still have a chance at the title being place back into the playoff bracket to play another semi-final match.
This format places an even more desirable emphasis on finishing in the top 2 of the league providing an oppurtunity for the two clubs to battle for the hosting right of the CPL Final, giving the teams the chance to earn some extra rest before the finals, and also gives the loser of the matchup a second chance at the title even if they lose the first matchup.
Fifth Place Finish
Who doesn’t love an underdog story. While this format is deliberately designed to favour the sides finishing higher in the regular season standings (and rightfully so), it does open the door for an unlikely winner to come through and surprise all of its fans.
The road from fifth place to the Final is far more difficult than it is for first place. A team would need to win three straight knockout clashes, all of them away from home, just to get to the championship match — where they’d play a very strong, well-rested team. Still, the slim potential is there for a team that catches fire at the right time.
Fourth Place Scenario
Similar to the fifth place finishers, the club enterring playoffs in fourth will need to win three straight knockout matches to get to the championship match. The only difference — the fourth place club will get to host its first playoff match against fifth place club to continue on its own underdog story for the CPL championship.
Third Place Scenario
The club who finishes in third place has the most recognizable position as far as playoff scenarios goes for any club who makes it. The club in this position will have the oppurtunity to rest before hosting the winner of the play-in round between the fifth and fourth place clubs in the quarter-final round. From that point on the club would be playing away from home for the next two matches if they advanced in the hopes of bringing home a North Star Shield.