For the first time in Canadian Premier League history, the final matchday of the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 19 will feature all four matches being played simultaneously as part of The Outcome! presented by TonyBet.
Kicking off at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT, the Halifax Wanderers will host York United, Atlético Ottawa host Vancouver FC, Pacific FC host Forge FC and Valour FC host Cavalry FC.
So what is on the line, and what else do you need to know? Here are the answers to The Outcome!‘s most important questions:
How can I watch the games?
For the first time in league history, all four matches will be played concurrently on the OneSoccer YouTube channel. OneSoccer’s main channel will also feature the TonyBet Match of the Week as Atlético Ottawa hosts Vancouver FC.
OneSoccer subscribers can tune into an hour-long pre and post-game show featuring Andi Petrillo, Gareth Wheeler and Jordan Wilson, with Kristian Jack reporting live from Starlight Stadium where Pacific FC will be taking on Forge FC.
Fans in local markets can also buy tickets to support their teams in these critical fixtures.
What has already been decided?
Four teams have already secured playoff spots heading into this weekend: Forge FC, Cavalry FC, Atlético Ottawa and York United. However, only regular season winners Forge, and York United, who will finish fourth regardless of what happens during The Outcome!, know their final position in the table.
The only team who have been eliminated from playoff contention heading into the final weekend of the season are the Halifax Wanderers, who saw their hopes come to an end following a 2-1 loss to Cavalry FC last weekend at ATCO Field.
Why is finishing second so important?
Finishing the regular season in second place would mean Cavalry FC head to Hamilton on Sunday, Oct. 27 to face Forge FC in the qualifying semifinal. The winner of that match not only earns a spot in the 2024 CPL Final, but will also host that match.
The loser, meanwhile, gets a second chance to reach the final as they host a semifinal match against the winner of the matchup between the league’s third-place finisher and the winner of the fourth/fifth match.
How does the rest of the playoff format work?
This is the second year the CPL has used its five-team playoff format, which debuted in 2023. It provides unique benefits for each of the five positions in the table, which is why clubs have been battling so intensely for positioning in the last few weeks of the season.
Here’s the full layout, and how the bracket would look if the playoffs were beginning today: (FINAL RESULTS ARE STILL TO BE DETERMINED ON OCTOBER 19)
How can Cavalry FC finish second?
Cavalry currently occupy second place with 45 points, two more than Atlético Ottawa. There are two paths for Cavalry to finish second:
- Cavalry defeat Valour FC, OR
- Atlético Ottawa do not beat Vancouver FC, regardless of what happens in Cavalry’s match
What are the tiebreaker rules?
Should clubs finish even on points after Saturday’s match, here are the tiebreakers that will come into play:
- Total number of wins
- Head-to-head (record, and then head-to-head goal difference if still tied)
- 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)
Do any teams still need U-21 minutes?
Yes; another wrinkle in Saturday’s action will be that four teams still need to collect a few more minutes from domestic U-21 players in order to fulfill their requirement of 2,000 and be eligible for the playoffs.
Pacific, Vancouver, York and Cavalry have all crossed the line. Atlético Ottawa and Forge have a few minutes still to collect, at 48 and 51 remaining, respectively. Valour require 76 minutes on Saturday.
Halifax, who have already been eliminated from the playoff hunt, still need to amass 125 U-21 minutes to hit their quota and avoid penalty.
| Club | Total U-21 Minutes |
| Pacific FC | 4,722 |
| Vancouver FC | 2,987 |
| York United FC | 2,919 |
| Cavalry FC | 2,150 |
| Atlético Ottawa | 1,952 |
| Forge FC | 1,949 |
| Valour FC | 1,924 |
| Halifax Wanderers FC | 1,875 |
Who can win the 2024 Canadian Premier League Golden Boot?
Decided along with final positioning this weekend will be the winner, or winners, of the 2024 Canadian Premier League Golden Boot. The award is handed out each year to the league’s leading goalscorer after the regular season.
With no tiebreaker, however, this can be shared by multiple players, such as last season when Cavalry FC’s Myer Bevan and Atlético Ottawa’s Ollie Bassett shared the award with 11 goals each.
Currently, Atlético Ottawa’s Rubén del Campo leads the way with 11 goals, with Vancouver FC’s Alejandro Díaz and Cavalry’s Tobias Warschewski hot on his heels with 10 goals each.
How do the other CPL awards work?
CPL Award voting will open to select media and coaches at the conclusion of the 2024 CPL regular season and will conclude prior to the league’s first playoff match on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
As such, players will be adjudicated solely on their regular season performances. Award nominees will be revealed in the lead-up to the 2024 CPL Awards, which will be held on Thursday, Nov. 7 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) in the host city of the 2024 CPL Final.
The awards show will be streamed live on CBC Gem and cbcsports.ca, as well as OneSoccer.