The 2023 Challenge Trophy (French: Trophée Challenge 2023, part of the Toyota National Championships for sponsorship reasons) will be the 99th edition of the Challenge Trophy, an annual cup competition contested by amateur teams in men's Canadian soccer. Ten teams are scheduled to participate in the tournament, which will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 4–9 October 2023.[1]
Each of Canada Soccer's thirteen provincial and territorial associations can send one representative to the Challenge Trophy, with teams generally qualifying through a regional preliminary series such as an open cup or league competition.[2]
For the 2023 tournament, nine provincial associations confirmed their participation, with Nova Scotia fielding two teams as the host.
The draw for the group stage was held in August 2023, with the 10 teams drawn into two groups of five. For the draw, the teams were seeded into five pots of two teams, based on the final positions of representative provinces at the 2022 Challenge Trophy.
Competing teams are divided into two groups of five teams, playing against one another in a single round-robin and advancing to the final round based on their group positioning.
The preliminary schedule was released by Canada Soccer in August 2023 without locations or kick-off times, which will be confirmed in mid-September. Teams were given bye days based on the pot they were drawn from, with pot 1 teams receiving byes on the 5th day of the group stage, pot 2 teams receiving byes on the 4th day of the group stage, etc.
Tie-breaking criteria for group play
The following criteria shall be used to determine the final standings:[2]
Most points in all group matches;
Greater number of points in matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head competition);
Greater goal difference in all group matches;
Greater number of goals scored in all group matches;
Kicks from the penalty mark as per the Laws of the Game, at a time and place decided by the Canada Soccer General Coordinator.
The final round (known as Teck Finals Day for sponsorship reasons) pairs equally-ranked opponents from opposite groups to determine a final ranking for the tournament.
^"Canada Soccer Announces Hosts of the 2022–24 Toyota National Championships". ontariosoccer.com. Ontario Soccer Association. March 22, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2022. In 2023, the U-15 Cup will be held in Waterloo Region, ON, the U-17 Cup in Moncton, NB, and the Jubilee/Challenge Trophy competitions in Halifax, NS.
^"Adult Provincial Championships Day 1 Recap". BC Soccer. April 29, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023. Finally, the day ended with the much anticipated Men's A Cup final, a matchup between two familiar foes. It was a tightly contested battle, with both teams playing tough defense and looking for their chances on the counterattack. But it was the BB5 who managed to find the back of the net late in the game, securing a 1-1 tie and taking the championship after winning in the kicks from the penalty mark.
^Cleary, Ben (August 14, 2023). "Holy Cross and Fieldians claim women's and men's provincial senior soccer titles". Newfoundland Television. Retrieved August 14, 2023. Feildians Athletic Association are the new champions of the Johnson Insurance Challenge Cup. Feildians defeated Holy Cross 1-0 in overtime Sunday afternoon at Topsail Field. The game was scoreless through 90 minutes of regulation time, which triggered 30 minutes of overtime. Finley Manning of Feildians got the game winner near the end of the first 15 minutes, and the team held the lead through the remainder of the game. Feildians goalkeeper Sam Hawco received the Gerard Quirke Award as MVP of the playoffs. Both teams will now represent the province at the Toyota National Challenge Trophy championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Ottawa Gloucester Celtic
British Columbia
Alberta
Manitoba
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
