2023 Challenge Trophy


The 2023 Canada Soccer National Championships was the 99th staging of Canada Soccer's amateur football club competition. West Ottawa SC won the Challenge Trophy after they beat Western Halifax FC in the Canadian Final at Mainland Commons in Halifax on 9 October 2023.
West Ottawa SC won 1-0 in the Canadian Final with the lone goal scored by Zach El Shafei.
Ten teams qualified to the final week of the 2023 National Championships in Halifax. Each team played four group matches before the medal and ranking matches on the last day.
On the road to the National Championships, West Ottawa SC beat Scarborough GS United in the 2023 Ontario Cup Final.

Teams

Teams were seeded on the basis of their Provincial/Territorial Associations team's final
standing in the previous year's championship.
Group AGroup B
cncl|Ontario|link=Ontario Soccer Association

Teams

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.
For the 2023 tournament, nine provincial associations confirmed their participation, with Nova Scotia fielding two teams as the host.
ProvinceTeamQualified asPrevious appearances in tournament[|1]Previous best performance
sort|1|Championssort|Alberta|cncl|Alberta|link=Alberta Soccer Association

Venues

Matches took place at three different venues within the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Group stage

Competing teams were 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 were later confirmed on 15 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:
  1. Most points in all group matches;
  2. If two teams are tied in points in all group matches:
  3. # Greater number of points in matches between the teams concerned ;
  4. # Greater goal difference in all group matches;
  5. # Greater number of goals scored in all group matches;
  6. # Kicks from the penalty mark as per the Laws of the Game, at a time and place decided by the Canada Soccer General Coordinator.
  7. If three or more teams are tied in points in all group matches, the following are the only criteria to break the tie:
  8. # Greater goal difference in matches between the teams concerned ;
  9. # Greater number of goals scored in all matches between the teams concerned;
  10. # Greater goal difference in all group matches;
  11. # Greater number of goals scored in all group matches;
  12. # Drawing of lots to determine ranking at a time and place decided by the Match Commissioner.

Group A


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Group B


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Final round

The final round paired equally-ranked opponents from opposite groups to determine a final ranking for the tournament.
Match was originally scheduled to be played at Bedford-Hammond Plains in Bedford, but was moved indoors to the BMO Soccer Centre in Halifax due to field damage caused by Tropical Storm Philippe.

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Statistics

Classification

Per statistical convention in football, matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.