2023 Canadian Premier League season
The 2023 Canadian Premier League season was the fifth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. The CPL Shield was won by Cavalry FC who finished first in the regular season by a 13 point margin. In the CPL final, Forge FC defeated Cavalry FC 2–1 in Hamilton to capture the North Star Cup. In doing so, Forge became league champions for the fourth time in five seasons. Both title winning clubs qualified for the newly expanded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Team and rule changes
Eight teams are competing in the 2023 season with the debut of Vancouver FC, and the dissolution of FC Edmonton. The player compensation budget increased by $175,000 compared to 2022. Teams must spend between $750,000 and $1,025,000 on their 20–23 player rosters with a minimum of $30,000 per player. A team making full use of the U21 salary rule can reach a compensation maximum of $1,125,000. The league's play-off structure changed to a five-team Page playoff system with four elimination matches and one non-elimination match. Teams

Stadiums and locations

Personnel and sponsorship

Number of teams by province or territory

Coaching changes

Regular season

Format
The regular season will be played as a quadruple round-robin, with each team playing the other seven teams twice at home and twice away between April 15 and October 7. The regular season winner, the team ranked first after all 28 games, qualifies for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup and the top five teams qualify for the playoffs. Standings

Results

U-21 minute standings 
In order to qualify for the playoffs, clubs also must accumulate at least 2,000 minutes played by U-21 domestic players during the regular season. Additionally, only 1,000 of these minutes can be played by players on loan from other clubs. Clubs that do not meet the 2,000 minute threshold may also incur financial penalties from the league. Playoffs
The 2023 season will use the Page playoff system. The team who finishes first in the regular-season table will play the team who finishes second, and the winner will host the final. The fourth- and fifth-placed teams will play in a play-in round, the winner of this game will play the third-placed team in a quarter-final. The quarter-final winner will play the loser of the game between the first and second placed teams for the other spot in the final. Bracket

Matches

Play-in round

Quarterfinal

First semifinal

Second semifinal

Final

Attendance

Statistical leaders

Top scorers

Top assists

Clean sheets

Hat-tricks

Awards

Canadian Premier League Awards 
Awarded on October 26, 2023

Team of the Week 
The Gatorade Team of the Week is selected by the CPL's Kristian Jack and OneSoccer's Oliver Platt. Monthly Awards

Player transfers

U Sports Draft
The 2023 CPL–U Sports Draft took place on December 15, 2022. Each team made two picks in the draft for a total of 16 selections with expansion club Vancouver FC selecting first. Foreign players 

Canadian Premier League teams can sign a maximum of seven international players, out of which only five can be in the starting line-up for each match. At least 50% of a team's international players must be U23 at all times. If a club wishes to utilize the maximum 7 slots, the 7th player must be U21. The following international players have signed for the 2023 season. Note that players may be considered domestic for CPL purposes (Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees) while still representing other countries in international competitions. Players in italic denote players new to their respective clubs for the 2023 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement. Players in Bold indicate players who have represented their national teams at the senior level. 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup
The 2023 CPL playoff champion and 2023 CPL regular season winner will both earn berths in the newly expanded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, competing against teams from across North America, Central America and Caribbean for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup. Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup is also available to CPL clubs by winning the Canadian Championship; however, the 2023 Canadian Championship was not won by a CPL team. If a CPL club qualifies to the CCC through multiple means, the additional berth will be awarded to CPL club with the best regular season record, not already qualified. Notes

References 

 
Canadian Premier League seasons
Canadian Premier League