2025 Canada Soccer National Championships|
| Country | Canada |
|---|
| Dates | 8–13 October 2025 (2025-10-08 – 2025-10-13) |
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| Teams | 8 |
|---|
|
| Champions | Holy Cross FC (2nd title) |
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| Runners-up | Gloucester Celtic FC |
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| Third place | CS Rivière-des-Prairies |
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|
| Matches played | 16 |
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| Goals scored | 51 (3.19 per match) |
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| Attendance | 5,687 (355 per match) |
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|
| Best player | MVP Harry Carter |
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All statistics correct as of 16 February 2026. Goals scored in penalty kicks are excluded from statistics. |
The 2025 Canada Soccer National Championships was the 101st staging of Canada Soccer's amateur football club competition. Holy Cross FC won the Challenge Trophy after they beat Gloucester Celtic FC in the Canadian Final at King George V Park in St. Johns on 13 October 2025.
Newfoundland and Labrador's Holy Cross FC won 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 tie in regular time in the Canadian Final to lift the Challenge Trophy for the second time in their history.
Eight teams qualified to the final week of the 2025 National Championships in St. Johns. Each team played three group matches before advancing to a one game playoff based on their group position. An Ontario team reached the Canadian Final for the sixth consecutive year, and tying the longest streak held by British Columbia who had their teams make six straight final appearances between 1982 and 1987.
Host selection
The Canadian Soccer Association decided to host the 2025 Challenge Trophy and Jubilee Trophy in St. Johns due to King George V Park being the stadium where Canada first qualified for a world cup after winning the 1985 CONCACAF Championship.
Each of Canada Soccer's thirteen member associations were invited to nominate a provincial or territorial representation team for the tournament, with teams generally earning the nomination by qualifying through a preliminary series such as a league competition, open cup, playoff, or single elimination tournament.[1] Based on the number of provincial and territorial entries received, Canada Soccer's Competition Committee determined the competition format — which in this case, also meant awarding a host and additional team entry to ensure an even number of participants and ensuring that participants play in an equal number of matches.
Seeding and groups
Member associations were seeded according to the final classification of their representation teams in the previous year's championship, then assigned to two groups of five using a serpentine distribution method. Associations without representation in the previous year's tournament, host entries, and additional entries were then added to seeding in the order their participation in the competition was confirmed.
Within their groups, the teams played each other once in a single round-robin over the course of four days. The final round was held on days five and six of the competition, with match pairings determined by group standings.
- (H) denotes a host entry
Entrants
Of the 8 teams qualified to play at the 2025 Challenge Trophy, only 2 participated at the previous tournament in 2024 in Surrey. Ontario's representative, Gloucester Celtic FC of Ottawa, made their 3rd appearance in the previous 4 years, with 3 being podium finishes. Meanwhile, Edmonton Scottish returned as Alberta's representative for an impressive 8th time in the last 11 competitions, which also marked their 13th appearance overall.
Newfoundland's Holy Cross FC continued their historic run of Challenge Trophy entries, attending their 12th tournament in 15 years and 23rd overall. Elsewhere, Manitoba's representative team NKMB Saints FC attended the tournament for the first time in the club's 25 year history.
Overall, the field boasted 3 previous champions, including 2024 winners Gloucester Celtic FC. Notably, 2024 runners-up Western Halifax FC did not win Manitoba's qualifying tournament, the MSA Cup in 2025 – meaning they could not have a rematch against 2024 Challenge Trophy winners Gloucester Celtic.
Qualified teams
- Notes
- ^ Bold indicates champion for that year.
(H) indicates the host club
Competition
Group stage
Tiebreakers
| Tie-breaking criteria for group play
|
|
The following criteria is used by Canada Soccer to determine group standings:
- Greater number of points across all group matches
- If two (2) teams are tied in points across all group matches
- Greater number of points in matches between the two (2) tied teams (head-to-head competition)
- Greater goal difference across all group matches
- Greater number of goals for across all group matches
- Penalty kicks at a time and place determined by Canada Soccer
- If three (3) or more teams are tied in points across all group matches
- Greater number of points in matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head competition)
- Greater number of goals for across the matches between the teams concerned
- Greater goal difference across all group matches
- Greater number of goals for across all group matches
- Drawing of lots at a time and place determined by Canada Soccer
|
|
Current as of February 2026, adapted from articles 14.7 and 14.9 of Canada Soccer's 2025 Competition Regulations for National Club Championships[1]
|
Group A
- Matchday 1
- Matchday 2
- Matchday 3
Group B
- Matchday 1
- Matchday 2
- Matchday 3
Final round
Placement matches
- Seventh place match
- Fifth place match
- Bronze medal match
Challenge Trophy final
Standings
Final classification
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided by penalty kicks are denoted as draws.
| Pos
|
Grp
|
Team
|
Pld
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts
|
Final position
|
| 1
|
B
|
Holy Cross FC (S)
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
7
|
Champions
|
| 2
|
A
|
Gloucester Celtic FC (S)
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
14
|
2
|
+12
|
10
|
Runners-up
|
| 3
|
B
|
CS Rivière-des-Praries (S)
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
8
|
4
|
+4
|
9
|
Third place
|
| 4
|
A
|
NKMB Saints FC (S)
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
9
|
6
|
+3
|
6
|
|
| 5
|
A
|
Edmonton Drillers SC (S)
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
8
|
−3
|
4
|
| 6
|
B
|
Halifax County United SC (S)
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
7
|
−2
|
3
|
| 7
|
B
|
Port Moody SC (S)
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
7
|
−3
|
4
|
| 8
|
A
|
CBS Strikers FC (H, U)
|
4
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
14
|
−11
|
2
|
Source:
Canada Soccer(H) Host entry;
(S) Seeded representative;
(U) Unseeded representative (result precluded in
2026 seeding)
Seeding for 2026 Challenge Trophy
The table below indicates the seed position earned and allocated to each member association for 2026, provided that those associations send an entry to that competition. It is based on the performance of their seeded representation teams at this tournament (teams denoted with an (S) in the classification table), and may not reflect the preliminary seeding upon its release.
References
External links
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| Tournaments | |
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| Provincial qualifying | |
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| See also | |
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| Men's leagues | |
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| Women's leagues | |
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| Other | |
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International | | Clubs | |
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| National teams | |
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