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The CPL Playoffs and the League’s Broadcast Play by Brett Lubkiwski

Does anybody in the lower half of the table actually WANT to make the playoffs?

In ways that are completely beyond reason, Vancouver FC-  winless in their last six matches-  somehow moved UP the table into 5th place after drawing a Halifax side that couldn’t find a way past Callum Irving for 96 minutes. Irving had an incredible 11 save performance while down a man for 50 minutes. It was a last minute goal from Vitor Dias that saved Halifax’s season for another week. 

Pacific, also down to 10 men, held out hope for an hour against the Cavs, but Toby Warschewski opened the floodgates, leading Calgary to a 4-1 win, moving them into 2nd place and dropping Pacific to 6th. 

Valour, as they’ve done so much this year, fought hard for 90 minutes but weren’t able to come away with a result, falling 1-0 to the best team in the league.

Speaking of Forge, they need to make some room in their trophy case after claiming the 2nd CPL Shield in team history, guaranteeing they will host the 1-2 playoff game. This gives them a chance to host the CPL Final at Tim Hortons Field once again. 

A CPL Final, by the way, that will be shown live on CBC. 

The league and the network made the announcement on Wednesday that Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast will be able to see the North Star Cup hoisted on November 9th. 

It’s the first time since 2020 we’re going to see CPL football played on national television. As much as we don’t like remembering 2020 as a whole, it’s hard not to look back at the Island Games and what a strange time that was for our league in just its second year.

This announcement is fantastic news for the league and hopefully a sign of things to come for the future of the CPL at a time when the future of the league’s streaming deal is still uncertain.

After a long legal dispute between the CPL and Mediapro, the two sides reached a settlement  in June, and Mediapro announced it wouldn’t be working with OneSoccer past the  end of the year. 

As it currently stands, Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) has not announced a new broadcasting partner for 2025 and beyond.

Talking with the rest of the Footy Prime Supporters Club, the consensus in our group is a belief that CSB won’t be striking a deal with CBC or any other major network for 2025.

I don’t think realistically anyone believes that’s a possibility for next year even with the Northern Super League inking their deal with TSN, CBC Sports and Radio-Canada.

Personally, I would love to see the CPL eventually make that move to a major network. But if it’s anything like we’ve seen with the Canadian Elite Basketball League, the majority of games will end up behind a different paywall.

With the Gold Cup coming up next summer, there could be a possibility we see more interest in showing National Team matches leading up to the 2026 World Cup being held right here at home.

When it comes to the CPL however, there are going to be huge expectations on this year’s final. If it can be promoted properly and eyes can be drawn to the product, people could experience a real treat. 

2023’s final between Forge and Cavalry gave us the best 30 minutes in league history. Three extra time goals and each one was better than the next including THAT Olimpico from Tristen Borges.

I don’t know what the future holds, I won’t pretend to act like I have the right answer either. But I would personally love to start seeing all CPL playoff matches and the Canadian Championship final shown on TV starting next year.

Is that too much to ask?

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