# 2023 Canadian Championship final

The 2023 Canadian Championship Final was the deciding match of the 2023 Canadian Championship and was played on June 7, 2023. For the second year in a row, it was hosted at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia by defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who played CF Montréal.
This was the third final played between Vancouver and Montreal, with the clubs having met in the 2013 and 2015 finals. This was also the first final since 2015 to not involve Toronto FC.
Vancouver Whitecaps won their third title following a 2–1 victory, qualifying them for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

## Teams

| Team | League | City | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Major League Soccer (West) | Vancouver, British Columbia | 7 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2022) |
| CF Montréal | Major League Soccer (East) | Montreal, Quebec | 6 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021) |

## Background

This was the third time Vancouver Whitecaps FC and CF Montréal faced each other in the Canadian Championship final, with CF Montréal (then Montréal Impact) winning in 2013 and Vancouver Whitecaps FC winning in 2015.
In their most recent fixture earlier in 2023, Vancouver Whitecaps FC defeated CF Montréal 5–0 in the MLS regular season.

### Path to the final

Each tie of the four-round tournament was played as a single-leg fixture. Vancouver Whitecaps FC received a bye in the preliminary round for being a finalist of the 2022 tournament.
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Round | CF Montréal | CF Montréal |
| Opponent | Result | Round | Opponent | Result |
| Bye | Bye | Preliminary round | Vaughan Azzurri | 2–0 (H) |
| York United FC | 4–1 (A) | Quarter-finals | Toronto FC | 2–1 (A) |
| Pacific FC | 3–0 (A) | Semi-finals | Forge FC | 2–0 (H) |

## Match details

| Vancouver | Montreal |
| GK | 18 | Yohei Takaoka |
| RB | 23 | Javain Brown |
| CB | 6 | Tristan Blackmon |
| CB | 4 | Ranko Veselinović |
| LB | 27 | Ryan Raposo | | 59' |
| RCM | 19 | Julian Gressel | | 90' |
| CM | 31 | Russell Teibert (c) | | 59' |
| LCM | 20 | Andrés Cubas |
| RM | 28 | Levonte Johnson | | 73' |
| LM | 25 | Ryan Gauld |
| CF | 24 | Brian White | | 90' |
| Substitutes: ||
| GK | 1 | Thomas Hasal |
| DF | 14 | Luís Martins | | 59' |
| MF | 16 | Sebastian Berhalteri | 85'i | 73' |
| MF | 29 | Simon Becher |
| MF | 45 | Pedro Vite | | 59' |
| FW | 7 | Déiber Caicedo | | 90' |
| FW | 9 | Sergio Córdova | | 90' |
| Manager: Vanni Sartini ||
| GK | 40 | Jonathan Sirois |
| CB | 25 | Gabriele Corbo | | 78' |
| CB | 4 | Rudy Camacho | 59' |
| CB | 18 | Joel Waterman |
| RM | 22 | Aaron Herrera | | 67' |
| CM | 25 | Mathieu Choinière |
| CM | 2 | Victor Wanyama | | 67' |
| LM | 11 | Ariel Lassiter | 3' |
| RF | 14 | Sunusi Ibrahim |
| CF | 7 | Ahmed Hamdi | | 67' |
| LF | 9 | Chinonso Offor | | 78' |
| Substitutes: ||
| GK | 41 | James Pantemis |
| DF | 15 | Zachary Brault-Guillard | | 67' |
| DF | 24 | George Campbell |
| MF | 10 | Bryce Duke | | 84' |
| MF | 19 | Nathan-Dylan Saliba | | 67' |
| FW | 13 | Mason Toye | | 78' |
| FW | 21 | Lassi Lappalainen | | 67' |
| Manager: Hernán Losada ||
| Player of the Match: Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) |
| Assistant referees: Micheal Barwegen Lyes Arfa Fourth official: Yusri Rudolf Fifth official: Michael Hood | Match rules 90 minutes Penalty shoot-out if score still level Minimum of three Canadian starters Maximum of five substitutions plus two "concussion substitutions" if required |

## Post-match

Following the match, Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Ali Ahmed was presented with the Best Young Canadian Player Award and Julian Gressel with the George Gross Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player of the Canadian Championship. Ahmed missed the final as he continued to recover from a concussion suffered in the tournament's semifinal.
By scoring in the final, CF Montréal's Sunusi Ibrahim became the top goal scorer of the tournament with three goals.