The Canadian Premier League’s ‘Island Games’ Begins!

The unorthodox 2020 rendition of the Canadian Premier League, ‘The Island Games’ starts on Thursday 13th August as Forge FC take on Cavalry FC in Prince Edward Island.

As the whole world has been turned upside-down, with sporting events all over the globe having to modify their schedules, it’s been no different for the Canadian Premier League.

Where most eyes are being cast to the likes of Germany and Portugal with the Europa League and Champions League reaching their respective climaxes, a whole different set of sporting professionals are getting themselves ready on the other side of the pond.

The tournament, which is being hosted in Charlottetown (PEI), will be played behind closed doors as 8 teams battle it out over the next couple of weeks to be crowned Canadian Premier League Champions in September.

Viewers will be treated to a different format, with the first stage consisting of 28 league matches. At the end, the top 4 teams will progress.

In stage two those 4 teams will play a 6-match group stage. The top two teams at the end of those 6 games will head to the single-match championship final where the winner will be awarded the North Star Shield and will also qualify for the 2021 Concacaf League.

As expected, all the matches will be played behind closed doors at the UPEI Alumni Field, with every match airing live on OneSoccer (which you can subscribe to here).

Considering a few months ago there were talks that the 2020 season would not take place at all, this format will be warmly welcomed by most soccer fans here in Canada.

Speaking in July CPL Commissioner, David Clanachan said, “The players are excited. Our club (owners) are excited. Our league office is excited. It’s a great day. We’ve been planning this for a while, and certainly, the time is right.”

A minimum of three wins is likely what will be needed to get through to the second stage and a variety of teams will be catching the eye.

From new-comers Atletico Ottawa to season openers Cavalary FC, who started the 2019 season with 7 wins in a row, or even their opponents this evening, Forge FC, with their staggering squad depth; the season is really up for grabs.

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Make sure you keep an eye on this site for match reports and analysis of the games. Time to excited!