The Canadian Premier League Shield or CPL Shield is a trophy awarded annually to the
Canadian Premier League (CPL) club with the best regular season finish. Although this award does not signify a league championship, as that is decided during the
Canadian Premier League Finals
The Canadian Premier League Finals is the annual championship game of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top level of Canadian soccer. As of the 2021 Final, it is played as a single match hosted by the higher seeded team. The winner is award ...
, the winning team is awarded an equal monetary prize to the eventual playoff champions, and a berth in the next season’s
CONCACAF Champions Cup.
History
At the end of the
2022 Canadian Premier League season
The 2022 Canadian Premier League season is the fourth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Pacific FC are the defending champions, having beaten Forge FC in the 2021 final.
The regular season ran from April ...
, the league announced that they would begin to recognize the regular season accomplishments of its member clubs to have more similarity with soccer competitions around the world, which put less emphasis on
post-season
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
results. At the time, the Canadian Premier League did not recognize a regular season winner. The CPL Shield was first unveiled near the end of the
2023 Canadian Premier League
The 2023 Canadian Premier League season is the fifth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. The 2023 CPL playoff champion and 2023 CPL regular season winner will both earn berths in the newly expanded 2024 CONCA ...
regular season.
were the first team to hoist the trophy following their 2023 regular season championship. The CPL Shield was also awarded retroactively to the clubs with the best regular season records from all previous seasons, meaning that Cavalry FC were also the first de-facto winners of the trophy for their first place finish in the
inaugural 2019 season. Due to the unconventional format used for a
shortened season in 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the league did not retroactively award the trophy to any team for that year.
Design
The trophy is a silver shield measuring about in diameter and weighing . The CPL Shield has 13 edges to represent each of the
provinces and territories of Canada and features a gold CPL logo (which is a stylized maple leaf) in the centre.
The trophy sits on a removable wooden base.
Winners
– Trophy awarded retroactively
Records
Shield wins by club
Shield wins by province
Winner's records in the CONCACAF Champions Cup
Starting in 2023, the CPL Shield winner earned Canada's berth in the following year's
CONCACAF Champions Cup.
[
]
See also
* Maurice Podoloff Trophy, an NBA trophy having the same function as the CPL Shield.
* NWSL Shield, an NWSL trophy with the having function as the CPL Shield.
* Presidents' Trophy, an NHL trophy having the same function as the CPL Shield.
* Supporters' Shield
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 19 ...
, an MLS trophy having the same function as the CPL Shield.
* Wooden Spoon awards, an award given to a team with the worst regular season record.
References
; Notes
; Sources
{{Canadian Premier League
Canadian Premier League
Canadian Premier League trophies and awards
Canadian Premier League Shield
Awards established in 2023
2023 establishments in Canada