Toronto FC could face CF Montreal in semifinals of 2022 Canadian Championship

CF Montreal and Toronto FC, finalists in 2021, could meet in the semifinals of the 2022 Canadian Championship while Wednesday's draw gives the Vancouver Whitecaps a largely home road to the final.

The first round will see Winnipeg's Valour FC at the Vancouver Whitecaps, FC Edmonton at Cavalry FC, York United FC at Atletico Ottawa, Quebec PLSQ winner CS Mont-Royal Outremont at Hamilton's Forge FC, and League1 Ontario champion Guelph United FC at HFX Wanderers FC.

Mont-Royal Outremont opted not to host a match.

The 2022 edition of the 13-team tournament runs May 10-12 through July with an exact date yet to be set for the final. The quarter-finals are set for May 24-26 and the semifinals June 21-23.

As defending champion, Montreal received a first-round bye, as did 2021 tournament runner-up Toronto and CPL champion Pacific FC.

Vancouver's first-round date with Valour FC means a reunion with former Whitecaps assistant coach Phillip Dos Santos, who is now Valour's coach and GM. The winner will face the battle of Alberta victor.

Should Vancouver keep winning, it would play three of all four matches at home with only a quarterfinal against Alberta opposition on the road. The Whitecaps lost to CPL opposition last year, beaten 4-3 by Pacific in the first round.

Pacific will host either Athletic Ottawa or York in the quarterfinal while Montreal will entertain CS Mont-Royal Outremont or Forge. Montreal needed a penalty shootout to dispatch Forge in last year's semifinal.

Toronto will visit either Guelph or HFX Wanderers in the quarterfinal. If it advances, it would host the semifinal and play the final on the road.

CF Montreal is the defending champion, having defeated Toronto 1-0 in the Nov. 21 final. If Montreal advances, it