February 14, 2024...The Grand Return: A bluffer's guide to the L1 Cup (from League1 Ontario website)

The Grand Return: A bluffer’s guide to the L1 Cup
By League1 Ontario staff, 02/14/24, 12:00PM EST

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE L1 CUP BEFORE IT COMES BACK TO THE LEAGUE1 ONTARIO SCHEDULE IN 2024.

Woodbridge Strikers were the last team to win the Women's L1 Cup.

The L1 Cup is a competition that will run alongside the men’s and women’s regular seasons, giving teams another opportunity to fight for silverware.

This year will see the cup return after a five-year hiatus. The men’s tournament was last won in 2018 by Vaughan Azzurri – their third victory – and Woodbridge Strikers won the women’s competition, before both were discontinued going into the 2019 season.

How it will work

There will be five rounds of knockout matches, running parallel to the regular season. Every ‘A’ team in the Premier, Championship, and League2 divisions will take part.

There will be 12 First Round teams in the Women’s L1 Cup and 18 First Round teams in the Men’s L1 Cup. The First Round will see all Championship and League2 ‘A’ teams enter the competition, in addition to five Premier teams in the men’s competition chosen via a draw - a team’s record in the Premier division last season will determine if they have better or worse odds of receiving a bye to the Round of 16.

First Round fixtures, as well as every team’s place in the men’s and women’s tournament brackets, will be drawn at random. These draws will take place on Thursday, February 22, 2024.

The L1 Cup will begin on the week commencing Monday, April 15, and winning teams in the First Round will then move into the Round of 16, where all of the Women’s Premier teams and the rest of the Men’s Premier teams will join the competition.

A bracket structure of knockout matches will continue through to a final, where potentially new champions will be decided. There will be no postseason to determine the divisional champions in 2024, but this all-or-nothing tournament will provide that playoff feeling throughout the campaign. 
L1 Cup Roll of Honour

Men’s:
2014: Vaughan Azzurri
2015: Woodbridge Strikers
2016: Vaughan Azzurri
2017: Woodbridge Strikers
2018: Vaughan Azzurri

Women’s:
2015: North Mississauga
2016: Vaughan Azzurri
2017: FC London
2018: Woodbridge Strikers

“Big opportunities”

“League1 Ontario has come a long way since the L1 Cup was discontinued after 2018,” said Chris Keem, Operations Manager at League1 Ontario. “We are glad we can bring it back alongside the introduction to promotion and relegation.

“There are big opportunities for every team; while it gives some teams who are out of their title race a second chance at silverware, some will be targeting a league and cup double.

"It will also enable some teams to test themselves against higher-level opposition, creating potential underdog stories and some shock results. We see them happen in competitions across the world, and here with the Canadian Championship; the exciting all-or-nothing nature of a 90-minute knockout fixture. We hope that we can replicate something just as engaging for our teams to fight for and our fans to enjoy.”

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