Gloucester Celtic Wins Ottawa’s First Home Challenge Trophy, Fourth National Title
Gloucester Celtic beat Vancouver 3-1 in Ottawa for a fourth national title, completing the capital’s first home Challenge Trophy tournament.
Gloucester Celtic won Ottawa’s first home Challenge Trophy on October 12, 2026, beating Vancouver ICSF Columbus FC 3-1 at Julian de Guzman Park before 1,017 supporters.
The Thanksgiving Monday victory gave the Ottawa club its fourth Canada Soccer national amateur men’s title. Gloucester Celtic became the sixth club to win the national championship four times.
A final decided before halftime
Joey Kewin opened the scoring in the fifth minute. Cristopher Malekos doubled Gloucester Celtic’s lead in the 29th minute. Luca Piccioli then converted a penalty just before halftime.
Vancouver’s Matteo Polisi pulled one goal back in the 65th minute. Gloucester Celtic protected its two-goal advantage and completed a memorable home tournament.
Kewin was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after scoring three goals in three matches. He now has three national titles with Gloucester Celtic, following victories in 2022 and 2024.
Why the Ottawa setting mattered
The result carried extra weight because Ottawa hosted Canada Soccer’s National Championships for the first time. Gloucester Celtic played every match of its title run at Julian de Guzman Park.
The club entered the final as the best-ranked group winner after opening the tournament with victories over CS Trident-Ouest de Québec and Winnipeg Lucania FC. That position gave Gloucester Celtic a rest day before the final.
Vancouver reached the championship match by beating CS Dieppe 4-1 in the playoff on October 11. The British Columbia club had already won four national titles, but finished second in Ottawa.
A growing Ottawa soccer milestone
More than 1,000 people watched the final. The crowd turned the match into a major local moment for amateur soccer.
Canada Soccer describes the National Championships as its largest national event, bringing adult amateur clubs from across the country together. The 2026 competition included nine men’s teams competing for the Challenge Trophy.
Gloucester Celtic’s fourth title was the first won in front of its home supporters.
For Ottawa, the achievement was more than another entry in the club’s record book. It was a national final held in the capital, followed by a local team lifting the country’s top amateur men’s trophy on its own field.
