Six FIFA 2026 World Cup soccer games will take place in Toronto and is expected to generate $300 million.
Etobicoke’s Centennial Park will play a major role in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup soccer tournament, the most-watched sporting event in the world, according to the City of Toronto.
Centennial and Sunnybrook Parks will be upgraded to world class facilities and will be used as World Cup training and event facilities for the teams. The matches will be played at BMO Field, which will undergo about $30 million in upgrades in preparation for the games.
A report to the City of Toronto Executive Committee said the FIFA World Cup is the ‘most watched sporting event, with a global viewership of four billion people for the entire competition and upwards of 200 million for each match.’
Thirteen of the 104 FIFA soccer games will take place in Vancouver and Toronto in 2026.
The 2026 World Cup was awarded to a joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., with 80 matches to be staged across 16 cities in North America. Canada will host 13 of the 104 games, with seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto
“The World Cup will bring global media attention and positive economic and cultural benefits for the city that will sustain COVID–19 recovery in hard hit sectors, such as tourism, hospitality and entertainment,” according to the report.
The World Cup is expected to create 3,000 jobs, attract 174,000 overnight visitors, who will purchase 292,000 hotel room nights which will generated $3.5 million in municipal accommodation tax. The six matches are estimated to generate $307 million.
An upgraded Centennial Park will be a training facility for some of the FIFA teams.
“People will travel from all over the world to watch this event and will find a small piece of home on Toronto’s main streets which are filled with the small businesses that drive neighbourhood vitality,” according to the report.
The World cup is estimated to cost the federal and Ontario government some $186 million and the City $77.1 million.
The cost of hosting the World Cup will be partially offset through access to commercial rights and related revenue opportunities delegated by FIFA to event organizers, such as the City of Toronto.
The report said about $40 million will be spent to upgrade facilities for the games. Some $15 million will be used to upgrade Centennial Park and Sunnybrook Parks and $25 million to bring BMO Field up to speed to FIFA’s stringent standards.
FIFA world cup trophy is sought after worldwide.
“The facilities will be used as competition, training, and festival venues during the 2026 World Cup period,” according to the report.
“The City will enhance City-owned assets at BMO Field and sports fields and facilities at Sunnybrook Park and Centennial Park for training purposes,” according to the report. “This will lead to both increased employment opportunities and access to world-class recreation facilities.”
The report said the upgraded parks will provide long-term community use after the World Cup games.