Area residents will win as the City is spending more than $13 million to upgrade Centennial Park Sports Facility for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
South Etobicoke residents will score gold as the City is spending more than $13 million to upgrade the Centennial Park Sports Facilities for the FIFA World Cup.
Residents will obtain years of use of the facilities after the World Cup has move on.
Centennial Stadium was recently renamed by the City the Rob Ford Stadium as it was where the former Mayor coached the Don Bosco Eagles football team.
A bid for the work has been awarded to Mopal Construction Ltd. to upgrade and refresh the facilities, which will be used as a training ground for some of the World Cup teams, according to a City bid report.
The Centennial Park Sports Facility will be used as for training by some of the World Cup teams.
The total contract award is $11,545,900, which will add up to $13,046,867, including all applicable taxes and charges, according to the report.
Funding for this project is included in the 2024 Capital Budget and 2025-2033 Capital Plans for Parks, Forestry and Recreation, according to a report.
The City has already dished out more than $380 million to host six FIFA World Cup matches at Centennial Park and BMO Field in June and July 2026.
Officials said the games are expected to generate about $393 million for the city, create more than 3,600 jobs, and attract more than 300,000 out-of-town visitors. Millions of fans worldwide will watch the matches on TV.
It will cost the City almost $400 million to host six World Cup games that will be played at BMO Field in Toronto.
“Hosting these matches is a once in a lifetime opportunity to deepen our connection to one another, to stand united in our diversity and make Toronto’s global beacon of hope shine that much brighter,” City officials said.
Most of the Toronto games will take place at BMO Field, which will also have to undergo upgrades for the World Cup soccer games. The City has approved a $37-million contract to temporarily expand the capacity at BMO Field.
To ensure oversight, the City’s Financial Planning Division has assigned FWC26 to an analyst, who will ensure World Cup finances are reported on separately from other City budgets.
Councillors on the FWC26 Financing Oversight Subcommittee includes Chair Shelley Carroll, Paul Ainslie, Ausma Malik and Morley, the rookie politician who represents Etobicoke Lakeshore.