Toronto reports that the World Cup will now cost…
According to the City of Toronto, hosting World Cup games in the city will cost $380 million, which is $80 million more than originally projected for 2022. IMAGE BY SCOTT BARBOUR / FILES / The Press Canadian
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Due in part to the inclusion of extra match to the schedule, the City of Toronto believes that hosting World Cup matches in the city will cost $380 million, an increase of $80 million above a 2022 estimate.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in cities around the United States and Mexico, with Canada’s Toronto and Vancouver hosting matches.
In a report published today, the executive director of World Cup hosting and the city manager state that since FIFA announced this month that Toronto had been awarded six matches—five in the group stages and one in the knockout stages—city staff has been examining planning assumptions, cost estimates, revenue, and benefit opportunities.
The report evaluates vendor quotations, safety and security requirements, inflationary uncertainty, and awards Toronto a sixth group stage match instead of the five anticipated. It also relates the expected $80 million cost increase to these developments.
The research states that previous estimates, based on five group stage matches, predicted that the World Cup would create an additional $392 million in gross domestic product for Toronto. Hosting expenditures are anticipated to be shared by all levels of government.
Although Olivia Chow, the mayor of Toronto, is thrilled that the tournament is coming to her city and “can’t wait” for the excitement to begin in June 2026, she wanted the people to be aware of the higher costs.
“It is crucial that we maintain transparency and realism, and nobody could have predicted the current rate of inflation in 2022,” Chow told reporters.
The mayor went on to say that she hoped to engage “as many Torontonians as possible” and that she wanted to make sure local companies benefited from the World Cup.
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