Ottawa providing $104M to help Toronto host FIFA World Cup games

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow came wearing shin pads, running shoes, soccer scarf and a smile. The federal government came with $104.34 million to help cover the costs of the Toronto end of the 2026 World Cup.

The funding announcement, made Friday morning at BMO Field where the city will stage six games two years from now, follows the news that Ottawa is contributing $116.66 million to help pay for the seven matches Vancouver is staging.

In February, the Ontario government announced $97 million in funding for the event contingent on matching funds from Ottawa.

The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to run June 11 to July 19 across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Canada and Mexico, which has three host cities to Canada’s two, will each host 13 matches, with the U.S. staging the remaining 78 across its 11 host cities. Toronto and Vancouver will each host five opening-round matches plus a round-of-32 knockout match. Vancouver will also stage a round-of-16 game.

Toronto has estimated hosting its piece of the expanded 48-team soccer showcase will cost $380 million, an increase of $80 million compared to a 2022 forecast. One-third of that involves security and policing cost.

Upgrades to BMO Field to increase seating capacity to meet FIFA requirements are another cost, as are fanfest facilities.

Vancouver officials announced Tuesday that hosting seven games at B.C. Place Stadium could cost up to $581 million, more than double the estimate from two years ago.

Estimates have gone up in part because Canada is staging 13 games, up from the original 10. And also because such costs always go up.

The hope is they don’t.

“Right now my expectation is we all stay squarely within these investments,” said Carla Qualtrough, federal minister of sport and