'It's absurd': Toronto taxpayers face even-bigger bill as FIFA World Cup costs climb
Toronto’s cost of hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to climb, with the latest price tag hitting $380 million -- $80 million more than the estimate in place when the city was named a host two years ago.
“For me, it's important that we are transparent, that we are realistic,” Mayor Olivia Chow responded Monday from Ottawa. “No one anticipated the rate of inflation of today.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Inflationary uncertainty is among the factors cited by city staff in the latest cost estimate, along with updated price estimates, vendor quotes, and safety and security requirements.
Moreover, Toronto was awarded six games as part of the joint bid with 15 other cities – one more match than officials here had accounted for.
“It’s unfortunate that it's gone up,” Deputy Mayor Mike Colle told CTV News Toronto Monday. “But I think [the tournament] is a positive contribution to this city, and we're putting this city on the world map.”
Toronto will host the first-ever FIFA World Cup game in Canada, featuring Team Canada’s opening match, on June 12, 2026. Toronto city staff began reviewing planning assumptions and cost estimates earlier this month when the official match schedule was released.
- READ MORE: 2026 FIFA World Cup Toronto match schedule
“It’s absurd,” Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow said Monday. “The agreement that [former Mayor] John Tory oversaw didn't just drop the ball. He scored on his own goal. The amount of money that Toronto is putting into this, versus other levels of government, is embarrassing.”
The province has pledged $97 million toward Toronto’s hosting costs, and while the federal government has committed to support the city, the funding is still being finalized.
“The economic benefit is the real piece here,” Toronto Budget Chief Shelley Carroll said Monday. “There’s a sort of unquantifiable benefit to putting on one of these events. and putting the city on the world stage.”
Previous staff estimates pegged the gross domestic product benefit of the tournament as $392 million to Toronto, along with $456 million to the province.
BMO Field in Toronto is pictured on Wednesday, June 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsaro
“The reality is we can't pay our bills on the GDP,” Toronto Councillor Brad Bradford said. “It will be the provincial and the federal government that will be the large benefactors of that additional revenue spent over the course of World Cup.”
“I think we've got to find a way of, you know, mitigating this impact by getting help from our [government] partners,” Colle said.
City staff, meanwhile, have floated the idea of directing revenue from the municipal hotel tax to the World Cup bill, and also intend to explore private-sector sponsorships.
The City has already allotted more than $65 million toward design and upgrades at BMO Field, where the matches will be held, along with $34 million for the training fields and facilities at Centennial Park.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.