Feds giving Toronto more than $104M to host 2026 FIFA World Cup
The federal government will provide Toronto just over $104 million in funding to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This is the first time Ottawa has provided a firm dollar-figure for the games following the successful global bid.
“Toronto will set an impressive stage to Canada as host of this international tournament,” Carla Qualtrough, Federal Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, said on Friday.
“This contribution will support the operational and capital expenses of these matches.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Toronto is set to host six FIFA World Cup games, while the rest of the tournament will be held in Vancouver, as well as cities in the U.S., and Mexico.
The federal government has already committed about $116 million to help fund the Vancouver matches, for an overall investment of $220 million.
Toronto Mayor delivers remarks during an announcement at Toronto's BMO Field on Friday, May 3, 2024, which revealed $104 million in federal funding for Toronto to host six games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Qualtrough said the funding, which is less than the possible 35 per cent the federal government could have contributed for an event of this size, was based on submissions surrounding operational and capital costs.
“The structure of this, how this event is organized, is unique to this event,” she said. “FIFA’s portion, the City of Toronto's portion, Ontario's portion, so it was a slightly different calculation.”
When asked if the funding could change if costs continue to increase, Qualtrough said there would be an open conversation with the city about their needs. However, she also said the “expectation is we all stay squarely within these investments.”
A Toronto report released earlier this year suggested the pricetag of hosting the World Cup would be roughly $380 million, about $80 million more than the original estimate two years ago.
The change has been attributed to inflationary price estimates, vendor quotes and safety requirements.
Ontario has said it would be contributing $97 million in one-time funding, leaving the city to pay the remaining $180 million.
“We signed the bid,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said of the cost. “We believe we will be able to raise the funds and contain the cost so that’s why we are moving forward with excitement.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is photographed prior to an announcement at Toronto's BMO Field on Friday, May 3, 2024, which revealed $104 million in federal funding for Toronto to host six games during the 2026. FIFA World Cup THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
About a third of the overall cost is for security and policing, the mayor told reporters.
“And then there are capital costs. For example, the stadium is going to have a lot more seats because that's the FIFA requirements,” Chow said, noting that other related activities such as a fan fest are also included in the pricetag.
Chow has said she hopes to do some fundraising to alleviate the cost.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Inspires a sense of adventure': Sask. man conquers Mount Everest
A Saskatchewan man made it to the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event. The family asked for privacy and that people honor Murray by being kind to one another.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.