Toronto still waiting for news on FIFA World Cup bid

Mayor John Tory says that he is still waiting for formal news on Toronto’s bid to play host to games during the 2026 World Cup amid at least one report suggesting that FIFA has already chosen it as one of 16 official host sites.

FIFA is set to announce the host cities for the 2026 World Cup on June 16.

But on Thursday a reporter in Vancouver posted a message to Twitter, stating that he had been told that Toronto and Vancouver were both chosen as host sites.

He said that Edmonton, which was also bidding to host games, was skipped over in favour of staging more games in U.S. cities.

Asked about the report during a press conference on Friday, Tory said that he has yet to be told anything official about the fate of the Toronto’s bid.

But he said that he is confident about the city’s chances.

“I'll await the formal announcement on June 16. But, you know, I've got my fingers crossed. Because we put in such a good bid, I don't know how they could not pick us. But I'll wait and see,” he said.

The 2026 World Cup was already awarded to a joint bid between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Under the terms of the bid, U.S. cities will host 60 matches during the 48-team event, while Canada and Mexico get 10 matches each.

Toronto’s bid would see games hosted at an expanded BMO Field, with temporary seating being used to boost capacity from 30,000 to at least 45,000.

The city would also be responsible for staging a fan festival at a yet-to-be-determined location.

The cost of hosting World Cup games in Toronto is pegged at $290 million, with the provincial and federal governments expected to pick up approximately two-thirds of the tab.

“I will just say that we put forward a very good bid to be the host for World Cup games in 2026 and I believe this will be a good thing for the city,” Tory said on Friday. “I think people in all the different communities that follow the World Cup, which are of course all of them in the City of Toronto, they will be thrilled at the prospect of us having World Cup games here in Toronto.”