Toronto will find out if it has been chosen as a 2026 FIFA World Cup host soon. Here's when it happens

Toronto Mayor John Tory sits with fans as they wait for the start of MLS Cup Final soccer action between the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC in Toronto on Saturday, December 9, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch

Toronto will find out next month whether it has been chosen as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The expanded 48-team tournament has already been awarded jointly to Canada, the United States and Mexico but FIFA has not yet revealed its list of host cities for the event.

Currently 22 candidate cities, including Toronto and Edmonton, are vying for the right to host games.

In a news release issued early Friday morning, FIFA confirmed that it will be making an announcement on June 16 about which 16 cities will be formally selected as hosts.

The announcement comes months after a November visit from a FIFA delegation to evaluate Toronto as a potential host site.

“In line with the previous stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026 selection process, any announcement will be made in the best interests of football, taking into consideration the needs of all stakeholders involved, as we aim to lay the foundations for the tournament to be delivered successfully across all three countries,” FIFA Vice-President and Concacaf President Victor Montagliani said in the release. “We can only reiterate our appreciation to all the cities and the three member associations for their efforts and dedication to this process.”

A staff report that was approved by city council in April pegs the total cost of hosting World Cup games in Toronto at $290 million, with the provincial and federal governments picking up approximately two-thirds of the tab.

Some of the bigger line items include $63.7 million in capital work to prepare BMO Field to host games and $41.2 million to build training facilities for visiting teams.

Staff have estimated that the event would generate $307 million dollars of GDP impact and bring 174,000 overnight visitors to the city.

“It will put Toronto on the map,” Mayor John Tory told reporters in April. “This is the biggest sporting event in the world and I think for us to be a part of it I think the vast majority of the people of Toronto will be excited about that and they will see the business sense in it.”