Toronto is now 50 days away from hosting the first ever FIFA World Cup match on Canadian soil.
The city will host six matches at BMO Field which will be temporarily renamed “Toronto Stadium.” Among the matches will be Canada’s first game of the tournament on June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. For many fans, the experience of trying to get tickets has been frustrating, with the cheapest seats made available for Canada’s opener carrying a price tag of more than $1,300.
Nonetheless, city officials have said that they anticipate 300,000 fans will arrive in Toronto just for the tournament, including visitors heading to the FIFA Fan Festival at The Bentway in Toronto’s Fort York neighbourhood.
That could, in turn, result in a significant increase in traffic, with officials warning of a 10 to 15 per cent increase in vehicles in the downtown core on match days. There will also be numerous road closures in and around Toronto Stadium throughout the tournament.
Here’s a look at how Toronto will be impacted.
Toronto under a spotlight
For some residents, the global event could mean an a new opportunity to make some extra money.
Travel rental platform Airbnb is rolling out a US$750 incentive to attract new hosts in the 16 North American cities with the expectation that cities like Toronto will see record numbers of visitors.
Experts predict that some hosts in cities like New York-New Jersey area, Boston and Los Angeles could earn as much as US$5,000 per listing.
Die-hard fans being priced out
With the growing anticipation, FIFA has been releasing groups of tickets in batches, pitched to fans as a “last-minute sale.”
The most recent drop was on April 22, and was met with swift criticism as some claimed FIFA’s phased approach created an artificial scarcity, to drive up ticket prices.
One fan, Rob Fielder told CTV News that “It feels very cynical on FIFA’s part, very commercial and what (FIFA) would say is they’re acting in the best interests of the global game.”
He later added that “(FIFA is) trying to raise as much money as they possibly can, so they can hand out money to the wider world and smaller countries that make up FIFA’s 200 or so members.”
It’s unclear when the next ticket drop will be, but for those Toronto fans hoping to snag a “last-minute sale,” it likely won’t be an easy task.
We want to hear from you
With the countdown underway, we’re looking to hear from readers how they’re gearing up for the showdown.
- Are you a fan who was thrilled your national team is coming to Toronto, only to miss out on tickets?
- Are you planning to leave the city during the tournament, or rent out your home to cash in on demand?
Share your story by emailing us at torontonews@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location, and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a future story.
With files from CTV News’ Alex Arsenych and Adrian Ghobrial
