The pitch is set. The fans are ready. And for the first time ever, the FIFA World Cup will be played on Canadian soil today.
Team Canada will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina for its first group stage match at Toronto Stadium at 3 p.m.
- Traffic, transit and schedules: Here’s your guide to navigating FIFA World Cup in Toronto
- ‘Surreal:’ Canada Soccer fans reflect on how improbable opening a World Cup on home soil once seemed
- ‘Dream come true:’ 10 deserving kids will attend today’s World Cup opener thanks to a Toronto ‘ticket charity’
Toronto will host four more group stage games at its upgraded 43,000-seat stadium throughout the tournament, and one knockout match next month.
Follow along here for live updates leading up to and following kickoff:
10 a.m. – Road closures in effect
Much of the area surrounding Toronto Stadium at Exhibition Place and the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York is now closed to motorists.
The city has now shut down Lake Shore Boulevard West from Bathurst Street to Dufferin Street. This closure will take effect on all six of Toronto’s game days, starting five hours before kickoff and ending three hours after the final whistle.
Manitoba Drive and most of Strachan Avenue will also be closed on match days. Traffic between Dufferin and Strachan is limited to local traffic only.
On non-match days, road closures and restrictions will be limited to the area of the FIFA Fan Festival.
According to the city, World Cup activity could add up to 15 per cent more vehicles to downtown roads, with impacts increasing significantly on match days.
-Phil Tsekouras, CTV News Toronto
9:30 a.m. - Only a handful of tickets still available through FIFA
There are only a handful of seats still available for Canada’s World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on FIFA’s official ticketing platform as of Friday morning.
As of 9:30 a.m., there were just 22 tickets listed for sale for the match. Most of those were single seats in higher price categories, though there were a handful of pairs still up for grabs. Ticket prices range from $1,370 to $3,135.
There is significantly more supply on FIFA’s resale platform with many tickets being sold for less than face value, however.
As of 9:30 a.m. some Category 2 tickets that were originally priced at more than $2,000 were listed for as little as $805.
Some Category 1 seats, originally priced at $3,135, were available as little as $960, though that was only a single seat.
On Thursday afternoon, there were more than 400 tickets still available to the game through FIFA, though many of those appear to have disappeared overnight.
- Chris Fox, Managing Digital Producer for CP24 and CTV News Toronto
9 a.m. – Astronaut Jeremey Hansen delivers message to Team Canada
Astronaut Jeremey Hansen, who became the first person not from the United States to travel to the moon in April on Artemis II, shared a message with Team Canada on Friday.
“Heading into the World Cup, Team Canada. I am thinking about you. I really felt Canada behind me on my journey around the moon, and you can bet that we are all cheering you on as you head into this World Cup,” he said in a pre-recorded video which was broadcast on CTV’s Your Morning.
Hansen said that while he played soccer as a kid, he was “never that great” at sports, but that being on a team was foundational to his growth as an astronaut.
“When you’re on the field, you’re giving it your all, and that’s something that I have used my entire life. Sports is a great outlet for that, and we’ll see that on the pitch today.”
- Phil Tsekouras, CTV News Toronto
8:45 a.m. – ‘We are so ready’: Chow
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the city is more than prepared to host the games, noting that the Taylor Swift concerts in 2024 and the Blue Jays World Series run in 2025 served as good templates.
“We are so ready,” she said.
“We had hundreds of thousands of people all in one area…we had a central command centre, which means that everything is coordinated, and that worked well.”
Chow said the city has brought back that command centre for the World Cup where transit, police, and firefighters will be able to coordinate in one place.
- Phil Tsekouras, CTV News Toronto
8:40 a.m. – Matchday weather forecast
Toronto should see sunny skies and summer-like conditions this afternoon.
CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter says that while there is the potential for an “isolated drip or drop” of precipitation in some parts of the city this morning, the skies will be clear well ahead of 3 p.m.
Coulter said that the humidity should also ease off by kickoff, though the temperature will still likely hover around a summer-like 28 C.
“What we will get into is some gustier winds. That is going to be displacing that hot humid air and bringing in very warm but more comfortable air. So we are feeling close to 30 later this morning and we will feel in the high 20s (at kickoff), which will be much closer to the actual temperature this afternoon,” he said.
Coulter added that “any lingering cloud will become partly cloudy to mainly clear by the time the game gets underway.“
“Everything is boding really well and hopefully that is a good sign that Canada is going to win this one against Bosnia too,” Coulter said.
- Chris Fox, Managing Digital Producer for CP24 and CTV News Toronto
8:30 a.m. – Here is how to take the TTC to today’s match
TTC spokesperson Susan Nguyen says that service has been ramped up on a number of key routes to get fans to and from today’s game.
Nguyen says the closest transit stop to Toronto Stadium is the temporary Fleet Hub, which is roughly a 10-minute walk from the stadium and a five-minute walk from the FIFA Fan Fest at Fort York and the Bentway.
She said that fans can get to the transit hub by taking the 509 Harbourfront streetcar from Union Station, the 509 Bathurst streetcar from Bathurst Station or the 809 Fleet express bus from St. Andrew Station, which has been added specifically for the World Cup.
Nguyen said that while there are “no delays anywhere” on the TTC at the moment, fans should still leave extra time to get to today’s game.
“The bottom line is we have plenty of service and lots of options. Just choose a ride and we will get you there,” she said.
- Chris Fox, Managing Digital Producer for CP24 and CTV News Toronto
8 a.m. – The Voyageurs planning largest march ever
Team Canada’s travelling supporters group, The Voyageurs, says it’s planning for the biggest march in its history today.
Andrew Anthony told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday that the group is planning to meet at Trinity Bellwoods Park for 10:30 a.m. before marching to Toronto Stadium at Exhibition Place.
“We’re hoping for our largest turnout ever. And then, you know, we’re going to be loud, we’re going to be proud, and you know, hopefully cheer on our national team to a win.”
- Phil Tsekouras, CTV News Toronto
7:45 a.m. – Bosnia ‘very difficult to beat’: Former Canada captain
Former Team Canada captain Jason de Voss spoke about the Bosnia and Herzegovina squad and what they’ll bring to the pitch on Friday.
“Bosnia is a little bit of a surprise. I think a lot of people thought that Italy would win that playoff final,” he said, referencing the European playoffs that sent the Balkan county to Toronto.
But he said the Bosnians shouldn’t be underestimated as they’re “very difficult” to play against.
“They’re a big team, they’re a strong team. So, Canada first has to stand up to that, and then control the tempo of the game and dictate that.”
De Voss was the captain of Team Canada from 1999 to 2004 and now works as a soccer analyst on TSN.
Phil Tsekouras, CTV News Toronto
7:30 a.m. – ‘This is everything’: Dwayne De Rosario
Canadian soccer legend and FIFA World Cup Ambassador Dwayne De Rosario says he “can’t believe” that kickoff is only hours away, describing the moment as surreal.
“This is everything…this is every child’s dream. This was my dream...Those players are living our dream, but the legacy that this moment is going to create, the way the sport has been elevated in front of every news channel, in front of every paper, the sport is at the heights that we’ve never seen before in this country,” he told CTV’s Your Morning Friday.
The Scarborough native played for Team Canada between 1998 and 2015, appearing in the red and white 81 times during those years. Before that, he played for Canada’s under 23 and under 20 programs.
Now retired, De Roasario was the country’s all-time leading goal scorer with 22 goals in 81 matches, until current Canada squad member Cyle Larin eclipsed that record in 2022.
“I wish I was on that pitch. You know, this is an amazing moment. This is like a dream come true. And you know, I’m just looking forward to today. My kids will be here, they’re going to be inspired. What this means for us is remarkable. And I’m wishing these guys all the best. And it’s going to be an electric day today.”
Phil Tsekouras, CTVNewsToronto.ca
