The FIFA World cup is here and over the next few weeks, city officials are expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city, testing Toronto’s expanded transit service and traffic management plans.
“There is a lot of planning and a lot of work that goes into preparing transportation for an event of this magnitude,” Toronto traffic czar Andrew Posluns told NewsTalk 1010 earlier this week. “The work’s been going on for two-plus years in order to get ready.”
Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know.
Toronto match schedule
Toronto will host six World Cup matches, including Canada’s opener at 3 p.m. versus Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The city’s schedule will also include Ghana versus Panama on June 17, Germany versus Côte d’Ivoire on June 20, Panama versus Croatia on June 23, Senegal versus Iraq on June 26 and a Round of 32 match on July 2.
Transit the preferred way to travel
City officials are urging fans to leave their cars at home, as there will be no public parking available at Toronto Stadium or World Cup event sites.
The TTC and Metrolinx expect approximately 44,000 additional transit riders on match days and have added extra subway, streetcar, train and bus service. A temporary transit hub on Fleet Street near Fort York Boulevard and Strachan Avenue will serve as the main gateway for fans travelling to both Toronto Stadium and the FIFA Fan Festival.
For more details on TTC routes and service changes, see our full transit story here.
More TTC and GO service
The TTC says it will add service across Line 1 and Line 2 on all match days, while several streetcar routes serving the waterfront and Exhibition Place area will operate more frequently.
Subway service will also run later than usual on select match days, although officials have not yet specified exact closing times.
GO Transit, meanwhile, has increased service throughout the tournament, including trains running approximately every 15 minutes on the Lakeshore East and West corridors. Additional late-night trains will also operate after matches.
Where to watch if you don’t have a ticket
For the fans watching from home you can catch matches exclusively on TSN, CTV and RDS, where Bell Media holds the Canadian broadcast rights for the tournament.
Those looking for a boisterous atmosphere can head to the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York National Historic Site and The Bentway, where 46 matches will be shown on giant screens. Admission is free, although tickets must be reserved in advance.
Municipal watch parties are also planned across the GTA, including at Mississauga Celebration Square, Ajax Fairgrounds, Pat Bayly Square and Hamilton Stadium, where Forge FC will host Team Canada viewing events.
For a full list of watch parties and schedules, see our complete guide here.
Are there still tickets?
For those fans still hoping to get into Toronto Stadium on match days, there are still hundreds of tickets available.
As of Thursday, FIFA’s own website showed that at least 450 tickets were still unsold for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Tickets left unsold span all three of the game’s sale categories, including 20 tickets on offer for $1,370, another 148 for $2,300, and 253 for $3,135.
More than two dozen premium front-row tickets are also up for grabs, with prices listed as high as $4,705.
For more on opening day tickets, click here.
Expect heavier traffic downtown
While officials are emphasizing a transit-first approach, drivers should prepare for heavy congestion in and out of the city during the games.
A city report estimates World Cup activity could add up to 15 per cent more vehicles to downtown roads, with impacts increasing significantly on match days. Approximately 45,000 spectators are expected at each Toronto match.
Officials have said the city needs to reduce regular vehicle traffic by roughly 40 per cent on game days to prevent the road network from becoming overwhelmed.
For drivers, the message from city officials has been consistent: avoid unnecessary trips near the stadium area, plan ahead and consider transit whenever possible.
As the tournament begins, officials say the extensive planning that has gone into hosting the world’s largest sporting event will now be put to the test, starting with Canada’s opening match Thursday afternoon.
