Metrolinx, the regional transit authority for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, also approached the tournament with extensive scenario planning. Ramneet Aujla, Chief Human Resources Officer at Metrolinx, says the organization ran significant tabletop exercises ahead of the tournament to stress-test its workforce model against as many contingencies as possible. “We tested our hypotheses a number of times, really trying to make sure we were responding to as many of the what-ifs that we could as part of our planning,” says Aujla.
Aujla also notes that Metrolinx’s daily operational rhythm — which regularly involves managing unexpected service incidents — proved to be useful preparation. A culture of volunteerism within the organization has also played a role, with a number of employees volunteering for World Cup duties beyond their regular responsibilities, she says.
Levitt also says that Vancouver’s staffing plans have similarly tracked expectations. “We’ve built contingency plans into staffing plans, but we’ve found that to date, anticipated staffing needs are generally working well, with small adjustments being made where appropriate,” she says.
Hospitality sector: an uneven picture
While municipal government operations have kept pace with projections, the hospitality sector has faced a more complicated reality.
Hotel occupancy in Toronto during the second week of June 2026 — when Canada played its first match — came in at 82 per cent, down slightly from 83 per cent in the same period last year, according to Sara Anghel, president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, in an interview with the Canadian Press. The decline was sharper in the third week of June 2026, when the rate dropped to 72 per cent, compared with 86 per cent a year earlier, while Destination Vancouver reported before the World Cup began that room bookings in that city were down approximately 20 per cent in June compared with the same month in 2025, according to the Canadian Press.