{"id":42774,"date":"2026-05-13T00:25:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/42774\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T00:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:25:29","slug":"canadas-world-cup-host-cities-contend-with-funding-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/42774\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s World Cup host cities contend with funding uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto City Hall in downtown Toronto, as the city begins its transformation ahead of the FIFA World Cup, in Toronto on Tuesday.Wa Lone\/Reuters<\/p>\n

The head of Toronto\u2019s World Cup organizing committee said Tuesday the city hasn\u2019t sold any sponsorship packages in weeks as it scrambles to close a $5-million budget gap that materialized after FIFA requested costly additions to its official fan festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to seek that funding,\u201d said Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of Toronto\u2019s FIFA World Cup 2026<\/a> Secretariat, during a media conference at City Hall to mark one month before Toronto hosts its first match, on June 12. <\/p>\n

Only four host city supporter sponsorship packages have been sold so far, she said, though sales of hospitality packages are also proceeding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the days are getting tight, I am confident and I know that our commercial team are still working all the prospects they\u2019ve had on their lists, and we\u2019re continuing to do all that we can to make sure that we close any budget gaps.\u201d <\/p>\n

Almost 4,000 tickets to Canada\u2019s World Cup opening match become available to fans<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA agreements with host cities force changes to other summer events in Toronto, Vancouver<\/a><\/p>\n

Bollenbach would not disclose how much commercial revenue the city has booked for the tournament. \u201cWe\u2019re still in negotiations with some folks, so we\u2019re not releasing those numbers,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to jeopardize any of those negotiations and those hospitality sales that are still in the works.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last-minute funding uncertainty comes as both Toronto and Vancouver, which hosts its first match June 13, deflect questions about ballooning costs for the tournament and late demands by FIFA. <\/p>\n

B.C.\u2019s most recent World Cup budget update was last June. On Tuesday, officials invited media on a tour of BC Place stadium, which has undergone numerous renovations and upgrades for the World Cup and most recently installed a natural grass pitch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Premier David Eby, asked several times about the latest costs, said he understood the need to have a final and full accounting available to the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur intention was to release that with our partners closer to the date of the first game, but I have asked our team to bring that forward to ensure that we have the total out to the public by the end of the month,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Eby attributed the delay in part to coordinating with partners to release a full accounting. He cited as an example Ottawa\u2019s $100-million contribution<\/a> toward security costs in B.C., for which the parties recently finalized an agreement.<\/p>\n

The province is projected to generate a billion dollars in economic impact from the tournament, he added. <\/p>\n

Last week, at an event to unveil a new Toronto Police event command centre, Mayor Olivia Chow did not directly answer a reporter\u2019s question about conditions around provincial funding for the tournament. <\/p>\n

The new elements for Toronto\u2019s fan fest added an estimated $9-million, to bring the total tab for the 22 days of programming to $25-million. On Tuesday, a FIFA Canada spokesperson said the organization expected to reveal the additional fan fest features next week.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Toronto\u2019s executive committee also passed a motion to work with other local jurisdictions to provide paramedic services for the city after FIFA requested up to 50 paramedics be on hand at each World Cup match to respond to player injuries or spectators in medical distress. That move will cost an estimated $800,000.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

UV grow lights seen on the grass pitch installed at B.C. Place in Vancouver, B.C., on May 12.Ethan Cairns\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Bollenbach also offered updates on other elements of Toronto\u2019s hosting efforts, noting that the Major League Soccer match last Saturday between Toronto FC and Lionel Messi\u2019s Inter Miami FC had given organizers an opportunity to observe the stadium in use after renovations added temporary seating for about 17,000 fans. <\/p>\n

Some fans had complained about insufficient signage to help them navigate the area, as well as lineups at the concession stands and washrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an entire dressing, signage, and pageantry plan,\u201d she said, referring to the World Cup-branded decorations that are beginning to appear around the city. \u201cAll of which was not in place for this past weekend.\u201d She promised extensive signage to help fans orient themselves all the way from Union Station, about 3.5 kilometres from the stadium, as well as directions on how to access the entrances to and exits from the stadium.<\/p>\n

She also noted that there will be signage to help fans find the temporary washrooms that have been installed at the stadium.<\/p>\n

Where to watch the World Cup in Toronto and Vancouver<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto had hoped to make up almost $3.5-million of its $5-million shortfall by charging $10 for general admission tickets to the official fan festival, which will be held at Fort York and the adjacent The Bentway area. After a public outcry, the city elected to make admission free, as Vancouver is doing for its fan fest.<\/p>\n

Fans in Toronto are required to obtain tickets in advance \u2013 the first 220,000 free tickets were released last week, with the final 120,000 to be released in a second wave this Friday, May 16, at 10 a.m. ET \u2013 while Vancouver\u2019s event is first-come, first-served for general admission. <\/p>\n

Both events also sell premium tickets, with prices in Toronto ranging from $100 to $300 plus taxes and fees. Bollenbach said she was hopeful that revenue could help bridge the funding shortage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to look for filling that gap with fan fest, but making sure, first and foremost, that the experience that people are expecting to have meets and exceeds their expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Toronto City Hall in downtown Toronto, as the city begins its transformation ahead…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42775,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[164,224,238,214,212,239,17,211,230,231,227,213,210,235,171,234,143,222,249,215,216,229,225,226,219,240,220,244,245,247,242,246,94,243,217,142,233,113,232,241,223,236,237,228,221,218,248],"class_list":{"0":"post-42774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-canada-news","16":"tag-canada-sports","17":"tag-canada-sports-news","18":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","19":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","20":"tag-canadian-news","21":"tag-economy","22":"tag-education","23":"tag-environment","24":"tag-federal-government","25":"tag-foreign-news","26":"tag-globe-and-mail","27":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","28":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","29":"tag-government","30":"tag-life-news","31":"tag-lifestyle","32":"tag-local-news","33":"tag-manitoba","34":"tag-national-news","35":"tag-new-brunswick","36":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","37":"tag-northwest-territories","38":"tag-nova-scotia","39":"tag-nunavut","40":"tag-ontario","41":"tag-pei","42":"tag-photos","43":"tag-political-news","44":"tag-political-opinion","45":"tag-politics","46":"tag-politics-news","47":"tag-quebec","48":"tag-sports-news","49":"tag-technology","50":"tag-travel","51":"tag-trudeau","52":"tag-us-news","53":"tag-world-news","54":"tag-yukon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}