Toronto has scored federal funding to help pay for the 2026 World Cup.
At a press conference at BMO Field on Friday morning, Federal Minister of Sport and Physical Activity Carla Qualtrough announced Ottawa would put $104 million towards the six games being held in the city for the global soccer tournament.
“Today is a great day to be a soccer fan in the city of Toronto,” she said.
But as it stands the cash-strapped municipality will be left taking on the lion’s share of the expenses for the half-dozen games, scheduled from June 12 and July 2, 2026.
The latest estimates peg Toronto’s hosting costs at $380 million, and the city had expected Ottawa to shoulder up to about one-third of that amount.
The Ontario government has committed up to $97 million.
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The tournament is being co-hosted by 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., with most of the 104 matches being staged in American stadiums.
Although Chow and other city officials say the games will deliver major economic benefits to Toronto, the event has faced criticism over rising costs.
When council first voted to join the joint North American bid in 2018, staff estimated hosting would cost just $30 million to $45 million. As the Star has previously reported, city staff signed on to the bid despite not meeting council’s requirement of securing funding from the other levels of government beforehand.
Last month, Chow created a financial oversight committee she said would help keep hosting costs on budget.
This is a developing story.
Ben Spurr has been the Toronto Star's transportation reporter since April 2016. He covers public transit, the politics of transportation, road safety, and other related issues. Before joining the Star in 2015, he covered municipal politics for NOW Magazine. He was born in Toronto, and has lived here all his life.
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