Messy transportation, impact on communities pose questions for Canada's World Cup host cities

Shireen Ahmed · CBC Sports

· Posted: Mar 26, 2026 7:36 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

It is commonly known that there are two seasons in Toronto: winter and construction.

As the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup quickly approaches, construction is not only on highways or on unfinished transit projects, it is on display at BMO field, one of the event's two Canadian venues. BMO field sits just off the Gardiner Expressway, one of Toronto’s major arteries,.

The temporary stands that were constructed to accommodate a massive leap in attendance swell from the ground. BMO has a normal capacity of just over 28,000 and will increase to 45,736 seats.

There has been online chatter about how Torontonians and BMO regulars dislike the new arrangements.

Some fans argued they “don’t look” safe and may be rickety, but in 2018 I attended a River Plate match at the legendary Estadio Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires before the major renovations of 2020. Every time the crowd roared, I felt that the entire stadium would collapse. I was assured from friends with me that it was safe and totally normal. It was fine.

The reality in Toronto is that accommodating 17,000 more people is the top priority even if it doesn’t match a millennium-style aesthetic preference. They are metal stands for a World Cup match, not velvet sofas at an underground lounge.

WATCH | Questions raised about BMO Field's temporary seating:

Engineering experts and spokespeople for the city have confirmed the seating to be safe for these types of circumstances, and meet all required building codes.

Rob Notenboom is the president of Canada’s largest supporters group: The Voyageurs. The V’s as they are known to soccer fans, are a small volunteer group which often travels in support of the men’s and women’s national teams. I asked Notenboom what the group was thinking about preparations, the temporary seating, and Toronto as a host city.

“Some have said [seating] looks pretty ugly … others have been much more charitable,” he said. “But it looks about what I expected, and I think the most important view [is] from inside the stadium, it’ll be really good.”

Vancouver is also preparing to host the World Cup but doesn't require extensive renovations or facelifts to BC Place. There will be additional bathroom and elevator installations but nothing like BMO field.

Community vs. host city

Proper infrastructure doesn’t only mean venues and stadiums. It means a holistic approach to what "host city" means. You can't divorce community from the host city, as convenient as it may be.

Any community pushback in Vancouver comes more from a human rights perspective with concerns of displacement and potential harm close to Chinatown and Vancouver’s east end.

According to local reporting, the human rights strategy for Vancouver is weaker than other host cities and insufficient protections for marginalized people in the city against the 350,000 fans who will descend upon the west coast metropolis.

Jerome Ibokwe, a lawyer with the B.C. Civil liberties Association told The Tyee that the main concern for these mega-events should not only be traffic and infrastructure — but plans for Vancouverites.

“People who live in the city should be prioritized,” he said. “At the end of the day, that should be everyone’s concern: how are we treating the people who are here?”

Toronto had to undergo a human rights evaluation as part of the bid but Vancouver did not because it was a late-entry candidate. Vancouver has a legacy of “broken promises” and it begs the question: will the effects of the World Cup be as harsh? Or will Canada prevail with wins off the pitch and for the host cities?

For Notenboom, Toronto’s preparations are going well and although he lives in Regina he travels to Toronto fairly often to attend matches. He believes Toronto serves a distinct purpose as being diverse but also offering services.

If supporters are concerned with the community after the tournament then what occurs during the tournament also matters.

For some, practice fields at Centennial Park (Toronto) and Killarney Park and Memorial South Park (Vancouver) will serve communities after the tournament when they will be used as official training grounds for teams playing in the World Cup. Killarney Park underwent a huge makeover.

But any offerings to the community seem muddled.

Downtown Toronto is seen behind the temporary stands of BMO Field's south end. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)

Nik Spohr is a dedicated Canada and Germany fan, and recreational player and has attended World Cup tournaments before. The dual-national has tickets to watch both Canada and Germany play at BMO field.

Spohr also runs a men's soccer club (Annex 97) as part of the Toronto Services Soccer League that typically has their games at Etobicoke’s Centennial fields.

“They were supposed to be redeveloped for the World Cup, but I only recently learned that it got rolled back a bit last year,” Spohr said.

“We typically have games scheduled there for our summer league, and understood that it was supposed to be used as a training facility for one or more national teams. I am not sure what the status of it all is now, and whether it will impact our games. Our league didn't even have an answer for us.”

A closer look at the newly built seating at BMO Field. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Centennial field lost half of the proposed renovation money to offset the rising costs at BMO Field. And now the community is paying the price.

Still, Spohr intends to enjoy World Cup mania. He lives walking distance from BMO Field, so being able to experience that is “a dream come true.” Spohr grew up in Milton outside of the city so he understands the cumbersome nature of commuting in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

“Commuting has been a s--tshow for years in Toronto, regardless,” he said. “I think if you drive or take transit in Toronto and GTA, then it is kind of just priced in. There is always another chaotic commute just over the horizon.”

While the commute to catch a game may be facilitated for Spohr, for others it may not be that easy.

Toronto experts predict up to 15 per cent more cars on the road during the tournament. Because is it really a proper Toronto summer without heightened gridlock in a heatwave?

A mobility report is expected to be released next week but other than suggesting the public take transit or carpool, I am not sure how that would change.

Living outside of the downtown core, I am considering my own transportation plans and options that will be a jumbled mess of cycling, GO Train, and anything else that gets me to the stadium on time.

As someone who has attended five World Cups, there is always traffic and chaos amidst the joy.  Canadians cannot be naive enough to expect differently.

The game may be beautiful but that doesn’t mean all the surrounding frameworks will be, too.