Today, Mayor John Tory was joined by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) Chairman Larry Tanenbaum and Ontario’s Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries the Honourable Lisa MacLeod to welcome a visiting delegation from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Toronto is a candidate host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026 along with other cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. As part of the North America United bid, Toronto is in consideration to host multiple games and major fan events across the city for the duration of the 30-day tournament.

The 2026 event will be the largest ever, with 48 teams competing for the coveted FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Potential host cities undergo an in-depth review of venues, infrastructure, readiness and capabilities during host city visits from FIFA subject matter experts. The FIFA delegation, led by Vice-President and Concacaf President Victor Montagliani and Chief Tournaments and Events Officer Colin Smith, is in Toronto for one day only conducting the final FIFA World Cup 2026 host city site visit. Prior to their Toronto visit, the delegation toured 21 other cities across North America, including Edmonton, Alberta on November 17.

Today, City staff and partners from MLSE, Destination Toronto, Canada Soccer, Exhibition Place, the Province of Ontario and Government of Canada as well as business and community leaders met with the delegation to showcase Toronto’s diversity, capacity and collaboration. The site visit included a tour of BMO Field and City assets that are under consideration to be Fanfest, training and event venues.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities are expected to be announced by FIFA early next year. The exact dates of the tournament have not yet been set.

“Hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 would be an unrivaled opportunity to champion Ontario as a global destination for blockbuster sport events while creating thousands of jobs and injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the provincial economy. Over the coming months, Ontario will continue working closely with Canada Soccer, the City of Toronto and the federal government. On behalf of the Premier, and the Government of Ontario, we want the world to know that Ontario is once again open for business, open for athletes and open for visitors and we are prepared to compete on the world stage.”
– The Honourable Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries

“Today, along with all of our partners we had the opportunity to showcase our great city and all of the service we can provide FIFA, athletes, fans and other stakeholders if they choose Toronto as a host city. We have the capacity and facilities to create a unique and exciting event in 2026 and I know that our partners, city ambassadors and residents will play a key role in making this possible. -Mayor Jon Tory