Toronto city council OKs plan to accept hosting FIFA 2026 World Cup matches
Author of the article:Scott Laurie
Publishing date:Apr 06, 2022 • 10 hours ago • 2 minute read • 8 Comments
Canada celebrates after the final whistle following a 2022 World Cup qualifying match against Jamaica at BMO Field on March 27, 2022 in Toronto.
Canada celebrates after the final whistle following a 2022 World Cup qualifying match against Jamaica at BMO Field on March 27, 2022 in Toronto. PHOTO BY VAUGHN RIDLEY /GETTY IMAGES
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Toronto city council has approved a plan to accept a nomination to host FIFA Men’s World Cup games in 2026, if the governing body of world soccer selects Toronto next month.
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The 2026 games have already been awarded to a joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Eighty matches will be played in 16 cities in North America.
Toronto now officially wants to be one of those cities.
“It is something that will bring the city together in a big way, given the nature of this city,” Mayor John Tory told councillors Wednesday. “We need to keep putting this city on the map and make sure people see it and come and experience it.”
FIFA ultimately decides which cities will host matches.
That decision is expected at the end of May.
Wednesday’s vote by city council was nearly unanimous, with only councilor Gord Perks opposing.
Council has asked the city manager to report back June 8 on the status of negotiations between the city and the provincial and federal governments.
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The city expects hosting any games will cost about $290 million by 2026.
It is asking the federal government and Queen’s Park to cover two-thirds of this amount, or about $177 million.
In March, a report by the city executive committee said “hosting part of the 2026 World Cup will bring global media attention and could result in positive economic and cultural impacts for the city.”
The report also said “projected benefits of hosting five matches in Toronto include an estimated $307 million dollars of GDP impact, 3,300 jobs and 174,000 overnight visitors.”
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Former Serbian footballer Bora Milutinovic displays the name of Canada during the draw for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on April 1, 2022.
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People gather during a flag-raising ceremony of the newly-qualified countries for the 2022 World Cup in the Qatari capital Doha, on March 30, 2022. Traffic police nervously watched a World Cup crowd make a mark in Qatar's capital as FIFA set the scene for even bigger gatherings at the event by announcing that 800,000 tickets have already been sold.
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“The kind of contribution to the economy that this will make will more than repay all of the money that is going to be put into this,” mayor Tory told the meeting.
Council’s approval comes just days after Canada’s mens’ team qualified for November’s World Cup in Qatar.
The FIFA tournament is considered to be the world’s most-watched sporting event, with a global viewership of four billion people for the entire competition and upwards of 200 million for each match.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Scott Laurie
Publishing date:Apr 06, 2022 • 10 hours ago • 2 minute read • 8 Comments
Canada celebrates after the final whistle following a 2022 World Cup qualifying match against Jamaica at BMO Field on March 27, 2022 in Toronto.
Canada celebrates after the final whistle following a 2022 World Cup qualifying match against Jamaica at BMO Field on March 27, 2022 in Toronto. PHOTO BY VAUGHN RIDLEY /GETTY IMAGES
Article content
Toronto city council has approved a plan to accept a nomination to host FIFA Men’s World Cup games in 2026, if the governing body of world soccer selects Toronto next month.
Advertisement 2
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
The 2026 games have already been awarded to a joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Eighty matches will be played in 16 cities in North America.
Toronto now officially wants to be one of those cities.
“It is something that will bring the city together in a big way, given the nature of this city,” Mayor John Tory told councillors Wednesday. “We need to keep putting this city on the map and make sure people see it and come and experience it.”
FIFA ultimately decides which cities will host matches.
That decision is expected at the end of May.
Wednesday’s vote by city council was nearly unanimous, with only councilor Gord Perks opposing.
Council has asked the city manager to report back June 8 on the status of negotiations between the city and the provincial and federal governments.
Advertisement 3
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
The city expects hosting any games will cost about $290 million by 2026.
It is asking the federal government and Queen’s Park to cover two-thirds of this amount, or about $177 million.
In March, a report by the city executive committee said “hosting part of the 2026 World Cup will bring global media attention and could result in positive economic and cultural impacts for the city.”
The report also said “projected benefits of hosting five matches in Toronto include an estimated $307 million dollars of GDP impact, 3,300 jobs and 174,000 overnight visitors.”
Former Serbian footballer Bora Milutinovic displays the name of Canada during the draw for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on April 1, 2022.
Canada draws Belgium, Croatia and Morocco at FIFA World Cup in Qatar
People gather during a flag-raising ceremony of the newly-qualified countries for the 2022 World Cup in the Qatari capital Doha, on March 30, 2022. Traffic police nervously watched a World Cup crowd make a mark in Qatar's capital as FIFA set the scene for even bigger gatherings at the event by announcing that 800,000 tickets have already been sold.
World Cup tickets going fast as qualifying nears an end
Canadian soccer fans cheer as prior to the World Cup qualifying game against Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica on March 24, 2022.
VAN DIEST: World Cup qualification long time coming for Canadian soccer fans
“The kind of contribution to the economy that this will make will more than repay all of the money that is going to be put into this,” mayor Tory told the meeting.
Council’s approval comes just days after Canada’s mens’ team qualified for November’s World Cup in Qatar.
The FIFA tournament is considered to be the world’s most-watched sporting event, with a global viewership of four billion people for the entire competition and upwards of 200 million for each match.
Toronto city council OKs plan to accept hosting FIFA 2026 World Cup matches
The world soccer body is expected to announce host cities by the end of May
