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Fifteen other cities across the U.S. and Mexico, including Vancouver, will also host matches in what is expected to be the biggest sporting event in history.

While 45,000 spectators per game is far from a record º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøcrowd, organizers also expect visiting heads of state, more than 1,000 accredited media, equipment to broadcast games to billions of fans and security checkpoints a long walk from BMO Stadium, which will be called º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøStadium during the event.

The mobility plan is as complete as possible until organizers know exact match days and times, Bollenbach said, encouraging ticket holders to arrive by public transit, bike, taxis and rideshare rather than “coming down in their cars and congesting the area” amid Toronto’s already world-notorious gridlock.

A large temporary streetcar stop will open at Fleet Street to reduce the crush of people arriving at the nearby GO Station.

Two more phases of ticket sales start with Oct. 27 registration for the next ticket draw. Tickets for 2026 World Cup matches will be priced from $60 (USD) to thousands of dollars per seat, with dynamic pricing — rising and falling depending on demand — expected.

Toronto, which owns BMO Stadium, and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which manages it, have partnered on upgrades required to host World Cup games. City taxpayers are investing $123 million in the site while MLSE funds another $23 million worth of improvements.

Four huge new video screens at each corner of the venue, each with a resolution of more than five million pixels, are in place among the first phase of changes that also include upgraded Wi-Fi, a new kitchen, upgraded video control room and a swanky VIP hospitality suite.

Construction on the second phase starts in December, with an extra 17,000 temporary seats added to the 28,000 already there, plus other upgrades, including new turf — a FIFA-required hybrid pitch that combines natural grass with synthetic fibres.

Nick Eaves, MLSE chief operating officer, said most of the work must be done in time for test matches expected next March and April before the stadium is “handed over” to FIFA on May 12.

“Between now and then, there’s a lot of work to do,” Eaves told reporters. “It’s going to be a sprint, but so was the first phase.”

Legacy improvements that will outlive the World Cup for fans of stadium tenants the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøArgonauts and º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøFC include improved lighting and audio as well as space for about 2,000 more fans, including on a general admission rooftop patio.

The estimated cost of hosting Toronto’s World Cup games has risen dramatically to $380 million. The city is responsible for almost $180 million, while the federal government is conditionally pledging $104 million and the Ontario government is kicking in $97 million.