What to know
- The City of Toronto is distributing 1,100 FIFA Fan Fest tickets to Liberty Village and Fort York residents on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Residents must provide proof of address, follow The Bentway on Instagram, and have a Ticketmaster account to receive tickets.
- Passes will be assigned randomly for select July dates, with no option to choose a preferred event day.
Heads up, soccer fans: a limited number of FIFA Fan Fest tickets will soon be available for people living close to the venue, but not all residents are happy about it.
People who live in Toronto’s Liberty Village and Fort York neighbourhoods can now access a limited number of tickets to the FIFA Fan Fest. The city is giving away 1,100 tickets, on a first-come, first-served basis, distributed from a station set up at 55 Fort York Blvd., on Wednesday, June 24 at 3:00 p.m.
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To secure tickets, you must follow The Bentway on Instagram, and ensure you have a Ticket Master Account for ticket transfer. You must also have proof of residence for either Liberty Village or Fort York.
Passes are available for the Fan Fest on July 2, July 4, July 5, July 11, and July 14, but will be distributed randomly, and residents will not be able to select their preferred dates.
The giveaway comes amid ongoing frustration from some Toronto soccer fans over ticket accessibility during the FIFA World Cup. Since game tickets first went on sale, many supporters have complained about high prices, limited availability, and the challenges of securing seats for matches. Meanwhile, other events, like the Fan Fest, also remain widely inaccessible due to lacking availability.
‘Only one day at the most inconvenient time’: Torontonians not impressed
Online, many people are less than impressed with the offering. Some people like the initiative, but are annoyed with the distribution plan.
“A great initiative but why is it happening during work hours and why is it only 550 pairs of tickets for a neighbourhood of thousands who have had their parks taken away for 3 months,” one person shared on Instagram.
“Canada is playing Switzerland at 3 p.m. on June 24. Most residents who would appreciate these tickets will be busy watching the game and cheering on our team,” another person said.
“Only one day at the most inconvenient time?!? People have to work to afford this expensive city!!! I live near Fort York and have constant noise from this,” another person said. “But ok, give us tickets after the fact in the most inconvenient way possible. Thanks.”
“This should have been offered since the opening matches. You guys are lucky some of us residents don’t just knock down the fence.”
Meanwhile, others are annoyed that the passes are limited to those living in the two specific neighbourhoods.
“Funny how City Place is being inconvenienced as well but we get butt kiss,” one Instagram user shared.
And some people feel the infrastructure in the area needs to be revamped to better serve the community for future events.
“Fort York needs to be revitalized, renovated into a proper well designed park space,” one person shared.
