What to know
- Fans interviewed by Now Toronto say the city has created an exciting and welcoming atmosphere for the World Cup.
- Visitors praised Toronto’s energy, public celebrations, Fan Festival programming and cultural events tied to the tournament.
- Supporters said transit has performed well overall, particularly highlighting GO Transit’s increased service during match days.
- Some fans noted heavier traffic and slower streetcar service around major events, but said disruptions were manageable.
As Toronto hosts the World Cup for the first time in its history, Team Canada fans are sharing their take on watching it unfold from the country’s most populated city.
There are only two matches left at the Toronto Stadium, and the city is still vibrating with excitement for the sport, as thousands of fans from all over the world continue to visit the city to enjoy the soccer spirit.
Weeks before the tournament kicked off, some residents and experts questioned whether the city was prepared to host a major event, including a proper stadium, traffic control measures, transit expansion, and more.
Read More
- Over half of Toronto residents believe the city is ‘unprepared’ to host FIFA World Cup: poll
- ‘It’s gonna be a sloppy mess,’ Toronto residents fear World Cup traffic chaos as city ranked least prepared for congestion
- Over 300,000 people are expected to come to Toronto for FIFA. Is the city ready for an emergency?
With Toronto now having held four matches at the stadium, Now Toronto asked soccer fans if they think the city is doing a good job as a host.
A Montreal visitor, Juan Manuel, described the experience in Toronto as “wonderful,” praising the city for its beauty and unmatched energy, which he believes even tops Vancouver’s.
“It’s wonderful..I’ve been living in Canada for 20 years, but this is amazing. We’re having a great time and funny stories, and just [an] awesome time,” he said.
“This is the best city to watch the games and just have fun with friends. Vancouver is good too. I mean, I don’t want to disrespect them, they’re probably doing a great job. But here, right here, is where we’re having fun.”
Another visitor from Oakville, Josh, echoed this sentiment, saying he has been enjoying the experience.
On the downside, Josh said the costs of enjoying the World Cup in Toronto have been pretty steep, with a single beer costing him $14 at the FIFA Fan Festival. But he already expected that. Other than that, he has no criticisms toward Toronto as a host.
“I don’t know if I have any criticisms. I’m just excited that this city’s open to hosting this kind of thing. It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I hope they keep thinking of bigger things to do and bring more people to the city,” he added.
Charlina Erapuro, who is originally from Finland but now lives in Toronto, also shared her praises for the city, especially for including art into the tournament, with live performances at the Fan Festival and installations across the city.
“I love this concept. I love that there [are] some artists. I’m an artist myself, so I’m here to enjoy the music and have this team-playing spirit of supporting your country and your team,” she said.
Has Toronto transit been holding up?
Most soccer fans Now Toronto spoke with said they believe the city is doing a good job with transit.
Erapuro said the city’s transit system is superior to the one she experienced in Finland. However, she warned that streetcars can become slow on game days.
“It’s been slower. If you take a streetcar, it’s been very slow the past [few] days. So, yeah, watch out for that, but the buses are going as fast as normal. I just think there’s more traffic because there [are] more things happening,” she said.
Josh also agreed traffic can get slow at times when events are taking place in the city, but said he is content with GO Transit service, as Metrolinx has increased flow to accommodate fans.
“They’ve got the GO train coming every 15 minutes into the city. We got down here, no problem. They were super organized in front, getting us in here,” he added.
Similarly, Juan said the system has been working well, and even better than what he has experienced in Montreal.
“Yesterday, we had a little traffic, but the city is gorgeous. You have a gorgeous city. I don’t want to talk about Montreal, but if I have to, we have a lot of potholes and everything like that. Roads are not very [good], and we have to manage that…but, Toronto is just a wonderful city,” he said.
Toronto is next hosting Iraq vs. Senegal on Friday at 3 p.m.
