What to know
- The City of Toronto has unveiled its mobility plan ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with just 78 days until kickoff in the city.
- Major changes include no public parking near BMO Field, increased transit service, and traffic restrictions across downtown and the waterfront.
- Officials expect up to 45,000 visitors per match and 20,000 at the Fan Festival at Fort York National Historic Site and The Bentway.
The City of Toronto is officially in preparation mode for the World Cup, and has unveiled its mobility plan for the event.
With only 78 days until the first game kicks off in Toronto, the city unveiled the plan on Thursday, outlining strategies to support accessible travel and minimize traffic impacts during the event.
The plan was developed in collaboration with the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Secretariat, TTC, Metrolinx, Toronto Police Service, Toronto Emergency Management, Toronto Parking Authority, and local airports.
According to the city, the strategies were designed based on its experience receiving other major events, and are made in collaboration with transportation and public safety agencies. Some of the outlined strategies include:
- The city will implement transportation and traffic measures to support travel, which could include temporary adjustments in the downtown core, particularly near BMO Field, Exhibition Place, Liberty Village, the waterfront, and Fort York;
- Game and event attendees are encouraged to take transit, and service adjustments will be in place to support the extra demand;
- There will be no public parking available at the stadium, Exhibition Place or surrounding neighbourhoods, and local access will also be restricted;
- Routes will also be enhanced to support walking and cycling in the area, with a temporary cycle parking available;
- Ride service access will also be limited to specific pick-up and drop-off areas around the stadium, Exhibition Place and Fan Festival sites, and vehicle access will be limited to support the events’ operations;
- Throughout the event, the city will also implement temporary traffic and parking measures, including parking restrictions, road closures, and curb lane changes;
- A Unified Mobility Co-ordination Centre will monitor traffic conditions in real time and adjust traffic operations, signal timing and enforcement to manage the situation.
As one of the hosts for the soccer event of the year, the city expects to see “varying levels of activity” during the World Cup, and estimates that it will receive about 300,000 excited fans to the city. This includes 45,000 per match at the BMO Field and up to 20,000 at the FIFA Fan Festival, which will take place from June 11–July 19 at the Fort York National Historic Site and The Bentway.
Having a mobility plan is one of FIFA’s requirements for World Cup host cities, and it will be considered by the FIFA World Cup 2026 Subcommittee on March 30, as well as the Executive Committee on April 15, and Toronto City Council on April 22–24.
