Toronto invested $380M in World Cup—will the payoff materialize?

Toronto has poured $380 million into hosting the FIFA World Cup, with city officials projecting significant economic benefits including job creation, tourism growth, infrastructure improvements, and more than $300 million in GDP impact. But one expert is skeptical the investment will deliver.

University of Toronto professor Simon Darnell argues there is little evidence that mega-events consistently deliver on such promises. While the city will likely see a short-term boost in tourism and business activity during the tournament, Darnell remains sceptical that hosting the World Cup will help with long-standing issues like traffic, homelessness, or access to community spaces and programming.

The city has spent more than $350 million on transit and infrastructure upgrades to prepare for increased foot traffic, including major funding to improve and expand BMO Field into the 50,000-seat Toronto Stadium. Officials estimate the tournament will generate 3,300 additional jobs, 174,000 overnight visitors, and bookings for over 292,000 accommodations, generating $3.5 million in revenue.

According to Darnell, the true measure of the World Cup's impact will be whether investments continue after the tournament ends—through accessible sports facilities, grassroots programming, and community-focused infrastructure improvements rather than the event itself. Funding came from all three levels of government: $104.34 million from the federal government, $97 million from Ontario, with the remainder from city reserve funds, a temporary 2.5 per cent increase to the Municipal Accommodation Tax, commercial rights sales, and donations.