Toronto ranks second-best World Cup host city for atmosphere, says global fan who visited all 16
Content creator Casey Settleman, who attended matches at every World Cup venue, praised Toronto Stadium's intimate setting and public transit, placing it second only to Vancouver.
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Toronto Stadium may have drawn criticism during the FIFA World Cup for being the tournament's smallest venue, but one of the few people who attended matches at all 16 host cities ranked it second-best overall.
Casey Settleman, a content creator with New York-based Underdog Sports, attended World Cup matches across every host city and published his final rankings on social media. He placed Toronto second on his list—and his reasoning challenges conventional wisdom about stadium size.
"I loved Toronto; they have a great public transit system, and the very small stadium actually made the atmosphere feel a lot better," Settleman said. "It's made for soccer. The city got it done!"
Toronto Stadium had the smallest capacity of any FIFA World Cup venue. The city had to add more than 17,000 temporary seats to the north and south stands to meet FIFA's minimum capacity requirement of 40,000. Settleman sat in the temporary north stand for the Portugal-Croatia match and was blown away by the view overlooking Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline.
Settleman's praise wasn't isolated. Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez also had kind words for Toronto following their team's win over Croatia in the Round of 32, saying it was a shame the city wasn't awarded more matches. He even compared Toronto Stadium to an "old-fashioned Premier League ground."
Vancouver took the top spot in Settleman's rankings, the country's only other World Cup host.
The facts
Where did Casey Settleman rank Toronto among World Cup host cities?
Casey Settleman, a content creator who attended matches at all 16 World Cup host cities, ranked Toronto Stadium second overall for atmosphere.
Why did Toronto Stadium need temporary seating?
Toronto Stadium had the smallest capacity of any FIFA World Cup venue, so the city added more than 17,000 temporary seats to the north and south stands to meet FIFA's minimum capacity requirement of 40,000.
What did Portugal's head coach say about Toronto Stadium?
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez compared Toronto Stadium to an 'old-fashioned Premier League ground' and said it was a shame the city wasn't awarded more World Cup matches.
