Total government costs of FIFA World Cup in Canada could reach over $1 billion | Daily Hive

Total government costs of FIFA World Cup in Vancouver and Toronto could reach over $1 billion

FIFA World Cup dressings installed onto the empty storefronts of the former Hudson's Bay Vancouver flagship store building. (Kenneth Chan)

Canada’s role in hosting the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Vancouver and Toronto is becoming more expensive than originally anticipated, according to a new report today from Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).

When the spending by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments are combined, the total Canadian public expenditures connected to the tournament could reach about $1.07 billion. This includes $473 million coming from the federal government, and $593 million from the Government of British Columbia, Government of Ontario, City of Vancouver, City of Toronto, and other public entities.

Vancouver is hosting seven matches at BC Place Stadium, including two group stage matches with Team Canada and two knockout rounds, while Toronto is hosting six matches, including the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup match played on home, which includes the country’s opening ceremony for the tournament before the opening match (with Team Canada playing) and one knockout round. Both cities are also providing dedicated practice facilities for the teams and hosting major official free FIFA Fan Festivals throughout the tournament’s duration.

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The Government of British Columbia’s latest budget update for Vancouver’s hosting costs was made in June 2025, when it was announced that the total costs would reach a range of between $532 million and $624 million, including between $171 million and $181 million for BC Place Stadium renovations and tournament-time operational costs and up to $145 million for a generous contingency fund to cover any unexpected costs and market inflation. This total cost estimate is up from the April 2024 update of between $483 million and $581 million. From the outset, when Vancouver was named as a host city in 2022, it was assumed the city would host fewer matches — a total of five or six matches.

The PBO’s report states Vancouver’s overall FIFA World Cup-related costs are now projected to approach approximately $578 million, while Toronto’s commitments may reach roughly $380 million. This is up from $300 million in 2022, when Toronto was confirmed as a host city and also assumed to host fewer matches — five matches.

According to the City of Toronto’s 2025 budget, the allocated $380 million for the tournament includes $236 million for operating costs — including a contingency fund of nearly $31 million — and $144 million for capital costs.

A major driver behind the escalating costs is security. The 2026 tournament will feature 48 national teams and 104 matches across North America, with millions of international visitors expected to travel throughout the host countries.

More than one million visitors could arrive in Canada for the FIFA World Cup leading up to and during the five-week-long tournament period. Large-scale international sporting events increasingly require sophisticated and expensive security frameworks involving numerous law enforcement, intelligence, and federal authorities and departments. Security costs for major sporting events have risen sharply worldwide over the past two decades due to evolving global threats and the logistical complexity of protecting massive crowds and high-profile athletes.

According to the PBO, out of the $473 million being spent by the federal government to support both host cities, $220 million will go to the federal government’s Canadian Heritage department to directly support the operating costs of the host cities, $145 million will go to Public Safety Canada to support security activities, $79 million will go to the RCMP for its security operations, and the remaining $29 million will go to Canada Border Security Agency, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, Public Safety Canada, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Invest Canada, and Canadian Heritage.

The $145 million in federal funding for Public Safety Canada’s security expenditures was announced in April 2026.

Furthermore, the host cities have signed agreements with FIFA outlining detailed expectations and hosting responsibilities.

The PBO’s report acknowledges that the costs could increase over the coming weeks, given the likelihood that provincial and municipal governments may make public their latest estimated cost figures closer to the tournament.

During a press conference last week to unveil BC Place Stadium’s upgrades, Premier David Eby said an updated total cost estimate for the tournament in Vancouver will be made before the end of May. He maintains that the costs are worth the short- and long-term benefits.

“It is a key piece of information for the public, but the legacies that will be created by this game, whether it’s community sports fields or the improvements here to the stadium that will create lines of revenue, or the opportunity to develop and enhance relationships with business partners or tourists from around the world, is significant and hard to understate,” said Eby.

“We have a number of partners that we’re coordinating with in terms of releasing full disclosure. We do have a desire to release it all at once rather than in pieces. As you know, we just recently finalized an agreement with the federal government in terms of contribution to the security costs. This is ongoing work that we’re doing with our partners and I look forward to having a full accounting for the public by the end of the month.”

Chris May, the general manager of BC Place Stadium, told Daily Hive Urbanized last week the combined upgrade and tournament-time operating costs for the venue are within the established budget envelope of between $171 million and $181 million for the work.

Another key partner is, of course, the City of Vancouver, which is serving as the role as FIFA’s local organizing committee in Vancouver. In the June 2025 budget update, it was noted that out of the estimated $532 million to $624 million in total costs, Vancouver’s municipal government would be responsible for $246 million to $276 million, which covers a major part of the tournament operating costs, public safety, security, traffic management, training sites, and the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park.

However, the overwhelming majority of the City of Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup costs is set to be covered by the temporary FIFA hotel sales tax applied on overnight hotel room bookings within Vancouver’s jurisdiction. This tax paid by visitors to the city first began in 2023 and it is set to end in 2030, with the municipal government anticipating roughly $230 million in revenues over the seven-year lifespan of the additional tax on nightly stays.

From the outset, during the bidding process, before FIFA chose Canada, the United States, and Mexico to jointly host the 2026 tournament, the approach taken to bring the FIFA World Cup back to North America was to use existing stadiums and infrastructure, with relatively minimal capital costs compared to previous hosts. This is very much unlike past FIFA World Cup hosts in 2014 (Brazil), 2018 (Russia), and 2022 (Qatar), which invested significantly in building brand-new stadiums, transportation infrastructure, accommodations, and other city-building measures.

However, even with this modest approach on capital costs, according to the PBO, Canada’s costs are still relatively comparable to past hosts with exponentially larger construction efforts. The average per match hosting costs for the Canadian cities will reach US$59.6 million — lower than Russia’s US$79.6 million per match and Brazil’s US$91 million per match.

The host countries of the subsequent FIFA World Cup tournaments in 2030 (Morocco, Portugal, and Spain) and 2034 (Saudi Arabia) will be completely deviating from the 2026 approach by building new stadiums and extensive infrastructure. For instance, Morocco is building not only new stadiums but also a high-speed rail line to connect its host cities, while Saudi Arabia’s total costs could reach up to US$250 billion.

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