Toronto completes renovations to expand World Cup stadium to 45K seats

Work has officially been completed to overhaul and expand Toronto’s BMO Field stadium ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The arena — which will be called Toronto Stadium for the games in June and July — has been under construction for months, as Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment expands its capacity.

The 30,000-capacity stadium has been expanded to seat 45,000 people using two temporary stands, which will host fans for five group-stage games and one knockout match.

“Toronto is ready,” Mayor Olivia Chow declared on Tuesday as she unveiled the changes.

Liberal MP Vince Gasparro said it was an “honour” for the city to host World Cup matches.

“Everywhere you can feel the excitement building as we get closer to the start of FIFA World Cup 2026,” he said. “It’s a fantastic, once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase all that our great city — and frankly our great country — has to offer.”

While the temporary seating will be removed, the city said the other upgrades within the stadium will remain after the tournament ends.

Toronto’s portion of the men’s World Cup will begin on June 12 at 3 p.m. when Canada hosts its first game of the international soccer tournament.

Their opponent, however, is still to be decided. Matches this week will determine if Italy, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Northern Ireland will compete in that game.

Through the rest of June and the first week of July, Toronto will also host matches featuring countries such as Ghana, Germany, Croatia and Senegal.

The city’s final match will be a Round of 32 game on July 2.