TORONTO (AP) — Toronto, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, will host six World Cup games, including the first-ever such match in Canada on June 12.
The host country will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in that opening match. Ghana plays Panama on June 17, Germany plays Côte d’Ivoire on June 20, Croatia faces Panama on June 23 and Senegal plays Iraq on June 26. Toronto also hosts a round of 32 match on July 2.
Canada’s largest city is
welcoming the world and emphasizing its diversity, a contrast to the U.S., where fears about border control could keep international fans away. Toronto touts itself as the “world in a city.”
“More than half our residents were born outside Canada,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said. “Over 200 languages are spoken across our neighborhoods — and yes, this summer, the world will come to Toronto. But for us, the world has always been here.”
Toronto is a place with distinct cultural neighborhoods. The most popular tourist attractions include the CN Tower, the revitalized Harbourfront and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Toronto has it all. Sports bars like Real Sports with its 39-foot HD big screen will be packed. And it won’t be hard to find food from most of the countries in the 48-team tournament. Michelin-recognized restaurants like Alo, Toronto institutions like Sotto Sotto, and St. Lawrence Market, ranked as one of the world’s best food markets, are just a few highlights.
Toronto cancelled a plan to charge general admission to its FIFA Fan Festival after a backlash. The games will be broadcast on screens, and there will be live music and more than 30 food vendors serving flavors from around the world. The zone is located on the grounds of the Fort York National Historic Site and underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, just a mile away from Toronto Stadium.
Toronto is encouraging public transit, with the Toronto Transit Commission providing expanded service with trains, buses and streetcars and the reginal GO Transit service offering more trains. The city is heavily restricting traffic around the downtown core where the stadium is. There will be no public parking at Toronto Stadium or in nearby residential areas like Liberty Village.
Toronto Stadium is the smallest venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The stadium is where Major League Soccer's Toronto FC and the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts play. The facility underwent a $100 million-plus renovation that added about 17,000 temporary seats. That will bring the capacity to the FIFA minimum of 45,000.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
