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Noting that the last World Cup in Qatar had a combined viewership of 19 billion, he predicted the expanded 2026 edition, which will feature 104 games, will be the “largest event in history.” ɫɫÀ²’s first match on June 12, 2026, which will feature Canada’s men’s team and a still-to-be-determined opponent, will attract the country’s largest ever TV audience and could be seen by 300 million people, he said.

“We want to show the world what Canada is and we want to show the world what É«É«À² stands for,” said Montopoli, who was joined by city manager Paul Johnson, executive director of É«É«À²’s World Cup secretariat Sharon Bollenbach, and adviser to FIFA Bob Richardson.

But it’s unclear whether É«É«À²nians will embrace the city’s plans to co-host the tournament, which is being staged in 16 locations in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. A poll conducted by Maru Public Opinion for CityNews earlier this month found 63 per cent of É«É«À² residents don’t want their governments paying for major sporting events like the Olympics or World Cup. 

The city estimates it will cost $380 million to host the half-dozen games, a significant increase from the $45-million figure council was given in 2018 when it signed onto the joint North American bid (that number didn’t include security expenditures). 

É«É«À², which Mayor Olivia Chow said this week is facing another daunting shortfall headed into the 2025 budget, had hoped to split funding responsibilities evenly with the federal and provincial governments. But the cash-strapped municipality committed to host before it secured financial commitments from Ottawa and Queen’s Park, and is now on the hook for almost half the bill, or $178 million. 

On Monday, the city released plans to offset some of its costs through a temporary increase to the accommodation tax charged to hotels and short-term rentals. The 14-month rate increase, from six per cent to 8.5 per cent, starting next June would raise more than $56 million. Johnson said the city is exploring additional revenue sources, like private sector donations, so that the amount paid through É«É«À² property tax base is equal to the other governments’ contributions. 

Vancouver, the only other Canadian World Cup host city, is implementing a similar hotel tax increase, but it will be in place for seven years and . Asked why É«É«À² isn’t planning to keep its rate hike in place that long and pay off a greater share of tournament expenses, Johnson said staff didn’t want to hurt the hotel sector’s long-term competitiveness. 

The city manager dismissed the suggestion that, as just one of 16 host venues spread across three countries, É«É«À² might not get the global attention it’s banking on. It has been allocated five group stage matches and one in the Round of 32, while the vast majority of the games — 78 of them, including the tournament’s most-watched later stages — will be in 11 U.S. cities 

“I’m not concerned that … this is going to somehow be a B city in the World Cup. It’s not. There’s going to be excitement and energy,” Johnson said, asserting that the economic impact of the games, particularly through increased tourism, will be “profound.” The city is anticipating the event will attract 208,000 overnight visitors, create 3,500 jobs, and generate almost $400 million in gross domestic product citywide.

But the city manager stressed he’s working with multiple divisions to ensure the money spent on the event delivers benefits that will endure long after “six matches that the majority of people in this city will never attend.” 

The city is looking at legacy projects like improvements to municipally-owned BMO Field, initiatives that celebrate the city’s diversity, a new training facility at Centennial Park, and improved access to community sport programs. 

Despite the significant bill taxpayers are being asked to foot for the World Cup, Bollenbach argued that some of the positives of the event shouldn’t be measured in dollars and cents. 

She predicted É«É«À²nians will take away lifelong memories by volunteering for the tournament, or hearing Canada’s national anthem at the first match. “You can’t bottle that, you can’t buy it, you can’t make it,” she said.