With Super Bowl behind them, sport fans around the world are turning their attention to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most-watched sporting event across the planet. Canada will be co-hosting the popular soccer tournament alongside Mexico and the United States, with Toronto and Vancouver set to host 14 out of the 104 scheduled matches.
And while fans prepare to welcome the beautiful game to town, city officials are also banking on the event to generate significant economic, cultural and community benefits. What are those benefits and is there a downside to hosting events of this size and magnitude?
We caught up with Simon Darnell, a professor at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and director of the Centre for Sport Policy studies, for his take on the upcoming mega-event. Darnell will be facilitating a conversation on this topic with David Roberts, an associate professor of urban studies in the department of geography and planning at U of T, at the third annual Peter Donnelly Lecture in Sport Policy Studies on February 24.
How do you feel about 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to Canada?
Like most Toronto sports fans, I am excited about World Cup matches being played in our city. I think the event will showcase the passion for sports that exists in Toronto and offer further evidence of how strong the sport of soccer/football is in Canada.
I think it will be a good party. And the World Cup can be a wonderful illustration of the global popularity of football, or sports’ ability to bring people together - what we might call sports’ cultural convening power. In times of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments, I am looking forward to global sports events that help us see our common humanity.
That said, as a sports sociologist, I think there are some questions related to hosting sports mega-events that we need to pay attention to.
What are some of those questions or concerns?
For example, who benefits most from hosting World Cup matches? Who might be harmed? What are the economic, social and environmental impacts on our city? And, in times of inflation and inequality, is this really the best use of our public money right now?
In addition, I would say we should be cautious about displacement. Sports mega-events have a long, rather sordid history of pushing out vulnerable people – the poor, unhoused or precarious workers - to make room for the spectacle. We should pay attention to whether this happens in Toronto.
Another concern is the increased policing and securitization that often accompanies events likes this and that often disproportionately targets people who are already on the social and economic margins.
What role can research of the type you do play in alleviating some of these concerns?
Along with colleagues from U of T, Western, York, Queens and several community organizations in Toronto, we are currently analyzing FIFA’s new human rights policies that are designed to protect vulnerable people during World Cup hosting. And we are also going to work with young people in Toronto before, during and after the games to see what impact the event had on their lives and their rights as citizens.
Interested in learning more? Sign up for the third annual Peter Donnelly Lecture in Sport Policy Studies on February 24.