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Hotel industry and tourism groups in Toronto say they are optimistic that FIFA World Cup matches will bring many people to the city and boost the local economy despite a lack of surge in hotel bookings and fans’ complaints about ticket prices.
President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association Sara Anghel says the soccer tournament will definitely have a positive economic impact, even after FIFA cancelled thousands of hotel room bookings in Toronto, Vancouver and other host cities.
She says Toronto remains an attractive destination with plenty to offer to visitors who are coming for one of the six World Cup matches in the city, or for other reasons even after the tournament is over.
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Destination Toronto’s vice-president of destination development Kelly Jackson says hotels are tracking to see an occupancy rate of around 80 per cent in June and July, which is similar to those months in previous years.
She says hotels are receiving more individual traveller bookings in June this year compared to the same month last year, which is making up for the decline in group bookings as major conventions and meetings that are usually held in June were moved to May or July.
Toronto and Vancouver are among 16 cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico that will host a combined 104 games during the expanded 48-team tournament, running June 11 through July 19.
Destination Vancouver has said that June hotel bookings in the city are down 20 per cent this year compared with the same time in 2025, but it remains hopeful hotels will fill up closer to kickoff.
Toronto has allocated a $380-million budget for the soccer tournament, which includes funding from federal and provincial governments, with FIFA previously estimating up to $940 million in economic output for the Greater Toronto Area.
Toronto Stadium is expected to host more than 45,000 spectators per match and the city says up to 20,000 people could attend the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York and The Bentway during operational days.
The Toronto games kick off with Canada’s opening match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12.
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