Based on coverage from Sportsnet, Toronto Star, CHEK News, Sudbury.com, and National Observer.
Canada’s price tag for hosting World Cup matches is coming into sharper focus: just over $1 billion, according to a new estimate from the parliamentary budget officer (PBO). The total covers spending across all levels of government, with Ottawa expected to chip in $473 million.
The PBO pegs the combined bill at $1.066 billion, which works out to about $82 million per game for the 13 matches scheduled for Toronto and Vancouver.
Parliamentary Budget Officer pegs $1.066B cost
The PBO says Canada’s projected spending is roughly in line with what previous host countries have spent. Canada is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Mexico, with more than 100 matches set across all three countries between June 11 and July 19.
The biggest chunk of public money in the PBO estimate is tied to hosting costs in the two Canadian host cities rather than, say, a single federal line item.
Toronto and Vancouver hosting costs detailed
Vancouver is slated to host seven games, while Toronto will host six.
The PBO report points to the most recent municipal and provincial budgets as of April 2026, which indicate (including federal grants) that:
- The City of Toronto intends to spend $380 million on city-level hosting costs - The Province of British Columbia intends to spend $578 million
On the B.C. side, the $578 million figure does not appear to be a fresh calculation. It matches the median of a B.C. government costing range released last June, which ran from $532 million to $624 million. Toronto’s $380 million figure had also been previously announced.
Federal World Cup security spending and planning
Security is one major federal expense. In April, the federal government said it would allocate up to $145 million for World Cup security, directed toward resources for law enforcement agencies.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said at the time that hosting World Cup crowds will take a “massive co-ordinated effort,” calling the tournament one of the biggest and most complicated sporting events Canada has ever hosted.
Ottawa had previously said it would allocate up to $320 million for hosting overall, and the PBO’s new breakdown puts the federal contribution at $473 million.
B.C. minister disputes estimate, promises update
After the PBO report landed, B.C. Sports Minister Anne Kang said the budget office estimate is based on old data and “does not take into account the positive offsetting of the revenues and recoveries.”
Kang said the province plans to release updated numbers in a “transparent report” in late May, but she did not say whether the revised figures would be higher or lower than the estimates released in 2025.
The PBO also flags that costs could still shift on the ground, noting that updates to municipal and provincial spending plans may be announced in the coming weeks.
Canadians back hosting, worry about the bill
A Leger poll conducted March 13 to 16 suggests Canadians are broadly onside with hosting, with 74 per cent saying they support Canada hosting World Cup matches. At the same time, 65 per cent said they’re concerned about taxpayer funds and government spending.
Half of respondents also said they were concerned about protests or security disruptions.
Leger surveyed 1,639 Canadians online. The Canadian Research Insights Council notes that online surveys can’t be assigned a margin of error because they don’t randomly sample the population.
With Vancouver and Toronto on the hook for most hosting costs, and B.C. promising fresh numbers soon, Canadians will likely get a clearer sense in the coming weeks of whether the $1.066 billion estimate holds or shifts.
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