World Cup ready: Our sneak peek inside the FIFA fit Toronto Stadium

Usually known as BMO Field, Toronto Stadium will host seven matches during the 2026 international soccer tournament.

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Published Jun 04, 2026  •  Last updated 14 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

The pitch at Toronto Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Rob Longley/Toronto Sun

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The pitch is pristine, the stadium itself decked out like never before.

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And once all the final pieces of furniture are added and lines painted on that field of rich green, Toronto Stadium appears ready to handle the grandiose spectacle that is the FIFA World Cup.

A sneak peak preview of the facility known as BMO Field in non-World Cup days on Thursday showed off the FIFA touches, as the global sporting super power readies to launch next week at 16 stadiums across Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

The first of six games to be played in the city is now just eight days away, a massive kickoff to the Canadian portion of the tournament with coach Jesse Marsch’s host side facing Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And other than the final touches, the compact Exhibition Place stadium looks up to the task and ready to go.

“It’s like when you buy a new house and you’re just going through the final touches before you move in the furniture,” said Don Harman, FIFA’s executive direct of stadium and venue management for the two Canadian sites. “But we’re really close now.”

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During Thursday’s tour, workers scurried around to complete some of those finishing touches, but most of the heavy lifting has long been done.

The signage and stadium detailing is sharp, much of it in a deep red for Canada, with FIFA and corporate branding throughout. With the 17,000 temporary seats now wrapped and covered, one of the smallest venues to host games now at least looks the part.

What stands out at Toronto Stadium?

The showstopper was the playing surface itself, not a blade of grass out of place, Augusta National spectacular at this point.

Since FIFA took control of the stadium on May 12, the playing surface has been groomed to perfection while avoiding any traffic beyond those entrusted to keep every blade of grass thriving. On Thursday morning, workers were hand-mowing one of the lushest lawns in the city.

“The pitch has been able to rest for a month, so it’s in great shape,” Hardman said. “We’re really happy with where we’re at.”

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All that awaits is the lines to be painted, which will be done next week prior to a shortened test match on the surface giving FIFA the opportunity to see that all is in working order, from the pitch itself to all the technical tools such as timing and VAR.

With the temporary seats, expanded services such as concessions and washrooms have been added, all designed to accommodate a full house of 45,000 fans.

As for the soccer side of the preparations, Hardman said that between six and eight countries have sent in delegations to inspect the facilities and all have approved.

“They love what they’ve seen,” Hardman said. “It’s a great venue from a football perspective.”

The details matter

There are several operational differences from any other event previously held at the lakefront stadium.

Fans not at the venue, for example, will see a view — or make that views — like never before. Hardman said the FIFA world feed will employ upwards of 50 cameras — which will be at the disposal of TSN for Canadian broadcasts — compared to the dozen used for other events played here.

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The small-sized press box will be vacated to become a FIFA control centre with 250 media seats constructed just below the current facility. The media centre is located in the Queen Elizabeth Building and stacks up with most we’ve seen at big events around the globe.

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The two primary dressing rooms have been outfitted specially for the tournament and Canada will be in the familiar home room they’ve used for international competitions. The Toronto Argonauts weight room is now an officials lounge.

There are VIP areas throughout, all designed to cater to the massive corporate side of the World Cup.

“It’s a little smaller stadium, but it does have the footprint,” Hardman said. “We have the real estate to get a little bigger, which we’ve been able to do and really create that World Cup environment.

“From a football perspective, there’s going to be great sight lines, great energy and a great atmosphere.”

Lionel Messi and the dress rehearsal

FIFA officials had an operational dress rehearsal in early May at the last MLS match played here when Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were the guests and played before a sellout crowd of 45,000.

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“We learned from that experience,” Hardman said. “We worked a little bit on people paths and how people move.

“You can’t always predict that accurately with the computer, but most things worked out fairly well. It was a good experience to be at capacity to have that one match day, and we’re going to continue to learn over six match days here in Toronto.

“It’s always an evolution, but we are certainly ready to go across the board for next week.”

Will Toronto Stadium be the most spectacular of the 16 in use through Mexico, the U.S. and Canada? Obviously not. That said, the retrofitting and dressing up will look good both on television and for those inside.

“Each are unique in their own respect,” Hardman said of the venues that will host the global spectacle. “What Toronto’s got here, being right on the lake, being close to downtown, being right on top of the football action, it’s going to be all in all a great day of football on match day.”

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