The 2026 World Cup will feature over a dozen matches played in Canada this summer, and a new analysis estimates each game will cost $82 million of government funding.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released its analysis Wednesday of federal commitments and costs associated with co-hosting the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, and how much taxpayers will be on the hook for.
It estimates a total cost of $1.1 billion, of which $473 million will come from the federal government, and the remaining $593 million will come from other levels of government.
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The PBO report says this means each of the 13 total games played on Canadian soil will cost about $82 million. It adds that this figure is consistent with past public spending to host World Cup events.
The PBO report says Canada is spending less than some of the most recent World Cup events.
For example, in U.S. dollars, Canada spending $59.6 million per game (approximately CAD $82 million as of publication) is less than the $90.9 million that Brazil spent per game in 2014, and the $79.6 million Russia spent in 2018. The PBO did not provide figures from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for comparison.
World Cup soccer games are some of the most costly sporting events. In fact, the cost of one game is comparable to the entire upper limit salary cap for an NHL team of $95.5 million in the 2025/2026 season.
The PBO says some of the biggest expenditures include hosting costs in Toronto and Vancouver, specifically operations and infrastructure like stadium upgrades, in addition to public safety funding like security at events directly, bolstering border services, and providing additional RCMP units for security. This also includes $126 million in federal funding specifically for BMO Field, FIFA training sites and BC Place Vancouver via the Canadian Heritage department.
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