NATIONAL PULSE – ‘Hosting World Cup not worth it if cities lose money’
(Image: CC0 Creative Commons, Pixabay.com)
Seven-in-10 say tickets too expensive for them to attend; half would re-sell tickets it they were given two
BY ANGUS REID INSTITUTE
November 17, 2025 – As Canada’s men’s national team prepares for the World Cup with a warm-up match against Venezuela on Tuesday, the two host cities in the country – Toronto and Vancouver – are loosening the purse strings to host an event that has bounced away from initial cost estimates.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds most Canadians (71%) believe hosting the World Cup is it only worth it to the cities if revenues meet (32%) or exceed (39%) costs.
One-in-five (20%) say it’s not worth hosting the event regardless, while the smallest group of one-in-ten (9%) argue it’s a valuable event for the cities to host even if costs are far greater than revenues.
Estimates from the summer place the cost at hosting seven games in Vancouver at $624 million to the province and municipal governments, with another $116 million committed by the federal government. In Toronto, it’s expected to cost $380 million, split between the three tiers of governments.
Those who describe themselves as interested in following the World Cup next summer are much more likely (66%) than those who are not (32%) to believe hosting the event is a “worthwhile investment” for Canada.
As tickets are slowly released in the lead up to the event, an overwhelming majority (71%) – including 84 per cent who say they are “very interested” to watch the tournament unfold in 2026 – believe the ticket prices are too expensive for them to attend. Half (52%) say if they were given two tickets to the World Cup they would try to sell them to get cash.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
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