Toronto organizes soccer drills with Regent Park youth to mark 500 days to FIFA World Cup

Toronto organized soccer drills with young players in Regent Park on Tuesday to begin counting down 500 days until the city hosts its first FIFA World Cup 26 game.

The soccer session at the Regent Park Community Centre gymnasium drew about 30 young people from the city's soccer program and featured Scarborough born and raised Dwayne De Rosario, a former Canadian professional soccer player. 

The FIFA World Cup 26 opener in Toronto is set for June 12, 2026 and will feature Canada's men's national team.

De Rosario said it's extremely important to show children in underserved communities that they can have a future in soccer.

"I'm a product of inner city community. I'm a product of Metro Housing. I'm a product of first-generation Canadians, where all the odds are against you," De Rosario told reporters.

"It was sport that created a pathway for me to see the world, to help provide for my family," De Rosario said.

De Rosario said he was in Regent Park, "opening these kids' eyes to bigger opportunities."

Toronto will host six World Cup 26 games at a cost of $380 million. Toronto and Vancouver are Canada's host cities for the sports tournament, with Vancouver hosting seven games. Canada, the United States and Mexico are co-hosting the expanded 48-team, 104-match World Cup. The U.S. has 11 host cities, while Mexico has three.

Each of the young athletes received a special commemorative scarf to mark the occasion that the city called Toronto's "FIFA World Cup 26 journey." 

According to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, De Rosario retired in 2015 as a four-time Major League Soccer champion and seven-time Major League Soccer All-Star. "He remains the ninth all-time leading goal scorer in MLS history, with 109 league goals and 82 assists over 367 games," the hall of fame says on its website.

'We are ready': mayor

At an unrelated news conference earlier on Tuesday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow expressed enthusiasm for the event, saying much work is being done behind the scenes to prepare.

"We are ready — 500 days! Yeah, we are ready," Chow told reporters.

Chow said the city is also organizing what it calls Fan Fest, whose location has been picked but not yet announced. She said there will be a sale of packages for people to come to watch the games.

"The fans are ready, the soccer leagues in Toronto are ready. Everywhere I go, people said, 'Whoa, OK. World Cup is coming.' So we're ready — 500 days."

In its 2025 budget notes on the FIFA World Cup 26, the city said the total cost of planning and hosting the event in Toronto includes $236.4 million in operating costs and $143.6 million in capital costs, with a total cost of $380 million.

One of the projects associated with the games is a $37-million expansion of BMO Field, which will see the addition of more than 17,000 seats to bring the capacity to more than 45,000 seats. Construction is already underway.

"By collaborating with various City divisions, agencies, community partners, and stakeholders, Toronto aims to enhance local infrastructure, particularly at BMO Field and Centennial Park, benefiting future generations and the growth of amateur sports. The initiative will bring significant economic advantages to Toronto, Ontario, and Canada," the city says in the budget notes.

"Through community engagement, Toronto is committed to creating a lasting legacy focused on sport, human rights, sustainability, economic development, and arts and culture, while also respecting local Indigenous communities."

City to get $97M from province, $104.3M from Ottawa

Costs are fully funded from the city's reserves, federal and provincial grants as well as third party funding, the city says in the budget notes.

The budget notes say the Ontario government pledged $97 million in December 2023 to support the city's efforts to host the games and the funding is "exclusively limited to investments that build lasting public infrastructure and benefits that will serve the community over the long-term following the completion of the games."

The federal government, meanwhile, announced in May 2024 it will provide $104.3 million in funding for operational and capital expenses related to hosting.