Toronto Defends Reselling World Cup Tickets for Profit, Citing Property Tax Relief
The City of Toronto is defending its decision to resell FIFA World Cup tickets at a profit, with Mayor Olivia Chow’s office saying the practice helps “avoid spending property tax dollars” on a tournament that has exceeded its original budget — and kicks off this Friday.
City Confirms Ticket Resale Strategy
Shirven Rezvany, a spokesperson for Mayor Chow’s office, confirmed Monday that Toronto was selling its allocated share of World Cup tickets as “one of several avenues pursued by the City to avoid spending property tax dollars.”
Rezvany added that FIFA offered the same opportunity to all host cities to help offset hosting costs, and that his understanding was that “many, if not all” of them had done the same.
FIFA controls ticket sales for the tournament and allows host cities to purchase a portion of ticket packages before they become available to private resellers.
Vancouver Also Selling Tickets at a Profit
Contrary to claims made by Toronto city councillor and mayoral candidate Brad Bradford — who accused Chow of “scalping” tickets and alleged Toronto was the only city doing so — Vancouver confirmed it is pursuing the same strategy.
“The great majority of the tickets held by the City are being sold via the FWC26 Sponsorship Program, in order to raise net revenues to offset the cost of event hosting,” Vancouver’s World Cup host committee said in a statement to CBC News.
More Than 3,500 Tickets Purchased for Resale
Toronto officials put the plan in motion last year, using host city privileges to purchase more than 3,546 general admission tickets to the six international matches taking place at Toronto Stadium — formerly BMO Field — at a cost of $10.7 million.
Fifty-two tickets were set aside for a public sweepstakes. The city also purchased additional hospitality tickets, described as part of “a revenue generation strategy.”
As of the latest update, fewer than 70 tickets remained unsold, with the city saying those are expected to be allocated through Host City Donor agreements before the tournament ends. Officials confirmed the initial investment has already been recovered, though they declined to specify total projected revenues.
A Tournament Already Over Budget
Toronto will host six matches between June 12 and July 2, featuring countries including Germany, Senegal and Croatia.
The total cost of hosting is currently estimated at $380 million, funded by federal, provincial and municipal governments. The City of Toronto is carrying the largest share of that burden.
The overall budget has grown beyond initial projections, adding pressure on city officials to find ways to offset municipal expenditures without drawing further on property tax revenues.
