Toronto city council has voted in favour of making the World Cup fan festival free after backlash to a previous report that suggested charging a $10 entrance fee.
VIP passes will still be available at various prices.
On Wednesday, council voted 18-3 to “direct the Executive Director, FIFA World Cup 2026, Toronto Secretariat to create a free general admission ticket category for FanFest.”
The three “no” votes belonged to councillors Lily Cheng, Stephen Holyday, and Michael Thompson.
The fan fest, which runs between June 11 and July 19 at the Fort York National Historic Site and The Bentway, was initially promoted as a free event, before a report presented to the city’s executive committee proposed a $10 charge.
The city faced backlash for the flip flop, prompting Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to stress that she supported keeping the event free.
“My position is clear, fan fest should be free for general admission,” Chow said before the council meeting got underway Wednesday. “We can offer VIP packages for those who want them, but the gates should be open for everyone.”
“I hope councillors will support it so that everyone who wants to come to Fort York, no matter what their incomes level is, can enjoy the games together.”
Coun. Brad Bradford said there are still more questions than answers at this point.
“It’s one of the most interesting financial staff reports I’ve ever seen because we are proceeding with a sole-sourced procurement, but we don’t have clarity on how we’re going to pay for it. It’s just hopes and prayers at this point.”
Councillor Josh Matlow was among those who welcomed the news.
“Finally, clarity. I’ve confirmed with the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Secretariat that the Fan Festival, that was promised to Torontonians as a free and inclusive event, will now in fact be free for all general admission,” he said in a social media post.
“Toronto residents already paid $180 million to host the games, and tickets to the stadium are cost prohibitive for most people. At the very least, an event that was promised to residents, no matter their means, so that everyone can be part of the World Cup, will be free and accessible to all.”
When asked why the $10 charge was considered in the first place, Chow said it was proposed as a crowd control measure.
“I think the staff had advice from the security team, they said it has to be ticketed in a way so they can control the number of people coming in … then they thought if it’s ticketed why don’t we charge?”
The festival will include live game broadcasts, food and music events.
Toronto is among 16 cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico that will host a combined 104 games during the expanded 48-team tournament.
Vancouver, which is also hosting the tournament, is set to hold a free fan festival with premium paid experiences.
Toronto’s $380 million budget for the soccer tournament includes funding from the federal and provincial governments, with FIFA previously estimating up to $940 million in economic output for the Greater Toronto Area.
With files from News Staff and The Canadian Press