Jeff Morgan
Active Member
Are there any details available about the updates for the World Cup?
- Thread starter unimaginative2
- Start date
christiesplits
Senior Member
The city agreed to spend $37 million on temporary seats for the 2026 World Cup. Here's what that will look like
The city agreed to spend $37 million on temporary seats for the 2026 World Cup. Here’s what that will look like
The $37-million expansion of BMO Field is part of the deal required by FIFA for hosting six games of the 2026 World Cup.
www.thestar.com
Note the new temporary press box on the upper western stands.
daptive
Senior Member
The city agreed to spend $37 million on temporary seats for the 2026 World Cup. Here's what that will look like
The city agreed to spend $37 million on temporary seats for the 2026 World Cup. Here’s what that will look like
The $37-million expansion of BMO Field is part of the deal required by FIFA for hosting six games of the 2026 World Cup.
View attachment 551488
View attachment 551489
Note the new temporary press box on the upper western stands.
$37 million for temporary seats is kind of wild considering the original field cost $80 million to construct (according to Wikipedia).
Jeff Morgan
Active Member
Would it cost a lot more to make the new seats permanent?
mburrrrr
Senior Member
I thought MLSE was paying for the renovations which I always thought was a scam.
6 games x 17,500 x $300? a ticket = $30M
Who benefits from these extra seats?
I can’t imagine how or why they are spending any money on this event.
Maybe spend the rest on a hologram of the crowd for the TV coverage.
I’m all for sports and boosting a city but I think this is a crazy deal. Do we need a boost? Do we have a problem trying to attract people to Canada? Sarcasm.
I went to the World Cup in NJ and Boston and while walking around downtown you wouldn’t know the event was taking place. I don’t think the traffic or the hipe will be noticeable in Toronto compared to a normal (watch at the bar) World Cup. Unless of course Canada wins a game.
6 guys traveling in a large van, jammed into one overpriced hotel room and finding a pub serving $1 beers didn’t add much to their economic recovery but man was that fun.
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6 games x 17,500 x $300? a ticket = $30M
Who benefits from these extra seats?
I can’t imagine how or why they are spending any money on this event.
Maybe spend the rest on a hologram of the crowd for the TV coverage.
I’m all for sports and boosting a city but I think this is a crazy deal. Do we need a boost? Do we have a problem trying to attract people to Canada? Sarcasm.
I went to the World Cup in NJ and Boston and while walking around downtown you wouldn’t know the event was taking place. I don’t think the traffic or the hipe will be noticeable in Toronto compared to a normal (watch at the bar) World Cup. Unless of course Canada wins a game.
6 guys traveling in a large van, jammed into one overpriced hotel room and finding a pub serving $1 beers didn’t add much to their economic recovery but man was that fun.
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AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
It certainly looks like a stadium of that price - and I don't mean it in a good way.
AoD
Contra
Senior Member
I went to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and watched the semi-final in Sao Paolo where they had constructed two massive temporary stands, not-unlike this. They were incredibly well built, to the point you didn't really realize they were temporary (if not for architecturally standing out like a tumour from the otherwise sleek design). It was necessary especially because of the 8,000 Argentinians who have a habit of bouncing, a lot!
I suspect the construction will be pretty similar here. Near permanent but temporary enough you don't need wrecking crew to bring them down. TFC has no reason to expand permanently beyond their current capacity. It's becoming a lot more common practice in the Olympics too (London had an entire basketball arena that was temporary and Zaha Hadid's Aquatic Centre similarly was built with massive temporary stands).
I suspect the construction will be pretty similar here. Near permanent but temporary enough you don't need wrecking crew to bring them down. TFC has no reason to expand permanently beyond their current capacity. It's becoming a lot more common practice in the Olympics too (London had an entire basketball arena that was temporary and Zaha Hadid's Aquatic Centre similarly was built with massive temporary stands).
kotsy
Senior Member
The video screen on the North side is being removed this week.
6ixGod
Active Member
BMO looks absolutely atrocious….the pitch is and crew are great, but the look of stadium looks like it was built by IKEA or something. The only stand that resembles anything like a proper football stadium in the East stand. The rest of the stands don’t even make sense.
Really wish they would just copy and paste Ajax’s stadium. What an intimate atmosphere this would be in Toronto.
Really wish they would just copy and paste Ajax’s stadium. What an intimate atmosphere this would be in Toronto.
guavadelic
Active Member
It resembles a Texas high school football stadium. It was built quickly and cheaply in time for 2007 U20s. It served its purpose for that youth tournament and TFCs early years, but is pretty inadequate now. They mostly added the canopy since then but the stadium needs to be either rebuilt or undergo major renovation.
Soon as the world cup was awarded in 2017 they should've committed to a major reno but the fact that its only getting cosmetic temporary additions is pretty embarrassing.
I'm surprised FIFA allowed Toronto to host games at BMO but I guess there really aren't many options when it comes to worthy stadiums in the country.
just east of the creek
Senior Member
Sits about 50,000 for footie, retractable roof, right next to rapid transit, great viewing angles….i highly concur with this suggestion. Build it in the adjacent parking lot and you would have an all season venue for MSL, CFL, music events, extensions of trade show’s….BMO looks absolutely atrocious….the pitch is and crew are great, but the look of stadium looks like it was built by IKEA or something. The only stand that resembles anything like a proper football stadium in the East stand. The rest of the stands don’t even make sense.
Really wish they would just copy and paste Ajax’s stadium. What an intimate atmosphere this would be in Toronto.
ChesterCopperpot
Senior Member
lol - MLSE -aren’t dropping $1.5bn for a comparable stadium like the Ajax arena
6ixGod
Active Member
They might not for Toronto FC alone, but something along the lines of the new White Heart Lane (ie. Tottenham stadium) which converts from Football to American Football might be something they’d invest in for a future NFL expansion.
I actually see this happening in the future….a possible MLSE/CFL bid to get a Toronto Argonauts (NFL) team. It’s the only way this works, and everyone wins.
daptive
Senior Member
I’ve always been jealous of Vancouver’s BC Place! It’d be amazing to have our own indoor/outdoor stadium that can also replace Budweiser Stage* and with better transit connection too.
*Guess it would depend on weather Live Nation actually goes through with its renovation
PL1
Senior Member
BC Place has artificial turf. Any stadium needs to have the ability to have real turf . That could be a movable pitch like some stadiums do in Europe