[nightstreak]

TBH I'm cringing at the thought of BMO field hosting world cup games. It's OK for our MLS purposes but it's no where near world class. Going to be embarrassing

Same. When BMO Field was announced as a World Cup host, I honestly thought they were going to rebuild the stadium.

It's definitely the most pedestrian of the North American stadiums. Still, if I were a European or South American travelling to the World Cup, I'd rather my team play in Toronto than Kansas City. While I've never attended a World Cup, I imagine the fan experience goes beyond the stadium, and includes the events around the facility, as well as the local pubs and restaurants.

Fantastic points. The fan experience is going to be far more memorable than a swanky stadium. I can imagine how TV will hide the stadium by focusing on the view of the city and the lush parklands along the waterfront as seen from above the west stands. On the ground, Exhibition Place will be filled with activations, nobody will notice the building. In the immediate area, The Bentway will be a great venue for the FIFA Fan Festival.

If I had to choose between a multi billion dollar stadium vs expanding the Bentway west to connect with BMO Field with a square where the Food Building is, I'd choose the latter because it'd leave a city legacy beyond just a stadium. But apparently we're getting neither as much of what'll be built will be disassembled after the World Cup. The World Cup experience will be great, but what a missed opportunity for leveraging it for legacy infrastructure .

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

TBH I'm cringing at the thought of BMO field hosting world cup games. It's OK for our MLS purposes but it's no where near world class. Going to be embarrassing

BMO Field Renovations | ?m | ?s | MLSE | Gensler

It’s going to be unbelievably embarrassing to show BMO to the rest of the world. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Oh no - the 5 times it will be shown that will be forgotten about 3 weeks after the tournament ends.

urbantoronto.ca

 

[rdaner]

And just to add that events will be held at The Bentway and Fort York so a very big area. Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if Bathurst Quay puts on FIFA related stuff as it is so close. For example projecting a few games on the silos! ️

 

[dufferin1]

One of the new screens was up and running this weekend (doesn't photograph well!):

 

[Aplus23]

The fact that we have a soccer pitch in the middle of the city of the lake is cool, I've seen a lot of bashing of the stadium but I enjoyed myself for the first time. A few upgrades are definitely needed but it's not as bad as it's being made out to be

 

[dufferin1]

The fact that we have a soccer pitch in the middle of the city of the lake is cool, I've seen a lot of bashing of the stadium but I enjoyed myself for the first time. A few upgrades are definitely needed but it's not as bad as it's being made out to be

It's a decent stadium for sure, but it's let down by the high roof above the south end and the lack of a cohesive north end. I think people's gripes also come from the fact that so many elite stadiums have been built in MLS over the last decade, and BMO looks and feels really aged compared to them.

 

[Mihairokov]

It's a decent stadium for sure, but it's let down by the high roof above the south end and the lack of a cohesive north end. I think people's gripes also come from the fact that so many elite stadiums have been built in MLS over the last decade, and BMO looks and feels really aged compared to them.

I don't think people are looking at Austin or Nashville and thinking about BMO, I think people are just sour because they perceive it as being "mickey-mouse" in some kind of way, as if BMO is somehow a lesser stadium because it's been slowly built up over the years rather than build at once with matching stands and ends. I also think people's main gripe is with the North End still being empty. And with CFL preventing that for the time being.

I also think a lot of the resentment comes from the fact that we don't have a true national stadium of decent size in this country, or at least not in the country's largest city. TFC and CMNT don't need stadiums larger than 30K, but it would be nice if we buffed up and got a higher capacity stadium for larger events. The World Cup should be something that generates reason to build such a venue but because we're only half-hosting this WC we're only getting half of a WC stadium.

It's 2025 and we're a good way into MLS-in-Canada and our largest soccer specific stadium is only Saputo.

 

[nightstreak]

It's a decent stadium for sure, but it's let down by the high roof above the south end and the lack of a cohesive north end. I think people's gripes also come from the fact that so many elite stadiums have been built in MLS over the last decade, and BMO looks and feels really aged compared to them.

It didn’t “age”, it never held up to major league standards. It’s a fun place to watch soccer on a summer day but it’s not a World Cup class stadium.

I had hoped they’d spent a small part of the budget on finishings and to make it into a cohesive stadium.

Would’ve also been nice if The Bentway were a part of the original bid and that included extending it west to BMO Field where it’d form a square.

Much of what’ll be built will be disassembled after the World Cup. There is very little lasting legacy infrastructure that’s going to come from this. Just a big invoice.

 

[nightstreak]

I also think a lot of the resentment comes from the fact that we don't have a true national stadium of decent size in this country, or at least not in the country's largest city. TFC and CMNT don't need stadiums larger than 30K, but it would be nice if we buffed up and got a higher capacity stadium for larger events. The World Cup should be something that generates reason to build such a venue but because we're only half-hosting this WC we're only getting half of a WC stadium.

A World Cup stadium isn’t necessarily about huge capacity. The minimum capacity is fine. It’s that BMO Field is a collection of bleachers with exposed ceilings and unfinished surfaces and will remain so during and after the Cup.

These exposed bleachers as the face of the stadium from the outside and exposed ceilings are just beyond embarrassing to host a top tier international event:

The opportunity to host a World Cup is attractive because it drives stakeholders to build infrastructure that we get to keep after the event.

Rather than build one large temporary south stand that gets taken down, they could’ve spent that money to build up the south stand to a permanent height and built north stands on the Food Building grounds, with a building envelope that ties together all the additions into something cohesive.

BMO Field has the elements to make a beautiful stadium. It just needed some care to bring all the pieces together into a nicely finished package.

 

[Mihairokov]

A World Cup stadium isn’t necessarily about huge capacity. The minimum capacity is fine

I never said it was, just that a larger stadium is something we're psychologically missing at this point.

It’s that BMO Field is a collection of bleachers with exposed ceilings and unfinished surfaces and will remain so during and after the Cup.

Both Brazil 2014 and South Africa 2010 had these and they were fine. In fact, nobody really cared whatsoever.

Rather than build one large temporary south stand that gets taken down, they could’ve spent that money to build up the south stand to a permanent height and built north stands on the Food Building grounds, with a building envelope that ties together all the additions into something cohesive.

I don't think they could have reliably done either without resolving the Argonauts issue at the stadium, and that goes without mentioning that TFC don't permanently need a stadium that large anyway. The issue is that the city is lacking a large-scale stadium for larger events rather than shoe-horning them into SkyDome or building bleachers on a runway at Downsview.

 

[Civdis]

The only way we will get a "real" stadium is if we get an NFL team (Come on Rogers). Having said that, I have hope that the construction at the north end will have the effect of "closing in" the stadium somewhat and giving it a better feel. The patios and ability to construct temporary stands for larger events are a positive.

 

[juselara02]

My main gripe with BMO field is the assymetry of the stadium between east and west sides, which drives me a bit nuts because of my OCD lol. My second gripe is the open stands!. Sitting inside of the statidum and seeing the parking lot outside is a total immersion killer. If they did something non temporal on the south and north sides to make it look cohesive it would improve a lot.

The outside lunfinished ooks is also terrible but personally I dont mind it that much as the other two things.

 

[GenerationW]

The only way we will get a "real" stadium is if we get an NFL team (Come on Rogers).

So then zero chance.

 

[guavadelic]

It's a decent stadium for sure, but it's let down by the high roof above the south end and the lack of a cohesive north end. I think people's gripes also come from the fact that so many elite stadiums have been built in MLS over the last decade, and BMO looks and feels really aged compared to them.

BMO is similar to Skydome in that they were both built right before a wave of good soccer(and baseball) specific stadiums. Skydome at least was considered world-class for for a time.

 

[SubHuman]

Apparently some dislike BMO Field just because there are gaps in the stands where people can see the outside, while some dislike Rogers Centre/SkyDome because it does not have gaps where people can see the outside.
Maybe I'm on the wrong forum here, but I've only ever cared about the view of the game. I suppose it's slightly interesting to be able to look at planes landing at the Island Airport during halftime, or the CNE if that's happening.
And sitting outside at night for 2 or 3 hours during the cold months of the year is not my preference.

... Ivory Wynne has been torn down by the way ...

Off topic, but a fun nostalgic article about a somewhat infamous 1975 Pink Floyd concert held there, because one side of Exhibition Stadium in Toronto was at the time being rebuilt into the baseball configuration.
I'm not sure I completely believe that last part about the California guys showing up four days late -- seems a little urban-legendy to me. Who would drive across most of the continent without tickets or making a phone call or two ahead of time to at least make sure you had the correct date?

https://archive.is/UioLh