Toronto
Canada largest city; 2026 World Cup host; closed a warming shelter for FIFA operations.
Last refreshed: 2 April 2026
Why did Toronto close a warming shelter for FIFA, and what does it mean for World Cup accountability?
Latest on Toronto
- Why did Toronto close a warming shelter for the World Cup?
- Toronto closed a city-run warming shelter to accommodate FIFA World Cup operational requirements, according to Amnesty International's March 2026 report.Source: Amnesty International
- Is Toronto a 2026 World Cup host city?
- Yes. Toronto is one of 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosting matches at BMO Field.
- What is Toronto World Cup stadium?
- Toronto's World Cup venue is BMO Field, home of Toronto FC, located on the waterfront west of downtown.
- Does Canada have ICE agreements like US host cities?
- No. Toronto is a Canadian city and not subject to US ICE arrangements. Vancouver explicitly confirmed ICE was not deployed for World Cup matches.Source: Lowdown
Background
Toronto is Canada's largest city, with a population of roughly 3 million in the city proper (6.4 million in the greater metropolitan area). It is one of the 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to host matches at BMO Field from June to July 2026.
In March 2026, Amnesty International reported that Toronto had closed a city-run warming shelter to accommodate FIFA operational requirements, a decision that raised serious human rights concerns weeks before the tournament began. The shelter closure was cited in Amnesty's "Humanity Must Win" report of 31 March, which upgraded overall tournament risk to medium-to-high. Toronto was notable as a Canadian host city precisely because of its contrast with the US host cities: the Vancouver Police chief explicitly confirmed that ICE was not deployed in Vancouver, while Toronto's approach to FIFA operations drew different scrutiny.
Toronto's FIFA preparations take place against a backdrop of Canada's broader approach to the tournament, which has attracted relatively less controversy than US co-hosts. Only 4 of 16 host cities across the tournament had published human rights plans at the time of the Amnesty report. Toronto had not published one.