2026 FIFA World Cup Guide: Canada Edition

If you’re not already hyped about the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup... you damn well should be!

That’s because, not only is this year’s World Cup event even bigger than last time - 48 nations playing a record-breaking 104 matches - it’s also the first tournament ever to have three co-hosting nations – the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

While the USA (1994) and Mexico (1970 & 1986) have both hosted World Cups before, this will be Canada’s first, and boy, are they already gearing up to join the party. With two key World Cup match venues in Vancouver and Toronto, for those of you planning to make the trip over to Canada, Bodog walks you through the ins and outs about how to get here, how to land your matchday tickets, and reveals all the best spots to celebrate before and after the game across both cities.

Toronto & Vancouver: Two Cities Primed for the World Stage 

Picturesque cities they may be, but with 13 group and knockout round games lined up, World Cup fever already has Toronto and Vancouver energized and readied for this summer’s month-long tournament.

Playing host to four-time winners Germany, Toronto Stadium’s $157.9 million upgrade has expanded the venue’s capacity from 28,000 to 45,000 ahead of its six World Cup matches, which include Canada’s massive home opener. With a brand-new 360-degree concourse, the addition of giant LED videoboards, and the introduction of high-speed fan Wi-Fi, every game in Toronto Stadium will guarantee a fully immersive matchday experience throughout the tournament.

Vancouver’s 54,000-seater BC Place stadium, on the other hand, will host an impressive seven World Cup games throughout the group and knockout stages of this year’s World Cup and will be Canada’s home venue for the majority of the competition. With stunning, uninterrupted sightlines across the entire pitch and a 100-meter retractable roof, expect BC Place to erupt with a pulsating atmosphere well before the first ball is kicked.

How To Get Your Hands On World Cup Tickets For Games in Canada

One key fact about the 2026 FIFA World Cup is that you can’t just log in and casually grab 2026 World Cup tickets online anymore – a bit like the new tournament format, FIFA decided to tear up the old format.

You do have a few options available to you, which either involve procuring your match tickets through FIFA’s structured lottery systems and official resale platform, purchasing a pricey FIFA hospitality package, or attempting to buy your tickets directly through your home nation’s national football association. If you’ve not secured your tickets yet, fear not, you can still get your hands on some - you just need to register your details on FIFA.com as soon as possible and keep an eye out for any future ticket release date announcements.

Failing that, if you do miss out because of FIFA’s convoluted ticketing system, there is always the sketchy third-party resale markets, but you might end up paying more than the original ticket price with the added risk of possibly being scammed - so this option is definitely best avoided if you can help it.

How to Get Here and How to Get Around

Nailing down your travel itinerary ahead of this year's FIFA World Cup in Canada is the part of the puzzle where premeditated planning truly pays off - particularly if, like most international fans, you’ll be flying into the well-connected hubs of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport or Vancouver International Airport.

As you can imagine, flight prices will continue to skyrocket as the clock ticks down to this year’s tournament, so booking as early as possible is paramount. A top tip here is to be open to flying in on flights with rather unsavory arrival times or arriving several days before the actual match, as this approach could potentially save you a fortune.

Saying that, don’t neglect the fundamental rules when it comes to international travel. The first thing you should be checking is that your passport will be valid throughout the length of your stay in Canada, plus that you’ve secured the eTA or relevant Canadian entry visa before you fly. Trust us, the last thing you want is a customs agent barring you from entry into the country and terminating your World Cup dream before it even gets started.

Where to Stay in Toronto & Vancouver and When to Book

Just like with flight prices, expect the cost of hotel accommodation in Vancouver and Toronto to rise or, worse, be fully booked up as the World Cup nears, especially if you’re planning to stay near either stadium. Meanwhile, as downtown hotel prices climb, short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo will also fill up fast, but fear not, we have a smart World Cup travel hack you can use to help slash the cost of your accommodation.

Again, if you don’t mind being flexible, consider staying in the city's suburbs and using Toronto and Vancouver’s superb transport systems to speed you to the match venues and fan zone areas in under an hour. Do some digging - check out hotel chains such as Best Western, which have properties outside of both cities that offer not only a greater degree of availability, but also, compared to downtown prices, more economical rates too.

What You Can Expect From The World Cup Experience

As a fan, if you’ve ever had the privilege of attending a World Cup event, you’ll know firsthand that every match turns a host venue into a city-wide festival throughout the tournament – and Canada will certainly be no different. In fact, what separates the FIFA World Cup from any other tournament on the planet is the sheer scale of the celebrations, both before and after games.

Given that Toronto and Vancouver are hosting so many 2026 World Cup matches, both cities are already raring to welcome fans from across the globe. With the world’s biggest stars playing on the world’s biggest stage, you can rest assured that each stadium's atmosphere will be rocking.

Even if you haven’t got a ticket, with expansive designated public viewing spaces, big screen live streaming, and numerous fully immersive fan zones, no matter what time a game kicks off, you can guarantee fans in Toronto and Vancouver will be partying long into the night.

For those of you going to be based in Toronto, you’ll find the FIFA World Cup 2026 Fan Festival™ at the city’s historical Fort York site, as well as the open-air urban hotspot better known as The Bentway. At the same time, Vancouver-based fans can head over to the city’s huge PNE Grounds at Hastings Park, which will be showing every game in its brand-new 10,000-capacity amphitheater.

What You Need To Know About Costings and Budgeting

Don’t be fooled, if there is one thing you can be certain of - if you’re planning to follow your team around throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup, know it’s not going to be cheap. Nevertheless, Canada’s host cities do have a rather fortuitous advantage for visiting fans compared to those traveling to alternative World Cup host cities like New York, San Francisco, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Between the premium hotel rates, the added cost of eating out, not to mention the inflated ticket prices of these other major U.S. venues, you can rest assured you’ll get more bang for your buck watching World Cup soccer in Toronto and Vancouver.

Still, you will need to think seriously about keeping your costs from escalating out of control, and the best way to do that is to book everything as early as possible. Then, once you arrive, make sure you set a predetermined spending budget and stick to it... so if your team does win the 2026 World Cup, you can say you were there without the worry of returning home stony broke.

The FIFA 2026 World Cup Is On The Horizon... We Hope To See You There

Whether you’re planning to see one game or enjoy a whole series of World Cup 2026 matches on Canadian soil, you can be sure of a very warm Canadian welcome in both Toronto and Vancouver. And, while it can be easy to get carried away, doing the planning and budgeting legwork before you head over will ultimately pave the way for you to enjoy a solid month of world-class soccer and make this year’s FIFA 2026 World Cup nothing short of unforgettable.