The arrival of tens of thousands of soccer fans for six 2026 World Cup matches held in Toronto led to a massive boost in transit ridership, according to early data from the city’s transit agency.
The Toronto Transit Service said in a post on social media that ridership on routes to BMO Field and Exhibition Place, where all six matches were played, jumped 42 per cent higher than figures for the year before.
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The routes serving the area include buses and streetcars serving King, Dufferin, Bathurst, Ossington and Harbourfront.
The busiest day of the World Cup was the opening match between Canada and Bosnia on June 12, when 202,700 people used transit on one of those corridors. That was 65,200 more than reported in 2025.
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Across six matchdays, Toronto recorded 1.14 million rides on those corridors — up from 802,000 the year before.
“Many more data points to come once the tournament wraps up,” the transit agency teased on X.
“In the meantime, we will continue to manage and deliver safe, reliable service for our customers across the city.”
Truly shocking news. 😂