Toronto’s World Cup affordability fight has moved from ticketing to tap water, putting Mayor Olivia Chow against FIFA over a stadium rule that the city is helping pay to host but cannot fully control.
Chow criticized FIFA after the tournament organizer updated its Stadium Code of Conduct to block fans from bringing reusable water bottles into World Cup venues, including Toronto Stadium, the temporary tournament name for BMO Field. The change comes before Toronto hosts six matches from June 12 to July 2.
The mayor told CTV News Toronto the rule was a “pure money grab,” arguing that fans should be allowed to carry their own water rather than buy bottled water inside the stadium. She also said there was “not a whole lot” the city could do because FIFA sets the rules inside World Cup venues.
The city’s direct hosting budget for the tournament is $380 million, including $226 million in operating costs and $154 million in capital costs. The funding mix includes city reserves, provincial and federal contributions and third-party revenue.
Canada’s overall public cost for hosting 13 World Cup matches in Toronto and Vancouver is projected above $1 billion, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
FIFA’s revised code bars bottles, cups, jars, cans and similar containers that are closed, capped or capable of being thrown. It now makes clear that reusable water bottles are not allowed inside stadiums. The code also says FIFA and event organizers can revise the rules and that ticket holders are responsible for following the current version.
FIFA has framed the move as a safety issue. Reuters reported that the governing body pointed to the risk of objects being thrown and said it was coordinating with host cities on heat planning. Possible measures include hydration points, misting equipment, shaded cooling areas and fans around stadium areas. FIFA also said water prices inside stadiums would follow normal venue event pricing.
Chow’s response pushed the issue away from security language and toward consumer cost. She told CTV that FIFA is already making billions and should stop trying to extract more from fans. As a workaround, she suggested FIFA give spectators free bottles filled with Toronto water, calling it a goodwill gesture for the city.
“Maybe they could make water bottles free (inside the stadium). That would be good. That is a good gesture and further they could make special FIFA water bottles with free Toronto water,” she said, per CTV report.
The dispute also collides with Toronto’s environmental messaging around the tournament. The Toronto Environment Alliance has warned that major World Cup events could generate large amounts of avoidable single-use waste unless organizers adopt reusable cups and foodware. The group’s report says Canadian host-city events could avoid more than 2 million disposable items and more than 40 tonnes of unnecessary waste through reusable systems.
For Toronto alone, TEA has estimated that moving to reusable serviceware could prevent more than one million disposable items from being used during tournament-related events.
The water-bottle fight is not Toronto’s first World Cup affordability controversy. In April, the city moved to make most general admission tickets to its fan festival free after backlash over a planned $10 entry fee. Reuters reported that the revised model included 15,600 free general admission tickets per day, 500 tickets set aside for community groups and 3,900 paid premium tickets priced from $100 to $300.
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