TORONTO — The 2026 World Cup will have just one official training facility in Toronto, consisting of a new pitch and field house at Centennial Park in Etobicoke.
Work has already started on the slimmed-down project, in conjunction with a separate 10-year plan to revamp the park, which opened in 1967 to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday. The former dairy farm has a number of playgrounds, sport fields and other facilities.
The World Cup training facility will be part of the park but separate from the existing stadium there. Formerly known as Centennial Park Stadium, it was renamed Rob Ford Stadium in May 2024 in honour of the late mayor.
"Our work is specific to the soccer pitch and a field house," said Sharon Bollenbach, executive director, FIFA World Cup 2026, for the City of Toronto.
As for what happens to the training facility after the World Cup, Bollenbach said there have been discussions with "a couple of the pro teams in the city, so we hope that there is something that comes out of it."
"But with that negotiations will come that it has to be available for community use," she added. "That's really important for us as a large legacy element coming out of the tournament."
The Canadian Premier League's York United FC and AFC Toronto of the new Northern Super League both plan to play their matches at York Lions Stadium, which York also trains in. Centennial Park is some 20 kilometres southwest of York Lions Stadium.
After the World Cup, the plan is to use a bubble over the World Cup training pitch in winter to keep it in use.
The original plan called for multiple training sites in Toronto, Bollenbach said. But it was whittled down.
"We narrowed it down to Centennial Park. At one-time, we were talking two pitches. And now that has been reduced again, down to one," she added.
The one training pitch will suffice for the tournament, according to Bollenbach, who says it will mostly be used just on the day preceding matches.
Some $20 million has been earmarked for the Toronto training facility, which includes funds to ensure that it ready for long-term use after the tournament.
Work has also started on improving BMO Field, with capacity being increased to 45,000 for the tournament.
The bulk of the stadium work will be done between November and March this year and next, around the Toronto FC and the CFL Argonauts' schedules. The first phase is essentially laying the foundation for the second, which will see most of the new temporary seats installed.
The seats will be added in the south and north ends of the stadium. As a result, the existing video board in the north end will be replaced with four new boards positioned on the corners of the lakefront venue.
The screens will be one of the first improvements to be completed.
"We may not get all of them in for March but we're hoping to get one or two of them in advance of the (2025) TFC season," Bollenbach said.
The new screens, new sound system and lighting, plus work to improve accessibility, are part of the tournament legacy, Bollenbach said.
Vancouver has shifted its training facility plans, shelving a plan to use Memorial South Park in the face of opposition from residents upset at the length of time the facility would be closed. The city now plans to use the National Soccer Development Centre at UBC with the university, Vancouver Whitecaps and the City of Vancouver having signed a letter of intent.
Construction on Vancouver’s second training site, Killarney Park, is expected to be completed by December. The facility will include grass soccer pitches, field lights, locker-rooms and a press conference room.
The site will be closed to the public until the fall of 2026. But organizers say the work will result in Killarney Park being upgraded to a grass sport field with lights and a drainage irrigation system.
The men's soccer showcase has been expanded to 48 teams in 2026. In addition to Toronto and Vancouver, there are 14 host cities — 11 in the U.S. and three in Mexico.
The tournament is scheduled to run June 11 to July 19, 2026, with Canada staging 13 of the 104 matches.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press