Canada’s hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has delivered far fewer tourism and economic benefits than many industry observers and government officials had forecast before kickoff.
Despite investing more than C$1 billion (US$702 million) to stage 13 matches in Toronto and Vancouver, early data from Statistics Canada, Destination Canada, payment processors, and economists indicate the tournament generated only a temporary increase in visitors and spending rather than the transformational tourism legacy that had been widely promoted.
The first wave of data paints a restrained picture. According to preliminary Statistics Canada figures, total international arrivals into Canada during June were up just 5% compared with June 2025. More significantly, they remained 1.6% below June 2024 levels, suggesting Canada has yet to fully regain the international momentum many expected from hosting the world’s biggest sporting event.
Traffic into Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International airports from non-U.S. markets increased by approximately 35,000 travelers, an 8.7% rise year over year. Arrivals from the 15 overseas countries whose national teams played matches in Canada rose a stronger 32.5% to more than 120,000 visitors, led by travelers from Panama and Australia.
However, economists note those gains represented a relatively small share of Canada’s overall visitor market.
Domestic travel also increased, with cross-border vehicle arrivals climbing 7.2% year over year, although that growth largely mirrored trends already evident before the World Cup began.
Destination Canada has consistently emphasized that major sporting events generate valuable international exposure, but converting that attention into repeat visitation often takes years and depends on sustained marketing after the event rather than the tournament itself.
Consumer spending reflected a similarly mixed picture. Digital payment platform Square reported bars and breweries across Canada experienced a 16% increase in transaction volume during the tournament compared with the previous three weeks. However, Moneris data showed restaurant and bar spending in Toronto increased only 3% compared with the same period last year.
Spending by international visitors using foreign-issued payment cards jumped 34%, but that was not enough to generate the widespread hospitality boom many businesses anticipated.
Same story than in the U.S.A. and Mexico
Hotels benefited more directly. Statistics Canada reported hotel and accommodation prices increased 10% year over year in June after rising just 2.5% in May. The sharp increase was concentrated in Toronto and Vancouver, where demand during match days pushed room rates significantly higher.
Airfares also rose as stronger domestic demand coincided with higher fuel costs.
Prior to the FIFA World Cup start, Bank of Montreal economists had already forecast that tourism and consumer spending associated with the event would contribute only 0.1 percentage points to Canada’s quarterly annualized GDP.
That assessment now appears largely accurate. The tournament produced a modest lift in activity around Toronto and Vancouver but did not create a major nationwide economic impact.
Economists also warn against treating domestic spending as entirely new economic activity. When Canadians traveled to World Cup matches, much of their spending simply shifted from other destinations within the country rather than creating additional national economic output.
Canada’s experience closely mirrors that of Mexico and of the United States, which hosted the majority of World Cup matches. Preliminary U.S. data showed international arrivals into American host cities increased just 5.8% in June compared with last year while remaining below 2024 levels.
Tourism analysts say the results reinforce a familiar lesson seen after many major sporting events: while global tournaments create valuable publicity and short-term spikes in demand, they rarely deliver the sustained tourism boom often promised during bidding campaigns.
