The city of Toronto is justifying its decision to resell World Cup tickets for profit, stating that this approach helps prevent the need to use property tax funds for a tournament that has exceeded its initial budget and is set to commence on Friday.
Shirven Rezvany, a representative from Mayor Olivia Chow’s office, confirmed on Monday that the city is selling its allocated World Cup tickets as part of its strategy to avoid using property tax dollars. He mentioned that FIFA offers host cities the option to purchase ticket packages before they are released to private sellers to help cover expenses.
Toronto’s Chief Financial Officer, Stephen Conforti, reported via email on Tuesday that the city has already sold more than 450 out of around 3,500 World Cup packages, aiming to secure a return on Toronto’s investment.
Last year, the city decided to acquire these packages, with the FIFA World Cup subcommittee recommending an expenditure of nearly $11 million on match tickets as a crucial revenue-generating tactic. This decision sparked mixed reactions among councillors, with some criticizing it as scalping while others viewed it as a significant revenue opportunity.
City councillor and mayoral candidate Brad Bradford criticized Mayor Chow for reselling tickets, alleging that Toronto is the sole city profiting from FIFA packages. However, the City of Vancouver, another Canadian host city for the World Cup, confirmed that it too is selling its purchased tickets at a profit.
Vancouver’s World Cup host committee disclosed that it bought around 7,400 tickets but did not specify the number sold. When questioned about Bradford’s claim regarding Toronto being the only city reselling tickets, Mayor Chow’s spokesperson, Isha Chaudhuri, denounced the practice as unacceptable regardless of location.
A 2025 report from Toronto’s auditor general highlighted that the city initially estimated FIFA costs to be $30-45 million, but by 2022, expenses had surged to over $280 million. The current projected cost stands at $380 million based on the report’s findings.