FIFA had initially asked host cities to give concessions on a wide range of issues, but has since backed down in Toronto and Vancouver.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
FIFA, the governing body of the world’s most lucrative soccer tournament, is used to getting its way. But in the 2026 World Cup, at least, the Switzerland-based organization has shown it can be flexible when pushed.
In the lead-up to the games, FIFA asked host cities in Canada, the United States and Mexico to give concessions on a wide range of issues – from free transit for ticket holders, labour law exemptions, a ban on competing concerts or major sporting events, VIP access to hospitals and even preferred procurement status for its corporate partners, according to copies of host city agreements for the tournament.
In many cases, those requests clashed with local laws, and as host cities have pushed back, the soccer federation has backed down on all of those asks in Toronto and Vancouver.
“There’s obviously some nuances to some of these things. And, you know, obviously as the tournament has evolved, and planning has evolved, and people work with 16 different cities, things can kind of change, for lack of a better term,” said Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of the FIFA World Cup for the City of Toronto.
That hasn’t often been the case in previous World Cups.
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South Africa, which hosted the global soccer tournament in 2010, created special courts and police powers that allowed it to override existing laws to meet FIFA’s demands for security. Brazil, which has banned alcohol sales in its stadiums since the early 2000s due to fan violence, was pressured by FIFA to temporarily overturn the rule in 2014 to please AB InBev, a major beer sponsor.
Qatar and Russia, hosts in 2022 and 2018, were pushed by FIFA into offering free public transportation to fans and made exemptions to local labour laws that in some cases drew criticism from human rights groups.
In the case of Toronto’s 2026 bid, FIFA wanted its commercial partners to be the municipality’s preferred suppliers for the soccer tournament, according to an unredacted version of the host city agreement released to The Globe and Mail under access-to-information law.
But city officials stress that despite the contract’s language, they’re not giving the global soccer federation’s commercial sponsors preferential treatment because doing so would run counter to municipal procurement laws.
Ms. Bollenbach said the FIFA requirements around procurement were among the blanket demands initially made by the soccer federation, but they’re not an option in reality. Toronto’s procurement decisions for the World Cup are governed by the Toronto Municipal Code, designed to protect competition, transparency and taxpayer funds.
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The agreement signed by Toronto says the host authority must source “all product and services,” including security, logistics, insurance, equipment and infrastructure, from FIFA’s corporate partners, or grant them first and last right of refusal.
The clause includes the caveat that this preferred supplier status is limited “to the extent permitted under applicable laws.” Ms. Bollenbach told The Globe: “We definitely go through the city procurement process.”
Toronto has already awarded more than $114-million in contracts in preparation for the tournament, including $13-million to construction firm BDA to build fieldhouses at the World Cup training site, $30-million to AES Canada for temporary seating at BMO Field, and $16-million to Fifth Social Club to organize and run the tournament’s official fan festival events. None of those contracts have gone to FIFA commercial partners.
There was no requirement on buying from FIFA’s corporate sponsors originally included in the hosting contract for Vancouver, which was released proactively by that city in July, 2025. But a nine-page addendum states FIFA’s wish that “the host city authority shall integrate the commercial affiliates” when making purchasing decisions.
The City of Toronto signed on to be a World Cup host earlier, in 2018, but Vancouver didn’t re-enter the bidding process until 2022 after further negotiations. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment to clarify why the expectations were different for the two cities.
For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA also removed a previous requirement that host cities provide free public transportation to matches, and is offering cities more flexibility to determine the scope of their fan festivals – outdoor watch parties that are supposed to be free to the public.
Vancouver, like Toronto, says it will offer free transit only to volunteers, not ticket holders. As for its fan festival plans, it says it’s watching other host cities, but “taking a disciplined approach to ensure we deliver the strongest possible outcome within budget, and the total number of operating days will reflect that,” according to Vancouver spokesperson Elayne Sun.
A FIFA official, speaking on background, told The Globe the host contracts were never meant to override the law, and host cities are expected to comply with locally applicable procurement laws.
Robert Sroka, an assistant professor of sport management at Towson University in Maryland, said there’s been some tension as host cities have pushed back against FIFA – which has insisted hosts bear the costs of safety and security around stadiums this summer, while it keeps all of the revenue from broadcasting, sponsorship and ticket sales.
But cities have also forced the Swiss organization to pull back on some of its more onerous demands, he said.
“Maybe FIFA at this point is more amenable,” Mr. Sroka said.
Still, there remains a prevailing sentiment among municipalities that the terms for 2026 have been too demanding, given that FIFA is the primary financial beneficiary of the event, he said. That has also led some potential host cities, including Chicago and Pittsburgh, to refuse to sign on for the Women’s Word Cup in 2031.
Until recently, FIFA’s host city agreements could strong-arm hosts because there was a long line of cities willing to host the tournament, Mr. Sroka he said. But that’s changing.
After over a dozen cities dropped out of bidding for the 2026 World Cup, and hosts such as Los Angeles publicly expressed frustration about negotiations with the soccer federation, FIFA has softened its stance.
Under pressure from its membership associations, FIFA has also begun to share a little bit more of the billions it makes off the World Cup. It recently increased the amount of revenues, to US$871-million, it’s giving to the 48 national teams who qualified, citing “the commercial success of FIFA’s flagship men’s tournament.”
Toronto, with the help of the provincial and federal governments, is spending $380-million to host six games in June and July – a price tag that has heaped scrutiny on the deal with FIFA. Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow has called the contract one-sided and a “horrible deal for our citizens.”
FIFA’s host city agreements also include clauses preventing host cities from hosting other major cultural or sporting events during the tournament.
That has forced Vancouver’s dragon boat and jazz festivals to change their dates. But the clause hasn’t impacted any major festivals in Toronto. Organizers for Pride Toronto, Toronto Jazz Festival, the Toronto Fringe Festival and North by Northeast said their events are going ahead as planned following consultations with FIFA. The Toronto Blue Jays’ schedule is also unaffected, including a June 12 game held three kilometres from where Canada’s men’s team kicks off earlier in the day against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first match held in Toronto.
Still, the clause is one of the big reasons Montreal cited when it withdrew its candidacy, in July 2021, to host the World Cup.
Caroline Proulx, Quebec’s former tourism minister, told Radio-Canada earlier this month that hosting FIFA would have compromised the city’s ability to host other major events at the same time, including the Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal International Jazz Festival, Francos de Montréal festival and annual triathlon.
“Their demands just kept adding up,” she told the broadcaster in French. “All of these requirements were totally ridiculous.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that, although Vancouver's contract does not require the city to buy from FIFA's corporate sponsors, a nine-page addendum states FIFA’s wish that “the host city authority shall integrate the commercial affiliates” when making purchasing decisions.