Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the World Cup is one of the biggest and most complicated sporting events Canada has ever hosted. Its estimated total costs from all three levels of government will top $1-billion.Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press
The federal government is pledging up to $145-million for security during the World Cup, to help host cities Vancouver and Toronto deal with rising costs associated with an unprecedented police deployment during the soccer tournament.
The money, announced Wednesday at a renovated BMO Field in Toronto, will help police monitor and prevent potential safety threats related to hooliganism, large-scale protests and terror attacks. That includes the use of plainclothes foreign police, or “football intelligence officers,” from competing nations who will work with local police and fan groups to help keep supporter marches from getting out of control.
Security has become one of the biggest costs of FIFA’s marquee event, which is being played in Canada for the first time in June, along with host cities in the United States and Mexico. With large crowds expected in Toronto and Vancouver over the course of 13 games, police say thousands of officers will be needed for the biggest security operation in either city’s history.
“This will be the largest police deployment we’ve ever seen in this city and it likely will be for a generation,” said Superintendent Dave Ecklund of the Toronto Police Service, the lead officer for the Toronto integrated safety and security unit for the World Cup.
In Toronto, officers will be used over a 50-day period to provide security at BMO Field, practice facilities and hotels, police escorts for teams and soccer VIPs, as well as manage crowds and perform traffic control, he said.
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Authorities in Vancouver have already said the police deployment there will be larger than the 2010 Winter Olympics − when policing costs ended up being almost $1-billion, up from an initial budget of $175-million.
The security measures in the host cities will be both highly visible, including officers on horseback, canine units and heavily armed anti-terror teams, and unseen. The non-uniformed “football intelligence officers” won’t have the power to arrest anyone, but they’ll help local authorities keep rival fan groups from meeting up and clashing, Supt. Ecklund said.
“They know who their fans are. They’ll actually go out to the areas where the fans are gathering, whether it be public areas or bars. And they will speak to the groups to say, OK, where are you guys going? Where are you drinking tonight? Are you doing a fan march?” he explained.
As part of this work, police have identified diaspora neighbourhoods around Toronto, and bars that may be gathering spots for World Cup fans. Toronto police have also reached out to fan groups coming to the city, and offered park space and temporary street closings so they can gather and rally peacefully. Some of these practices were learned from studying hooliganism control measures in Europe, he said.
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While police in Canada may have experience with controlling large groups of hockey or baseball fans, the subculture of hooliganism in soccer is a different beast altogether, Supt. Ecklund said.
“From what we’ve learned, football is exponentially more fanatical, which is exciting in a World Cup context. So that’s sort of what we’ve been planning for,” he said.
Terrorism threats are also a big concern, he said, and Canadian authorities will be working closely with intelligence officials in Washington. Officers are also being trained in Ottawa in anti-drone measures, and using technology that can help police trace drone operators who might try to fly over crowds.
Supt. Ecklund acknowledged the large price associated with World Cup security, and said police are trying to control costs where they can. The RCMP have lent Toronto police a lot of equipment purchased in 2025 as part of the G7 summit, he said.
“We know we’re using public dollars to fund this. So our philosophy is, if you can borrow it, borrow it,” he said.
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Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the World Cup is one of the biggest and most complicated sporting events Canada has ever hosted. Its estimated total costs from all three levels of government will top $1-billion.
The federal security money is in addition to $220-million Ottawa has already given to the host cities. A further $100-million was set aside in the 2025 budget for federal agencies, namely the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency, who will help co-ordinate the World Cup security.
“The World Cup will be one of the largest and most complex sporting events ever hosted in Canada. This investment reflects our commitment to public safety, to supporting our partners on the ground, and to ensuring that Canadians and visitors alike can enjoy these events safely and with confidence,” Mr. Anandasangaree said.
In B.C., where Premier David Eby had previously criticized the federal government for a lack of details on security funding, the news was greeted positively. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Eby said his government would not support requests for formal motorcades for FIFA executives, however, such as those made by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was in Vancouver this week for the soccer federation’s annual congress.
“There will be no coverage in terms of cost for Pope-like motorcades for FIFA executives as part of security expenditure by the province of British Columbia,” he said.
With reports from Mike Hager and Justine Hunter