You could pay more for a large beer than a World Cup ticket this summer. What were the odds of that two months ago?

Toronto fans may finally have a realistic path to the FIFA World Cup mathday experience and for many, it could be the best-value match ticket of a lifetime.

The City of Toronto has introduced a ticket lottery that will give residents the chance to secure a limited number of seats for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches at BMO Field — renamed Toronto Stadium for the tournament. The initiative is designed to randomly distribute a small batch of tickets purchased by the City, with proceeds helping fund community soccer projects and youth programming across Toronto. 

With demand for World Cup tickets soaring globally — including Toronto’s round of 32 match amongst Top 5 most-coveted tickets— with hundreds of millions of requests submitted across sales phases, prices on the open market have become a serious barrier for everyday fans. Some tickets have reached several thousand dollars, leaving many local fans excluded from the once-in-a-lifetime tournament in their own city. 

That reality has created a unique emotional tension among followers of Toronto FC. Supporters already anticipating a rare nine-match homestand before the World Cup have quietly worried those MLS fixtures might represent their only realistic chance to experience live soccer at BMO Field in 2026 due to soaring World Cup prices.

The lottery, however, offers a chance, even if not a guarantee.

On Wednesday, The City of Toronto announced that Ontario residents, aged 18+ can purchase tickets for the chance to win two invitations to a FIFA World Cup match at BMO Field this summer. There will be 26 pairs of invites available, two for Canada’s opening match — potentially against Italy — on Friday, June 12. Considering this isn’t your everyday raffle, tickets are pretty reasonably priced:

$26 for five entries 

$50 for 10 

$150 for 50  

$260 for 100 

The 100 entry buy also gets you a premium World Cup scarf. The draw is open and runs til March 15.

Related Read: ‘We have full confidence in Mexico’ says Infantino, but could FIFA relocate 2026 World Cup games?

At the moment, six World Cup matches will be played in Toronto between June 12 and July 2. Vancouver will host seven matches at BC Place. With the continued chaos and uncertainty south of both borders, there’s growing suspicion that more World Cup matches could be played in Toronto and Vancouver, although FIFA is sticking to their claims that everything will work out in Mexico and with American cities, like Boston, refusing to issue security licenses or hold Fan Fests.

For fans who feared being priced out entirely, the City of Toronto’s lottery may be the only realistic doorway in.