What to know

The City of Toronto unveiled POV photos of BMO Field’s 17,000 temporary World Cup seats after earlier viral images sparked safety and design concerns.

Some fans say the views look better than expected, with supporters praising the sightlines.

Others remain skeptical, arguing overhead structures could impact atmosphere, create shadows, and make the seating feel disconnected despite unobstructed pitch views.

After the first photos of the newly-complete BMO Field temporary seats caused turmoil online, the City of Toronto has revealed what fans’ view from the seats will look like. 

Earlier this week, the city and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) announced the completion of a series of upgrades to Toronto’s BMO Field ahead of the World Cup, including the addition of 17,000 temporary seats to accommodate fans during the games.

Before the final results were even unveiled, the renovations already sparked controversial reactions online, as some photos of the temporary seats went viral with many saying they looked unsafe. 

Despite the comments, city and MLSE officials assured the media the seats were “perfectly safe,” explaining that similar structures are commonly built for several temporary events around the world. 

Another common concern about the seats was that their view could potentially be obstructed by a white structure on top of the stadium. However, during the stadium’s unveiling, officials also said no views will be obstructed. 

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With the renovations complete, the City of Toronto has now released more detailed photos of the stadium, including a point-of-view from the temporary seats, which is once more leading to mixed opinions online. 

Some people say they were pleasantly surprised with the unveiling, saying the view seems a lot better than what they expected. 

“[The] second photo was pretty satisfying, haters are quiet now,” one Instagram user wrote. 

“If you still have an issue with the stadium, you’re just a hater at this point,” another person echoed. 

“Actually not a bad view,” a different person said on X.

“[I] would love them to keep the new full stand. Looks proper,” another user wrote.

On the other hand, other people continued raising concerns about the seats, with some suggesting that although the white structure doesn’t obstruct the pitch view, it might isolate fans from the overall “atmosphere of the stadium” and create shadows that impact the viewing experience.  

“Obviously, they weren’t going to build it in the way of the pitch but it’s still obstructing. Having something hanging over what you want to see is distracting, and honestly, somewhat alienating the fans at the top of the stand from the rest of the atmosphere of the stadium is just poor planning and over-expensive construction that makes no sense,” one person wrote on Instagram. 

“Really embarrassing! This is [the] World Cup! Other countries built amazing stadium facilities [and] we added some random seats,” a different user said.

“Shadows everywhere on the pitch. Ramshackle. Looks like a series of afterthoughts,” one person said on X. 

“That piece going across really grinds my gears,” another user commented.