Media are seen on the pitch of BMO Field during a tour organized by MLSE and the City of Toronto to showcase the stadium’s upgrades ahead of hosting six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in Toronto on March 24, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima

By The Canadian Press

Sticker Shock: Canada’s World Cup opener against Bosnia to cost a pretty penny

Apr 3, 2026 | 5:00 AM

Sticker shock is still a thing for soccer fans wondering about the impact on ticket prices now that Canada finally knows its opponent for its FIFA World Cup opener on June 12 at Toronto.

Had Italy won a UEFA qualifier earlier this week, prices would have likely rocketed into a different stratosphere. But fans will still need pretty deep pockets with Bosnia and Herzegovina making the trip to BMO Field instead.

On Thursday, the FIFA ticket sales platform had 726 tickets available for Canada’s opener and all were listed at $3,125.

“This is a world-stage event,” said ticket broker Jagger Long, owner of Toronto-based Karma Tickets. “So offhand, it’s kind of an expected price.”

The FIFA resale queue has also opened, with a search Thursday afternoon showing 207 tickets were available. Most were going for over $3,000, but a single ticket was available for $2,300.

With kickoff still 10 weeks away, Long’s message to potential spectators was to bide their time.

“I tell fans to wait it out,” he said. “Wait it out to let the kind of madness happen and wait for prices to drop. And unfortunately, I don’t think they’re going to go from $3,000 to $1,000, but maybe $3,000 to $2,000 (or) $3,000 to $1,800, that’s possible.

“But it’s only possible if fans are patient and wait.”

There were no tickets available on the FIFA platform Thursday for any of the other 12 games to be played in Canada, which is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Mexico.

Bosnia-Herzegovina booked its World Cup ticket last Tuesday by defeating Italy 1-1 (4-1 on penalties) in a final qualifier. The 65th-ranked side joined Group B with No. 30 Canada, No. 55 Qatar and No. 19 Switzerland.

Italy, a four-time World Cup champion, is ranked 12th but hasn’t qualified for the tournament since 2014.

Long compared the Canadian opener to some of the biggest high-profile events in the city’s recent history.

He said there was similar demand and pricing for the Toronto Raptors’ lone appearance in the 2019 NBA Finals, the six Taylor Swift “Eras Tour” shows in 2024, and the Toronto Blue Jays’ return to the World Series last fall for the first time since 1993.

“These events that are the big, spectacular, high-demand events unfortunately are not events for the average fan and the average person who only has a certain low budget to spend on tickets,” he said.

“That’s just the reality of the situation. It sucks, but it’s not like we can say, ‘Hey, we want 20 more World Cup games to host all the fans that can’t attend, right?'”

After its opener, Canada will head to Vancouver’s BC Place to play Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24.

The World Cup is being played in 16 cities across the continent, starting with games in Mexico City and Guadalajara on June 11. The final will be held in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19.

FIFA has said the face value of tickets for group stage matches started at US$60 and climbed to $6,730 for the most expensive seats at the championship game.

Toronto will host six tournament games in all while Vancouver will host seven.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press