Toronto's World Cup Transit Plan. Here's What It Means for Getting Around This Summer.

Toronto's World Cup Transit Plan. Here's What It Means for Getting Around This Summer.

No parking. At all.

The plan is explicit on this point. There will be zero public parking at Toronto Stadium, Exhibition Place, or the surrounding neighbourhoods on match days. All 11 parking lots within Exhibition Place are being repurposed for FIFA operations. Liberty Village and Fort York will have local-traffic-only restrictions on match days, lasting roughly 10 hours, from five hours before kickoff to three hours after the final whistle.

If you live in Liberty Village, you'll still be able to get in and out, but access will be restricted to local traffic only on streets including East Liberty, Mowat, Fraser, Jefferson, and Atlantic. Fort York Boulevard from Bathurst to Angelique will be local-traffic-only for the entire tournament, not just match days.

The city's own modelling projects suggest that downtown traffic volumes could jump by 10 to 15 percent on match days compared to normal conditions, with the road closures compressing that extra volume onto fewer available routes.

Transit is the plan

Public transit is expected to carry about 70 percent of all spectators and Fan Festival attendees on match days. That's roughly 25,000 stadium-goers and 17,500 Fan Fest visitors arriving by TTC or GO.

Here's what's changing on the TTC side:

The 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcars will both terminate at a new temporary platform on Fleet Street, closer to Strachan Avenue, instead of continuing to Exhibition Loop. Fleet Street will be closed to cars and bikes for the entire tournament to make room for extended streetcar platforms. The Exhibition Loop will stay open only for passengers who need accessible ramp boarding.

The 511 Bathurst will run as an express service to and from Fort York Boulevard and Fleet Street during the tournament, with a local bus filling in the regular stops. The 504 King streetcar will encourage stadium-bound riders to get off at King and Dufferin, and the Dufferin Loop won't be used on match days.

The 29 Dufferin and 929 Dufferin Express buses will both get extra service through the RapidTO upgrades, which are installing dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin (Bloor to King) and Bathurst (Bloor to Lake Shore). Additional match-day express shuttle buses will supplement both routes.

The 510 Spadina will not service Union Station during the tournament. The 63 Ossington bus keeps its regular service but will have its route altered around road closures.

On the GO side, the Lakeshore West line will bump service up to six trains per hour before and after matches, compared to the usual four. Exhibition GO will be the primary station, but on match days it will be restricted to fare-paying GO passengers only. If you normally use the Exhibition GO pedestrian bridge as a shortcut between Liberty Village and Exhibition Place, that won't be available during matches. You'll need to walk around via Dufferin or Strachan instead.

The plan flags one significant bottleneck: the corridor between Exhibition GO and Union Station, where combined GO and TTC passenger volumes are expected to exceed regular capacity during post-match peaks. The 509 Harbourfront streetcar from Union will be crowded. The plan's own recommendation is to consider taking the Lakeshore West GO train (seven minutes) or just walking (about 40 minutes).

A new Regional Tourism Transit Pass may also launch for the tournament, subject to testing. It would offer unlimited travel on GO, UP Express, and TTC for three- or five-day periods, modelled on London's and Paris's visitor passes.

Road closures on match days

Several major roads around Exhibition Place will close for up to 10 hours on each match day:

  • Strachan Avenue from Lake Shore to East Liberty, with a possible extension up to King Street during post-match egress

  • Lake Shore Boulevard West from Bathurst to British Columbia Road, to accommodate FIFA bus parking and access

  • Dufferin Street from Springhurst to Saskatchewan Road, with local-traffic-only restrictions extending up to King Street

  • Fleet Street from Angelique to Strachan, closed for the entire tournament (not just match days) for the streetcar platform

The plan acknowledges that closing Lake Shore will push east-west traffic onto the Gardiner Expressway and King Street West. Removing street parking on King Street West is being considered to keep streetcars moving, and police officers will be deployed at key intersections.

Uber, Lyft, and taxis

Rideshare and taxi pick-up/drop-off won't be anywhere near the stadium. Three designated locations are proposed:

The Lamport Stadium parking lot at 1155 King Street West, about a 1.4-kilometre walk from the stadium. Fraser Avenue will become one-way southbound and Jefferson Avenue one-way northbound to manage traffic flow. This one operates on match days only.

Douro Street, an on-street pick-up zone about 850 metres from Princes' Gates. The south-side paid parking will be temporarily removed, and the bike lane on the north side will be maintained.

Front Street West, east of Bathurst, about 600 metres from the Fan Festival but 2.1 kilometres from the stadium. This one is closest to the Fan Fest, not the matches.

Uber and Lyft apps will implement geofencing around the Liberty Village and Fort York areas, meaning you won't be able to request a pick-up within the restricted zone. You'll need to walk to one of the designated locations.

Cycling

Three staffed bike parking areas will operate throughout the tournament: Inukshuk Park on the Martin Goodman Trail near Princes' Gates, the Hanna and East Liberty Green P lot in Liberty Village, and Ordnance Park south of Wellington. Each site will offer both a staffed bike concierge (like a coat check for bikes) and Bike Share Toronto valet service. Capacity at each site is estimated at 200 to 400 bikes.

All cycling infrastructure within Exhibition Place will be off-limits during the tournament. Strachan Avenue, a key route to the Martin Goodman Trail, will be closed to vehicle traffic on match days, and cyclists will need to dismount and walk through the pedestrian zone.

Bike Share docks inside Exhibition Place will be removed for the duration.

What to actually do

The matches kick off on June 12 with Canada's opener at 3 p.m., followed by Ghana vs. Panama on June 17 at 7 p.m., Germany vs. Ivory Coast on June 20 at 4 p.m., Panama vs. Croatia on June 23 at 7 p.m., Senegal vs. a playoff qualifier on June 26 at 3 p.m., and a Round of 32 match on July 2 at 7 p.m.

If you're going, take transit. The 29/929 Dufferin buses with the new dedicated lanes, the Lakeshore West GO, or walking from Union Station along Queens Quay are your best options. The 509 from Union will be packed. Budget extra time, especially for the 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. weekday matches when your commute home will collide with everyone else's.

If you live in Liberty Village or Fort York, the restrictions are real. Match-day closures start five hours before kickoff. For the June 12 Canada match at 3 p.m., that means restrictions could begin around 10 a.m. The full Mobility Plan PDF is available on the City of Toronto's website. It's worth reading the road closure maps if your daily routine takes you through the area.

The plan goes before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Subcommittee on March 30, Executive Committee on April 15, and City Council from April 22 to 24.

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