Toronto’s sports offerings are reshaping its infrastructure and events appeal
Toronto’s sports infrastructure is on the rise, shaping its tourism and local business. The city hosted six matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at BMO Field.
“Toronto’s sports momentum is creating an increasingly rich set of options for meeting and event planners,” says Scott Ventresca, director of major events for Destination Toronto. “The Blue Jays’ run to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series captured international attention, Toronto hosted six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at BMO Field—known as Toronto Stadium during the tournament—and the NBA Raptors and NHL Maple Leafs continue to anchor the city’s year-round professional sports calendar, while newer teams such as the Toronto Scepters and Toronto Tempo are adding even more depth to the city’s sports offering.”
Toronto Tempo, the league’s 14th franchise, are the first WNBA team outside of the United States. During the 2024-2025 PWHL season, the Sceptres sold out full-season ticket memberships at Coca-Cola Coliseum; during a game at Scotiabank Arena against the New York Sirens, total attendance was 19,102, also a sold-out game.
How Corporate Planners Benefit
He says that event planners benefit from this in the form of programming opportunities, from game-day hospitality and events at Rogers Centre to private skate or basketball experiences, behind-the-scenes tours and team-building activations. “With many of Toronto’s major sports and entertainment venues located in or near the downtown core, close to hotels, restaurants and meeting venues, these experiences can be built into an agenda with minimal transfer time—helping turn a standard meeting or incentive program into something more memorable and distinctly Toronto,” Ventresca says.
He says the momentum from Toronto’s sports renaissance is driving real investment back into the city. For FIFA World Cup, BMO Field expanded to roughly 45,000, along with a new pitch, upgraded player areas, and expanded hospitality space and improved broadcast infrastructure.
“Rogers Centre has undergone a multi-year renovation program that modernized its field-level and suite hospitality offerings, while Scotiabank Arena is progressing through a major reimagination that is adding redesigned concourses and new premium spaces,” Ventresca says. “Across Toronto’s broader sports venue portfolio—including Coca-Cola Coliseum and training facilities such as Ford Performance Centre and the OVO Athletic Centre—the trend is toward more flexible spaces built for more than game days. For meeting planners, that means newer, more technically capable venues with the AV, catering and hospitality infrastructure to support serious corporate programming, not just fan experiences.”
Surprising Experiences
Ventresca says several sports-related experiences regularly surprise planners. “Most of these are underused by planners simply because they don’t think to ask; sports venues aren’t always top of mind as meeting or incentive space,” he says.
Meeting planners can consider incorporating experiences such as Rogers Centre’s “Beyond the Baselines” program, where planner can book private field-level events, corporate baseball games and gala dinners for groups of 20 to 2,000, and at Scotiabank Arena meeting planners can rent out the full ice or court time for private corporate play.
“A group can genuinely take the floor the Raptors or Leafs played on days earlier,” Ventresca says. “Suite inventory across Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, Coca-Cola Coliseum, and BMO Field can be booked for client entertainment or hybrid meeting-plus-game experiences, and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s (MLSE) broader footprint, including Real Sports Bar & Grill and Maple Leaf Square, offers turnkey group and buyout options right in the entertainment district.”
He says the PWHL Toronto Sceptres also offer group packages with behind-the-scenes access and interactions with players, and the WNBA Toronto Tempo offer various group experiences at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Big Game, Big Impact
A game or match with a lot of eyes on it can make a great impact on a city. Ventresca says the Blue Jays’ 2025 postseason run, resulting in Game 7 of the World Series, placed Toronto in front of a large global audience and reinforced the city’s ability to deliver on big events.
“FIFA World Cup 2026 has been an even bigger long-term driver, generating worldwide exposure while demonstrating Toronto’s capacity to welcome and move large volumes of visitors,” he says. “For meeting planners, events at this scale provide a powerful proof point: Toronto has the venues, hospitality infrastructure and destination expertise to execute complex, high-profile gatherings. The lasting value goes beyond the events themselves—it’s the global awareness and credibility they build for Toronto long after the final game.”
