The preparations for Toronto for the FIFA World Championship 2026 reached a milestone last Tuesday when the media were invited to the Toronto Stadium (the name for BMO Field in relation to all FIFA events) to visit the first phase of the renovation phase. Under the direction of Nick Eaves and FIFA World Championship Secretary by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Sharon Bollenbach, the tour was the clearest picture of how the city stadium will be redesigned before the big event next summer.
View over the pitch to the east is available, picture of Joon Choi
The most visible changes are the four new LED video prices installed in every corner of the Bowl stage. With more than five million pixels each, they replace the individual north-end indicator panel and immediately change the character of the event location. “We create a first -class stadium here that can be used as part of the use of other important events in the future,” said Bollenbach.
New LED boards have recently been improved in the facility in the picture of Joon Choi
In addition to the visible upgrades in the field, the tour also highlighted the work behind the scenes. Reporters were led to the configured video production control room described by Eaves as the “brain” of the stadium. “You can imagine that (for) an event that is broadcast worldwide and literally seen billions of people who have a real priority,” he noted.
The control room now drives every element of the in-stage experience: the public address system, lighting, scoreboard and entertainment in the game. The system was completely re -wired, with redundant performance and cabling, to meet the demanding shipping standards of the FIFA. Tyler Rowe, Mlse's Director of Venue Technology, explained how his team “turned the room around 180 degrees to improve our view of the pitch” and build a new sound cabin to isolate national anthems and field microphones. The upgrades also expand the ability of the event location to share international broadcasting and transform space into a centralized hub for both stadium programming and for global media distribution. These upgrades into the control room remain long after 2026 and keep the production infrastructure of the event location at the latest state of the art.
Improved control room in the Toronto stage, picture by Joon Choi
Behind the stands, a brand new west kitchen with an expansion made of stainless steel will do most of the food service for tournament masses and future seasons. The expanded capacity will enable the stadium to serve significantly more fans at peak times, and the officials found that it was built with a flexibility taken into account in order to adapt to various events, from the days of the World Cup match to playing Toronto FC or argonauts. This improvement supports the broader introduction of concession technology “Just Going Out” via more concourse to accelerate transactions and reduce line -up. The kitchen and concessions upgrades reflect other permanent infrastructure investments that aim to improve the fan experience in the long run.
New West Kitchen in Toronto Stadium, picture by Joon Choi
In addition to these changes, the player rooms were refreshed, including renovated changing rooms that meet FIFA's same requirements for both teams, and the conversion of four suites into a hospitality lounge with 80 people.
While most of the above -mentioned improvements are permanent, the most important temporary addition will be made later this year when 17,000 temporary seats are installed. Ten thousand will rise at the North End and a further seven thousand in the south, which raises the capacity to more than 45,000 for the World Cup tournament. The seats will be dismantled after the end of the tournament, although the north stand will keep new hospitality and terraces for Games from Toronto FC and Argonauts.
The project is completed in two phases. The construction will be held in October to house the final of the Northern Super League, and then resumed in mid -November for the setup for seats, stadium and the range of safety. FIFA will take control of the location on May 12, a month before the Canadian men's national team will take control of the location, here on June 12th the debut of the World Cup on June 12th.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Coo Nick Eaves contains questions from reporters, image of Joon Choi
For the city of Toronto, the upgrades are part of a wider renovation of $ 146 million, which is mainly financed by the city, with MLSE contributes $ 23 million. The upgrades have continued steady development since BMO Field opened in 2007 and the expansion of $ 100 million in 2015. In contrast to these previous projects, this round is associated with an international period. Nevertheless, the sustainable effects on temporary seats and FIFA signs will be a more modernized stadium with technology and infrastructure that will remain long after 2026. What started as a modest football -specific soil almost two decades ago was converted into an event location equipped for the global stage almost two decades ago.
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