World Cup fails to fill Toronto hotel rooms

Toronto's hotel industry has yet to see the expected World Cup boost, with occupancy rates falling during the tournament compared with the same period last year, according to the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.

Association president Sara Anghel told the Canadian Press that hotels were 82 per cent occupied during the second week of June, when Toronto hosted Canada's opening World Cup match, down slightly from 83 per cent a year earlier.

Occupancy dropped more sharply in the third week of June, falling to 72 per cent from 86 per cent in the same week of 2025, she told the outlet.

Several factors are behind the slowdown, Anghel said.

Toronto's World Cup venue, for one, has the tournament's smallest capacity at 45,000 seats, limiting the number of visiting fans.

She also pointed to FIFA's decision to release thousands of previously reserved hotel rooms across North America, increasing room availability.

In addition, many business travellers and conference organizers appear to have postponed or relocated events to avoid the expected World Cup crowds.

The softer June followed a strong May, when hotel occupancy reached 82 per cent, up two percentage points from the previous year.

Toronto isn't alone. Other World Cup host cities have also reported weaker-than-usual hotel demand.

Destination Vancouver said June bookings were down 20 per cent from 2025 levels, while nearly 80 per cent of hotels surveyed in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle said reservations were trailing a typical summer.

Toronto's final World Cup match is scheduled for July 2, while Vancouver's last match will be played on July 7. The tournament concludes on July 19, 2026.

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