Canada will spend over CA$ 1 billion in hosting games for the forthcoming football World Cup, with the cost per fixture working out the approximately CA$ 82 million.Workers prepare Toronto Stadium (temporarily renamed from BMO Field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup) in Toronto, Canada, on May 19, 2026. (AFP)These estimates were released on Wednesday by the Office of Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer or PBO, the non-partisan body responsible for providing economic and financial analysis to MPs and Senators.PBO said that based on the most recent information, total government support to co-host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup to be CA$ 1,066 million, of which federal support will be CA$ 473 million, with the remainder of CA$ 593 million funded by other levels of government – the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia and the host cities of Toronto and Vancouver.Canada is hosting 13 matches, with seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto. Of the total 104 fixtures featuring 48 teams. The tournament begins on June 11 and ends with the final on July 19.Canada will host its first-ever World Cup match on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto where the home team will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina. The last fixture in the country will be on July 7 in Vancouver, a pre-quarter final encounter.This is the first time the tournament is being co-hosted by three countries — the United States, Mexico and Canada.“Because Canada will be hosting 13 games, the estimated cost per game is $82 million. This amount is aligned to past public spending to host World Cup events,” PBO said in its analysis.Last month, the federal government announced CA$ 145 “to support enhanced security operations” during the tournament, which will include increased police presence, drones, anti-terror measures, enhanced CCTV coverage, border security, among other measures.The government has said that it expects the World Cup to add CA$ 2 billion to the country’s economy, and expects to attract over a million visitors.