Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeTransportationTens of thousands flooded into Canada for the World Cup, travel data showsToronto and Vancouver saw higher volumes of arrivals from all participating countries, with the exception of TürkiyeSoccer fans watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout game between Canada and Morocco at Jack Poole Plaza in downtown Vancouver on July 4. Photo by Jason Payne/PNG filesTens of thousands of visitors streamed into Canada during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June, Statistics Canada said Thursday.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorToronto and Vancouver hosted 13 World Cup games between June 11 and July 19, involving teams from 15 overseas countries. The two cities saw higher volumes of arrivals from all participating countries, with the exception of Türkiye.Total arrivals from the 15 countries were up 28.6 per cent or 33,600 in June compared to the year before.Visitors from Panama increased by 10,700, Australia by 7,700 and Germany by 5,100, accounting for 67 per cent of the total year-over-year increase.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againArrivals from the Oceania region were up the most since 2010, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic. This coincided with the World Cup, during which Australia and New Zealand played three matches in Vancouver.Arrivals by air by Australian residents peaked on June 12, ahead of their World Cup match in Vancouver, while air arrivals by residents of Panama peaked on June 16, the day before their match in Toronto. Air arrivals by German residents peaked on June 19, a day before their World Cup match in Toronto.June’s consumer price index showed that prices for traveller accommodations rose by 19.4 per cent in Ontario and 20 per cent in British Columbia, mostly driven by price hikes in Toronto and Vancouver during the World Cup.With World Cup activity continuing into July, some of the tourism tailwind could have persisted into the start of the third quarter, said Desjardins senior economist Kari Norman in a note.Statistics Canada said Thursday that overall, 811,000 non-U.S. overseas residents arrived in Canada in June, up 3.4 per cent from the same month one year earlier, with the majority or 85.2 per cent of those arrivals by air.Arrivals from Europe, the Americas (excluding the United States) and Oceania drove the increase, more than offsetting a decrease in arrivals from Asia that month.Meanwhile, Canadian residents returned from 3.2 million trips abroad in June, up 3.6 per cent and the third straight month of year-over-year increases. Outside of the U.S., Canadian return trips were 906,400 from overseas countries in June, inching up 0.2 per cent from a year earlier.Trans-border travel to the United States also continued to grow in June, with Canadian residents returning from 2.3 million trips to the U.S., a five per cent year-over-year increase and the third consecutive month of growth following 15 consecutive months of decreases.A total of three million trips to Canada by U.S. residents were recorded in June, up 6.1 per cent from the same month in 2025 and the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year increases.Desjardins’ Norman said the nearly 700,000 fewer Canadian trips to the U.S. this year compared to last were only partly offset by the increase of more than 350,000 overseas trips, suggesting that Canadians may also be directing more travel spending toward domestic destinations.Among the 7.6 per cent increase in Canadians traveling by car to the U.S., 66.2 per cent were day trips, while trips by air continued to fall, down 1.2 per cent year over year. Norman said some of the day trips likely reflected routine cross-border commuting by residents of Canadian border communities. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.