🇨🇦Canada·Toronto

BMO Field

21,566seatssince2006

Photo: Pablopicassotoronto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Capacity: 21,566
Year opened: 2006
Club: Toronto FC
Country: Canada
Sport: Multi-purpose

Overview

About the stadium

BMO Field is an outdoor stadium at Exhibition Place on Toronto's waterfront, a short distance west of the downtown core and the shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 2007 on the site of the former Exhibition Stadium, it was Canada's first soccer-specific stadium and quickly became the spiritual home of the sport in the country.

The ground is the home of Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and, since 2016, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, making it one of the few venues in North America to host top-flight soccer and gridiron football side by side. After expansions completed in 2016, its regular configuration seats around 30,000 for soccer, set beneath the open Toronto sky on a natural grass surface.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup the stadium takes on its biggest role yet: temporary end-zone stands lift capacity past 45,000, and the venue is rebranded "Toronto Stadium" under tournament rules. It is one of two Canadian host grounds and the stage for Canada's first-ever men's World Cup match on home soil.

History

Journey through time

BMO Field opened on 28 April 2007, built at a cost of about CAD 62.9 million on the grounds of the long-running Canadian National Exhibition. Designed by Toronto's BBB Architects, it replaced an aging artificial pitch with, over time, a true grass field, and gave Toronto FC a purpose-built home as Major League Soccer arrived in Canada.

The stadium soon outgrew its original 20,000-odd seats. A major redevelopment between 2014 and 2016, led by Gensler, raised capacity to roughly 30,000, added a partial roof over the side stands and reconfigured the bowl so it could also stage Canadian football. The Toronto Argonauts moved in for the 2016 CFL season, and that same year the ground hosted the 104th Grey Cup.

Over the years BMO Field has staged multiple MLS Cup finals — including Toronto FC's championship run — the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the 2017 NHL Centennial Classic outdoor hockey game. Its biggest chapter comes in June 2026, when a temporary expansion to more than 45,000 prepares it to host six World Cup matches, among them Canada's opening fixture and a knockout-round tie.

Atmosphere

Matchday

On a Toronto FC matchday the energy gathers at the south end, the loud, standing heart of the stadium where the club's supporters' groups mass together. Sections built around the U-Sector and the Red Patch Boys lead the chants, drums and tifo displays that have given the ground a reputation as one of the most fervent atmospheres in MLS.

The open bowl, with its banked stands close to the touchline, traps and amplifies the noise, and on big nights the singing rolls around the ground from the first whistle. The supporter culture is proudly multicultural, reflecting a city where dozens of football nations call Toronto home.

For the World Cup, that local intensity gives way to a global crowd. The opening ceremony and Canada's first home World Cup match transform the waterfront venue into the centre of the nation's footballing attention, with the temporary stands packed and the city alive around Exhibition Place.

Practical info

Visiting the stadium

BMO Field sits inside Exhibition Place, on Toronto's western waterfront, and is well served by public transit — leaving the car at home is the easiest choice on a busy matchday.

GO Train: Exhibition GO station is right beside the grounds, one stop and about seven minutes west of Union Station on the Lakeshore lines.
Streetcar: The 509 Harbourfront line runs scenically along Queens Quay from Union Station to the Exhibition loop; the 511 Bathurst also serves the area.
Bus & subway: From the Bloor subway line, transfer at Dufferin or Bathurst stations to buses and streetcars heading south to Exhibition.

The stadium is open-air with natural grass, so dress for Toronto's weather — June can be warm and humid. Arrive early for World Cup matches, when extra security screening and the temporary end-zone stands mean longer entry times. During the 2026 tournament the venue is officially known as Toronto Stadium.