Toronto testing traffic, transit readiness ahead of FIFA World Cup

TORONTO — With the FIFA World Cup just a month away, Toronto officials are ramping up tests of the city’s traffic and transit systems — and urging residents to plan ahead for what could be a challenging stretch for getting around.

Last weekend, the Don Valley Parkway was closed from Friday evening through early Monday morning to allow crews to carry out essential maintenance including road resurfacing, guardrail replacement and cleaning ahead of the soccer tournament, said the city’s chief congestion officer Andrew Posluns.

The closure came as the city hosted big events including a Toronto FC match and a Toronto Blue Jays game, both of which saw tens of thousands of people flooding the downtown core. The annual Sporting Life 10K run also shut down stretches of several major city streets on Sunday.

Posluns said the weekend DVP closure was part of a test of the city’s mobility plan for the tournament, and last weekend was chosen to avoid multiple overnight shutdowns that would have stretched disruptions over several weeks.

“We selected the dates for this work carefully trying to take into account the very busy calendar that the city has in terms of events and things going on around the city,” he said in an interview.

“We totally appreciate and understand that this type of closure is a disruption to people’s routines and can be an inconvenience, and we certainly thank people for that.”

Posluns said the city used several measures including traffic agents, signal priority and message signs to communicate closures, and also worked with the Toronto Transit Commission and Metrolinx to co-ordinate transit flow.

These types of measures will be in place during the World Cup as part of the city’s mobility plan, he said. Six World Cup games will be played in Toronto, starting with Canada’s opening match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12.

“We were able through this past weekend to test aspects of that plan with the hosting of the Toronto FC game,” Posluns said. “People can plan ahead and become familiar with the transportation and measures that are being put in place to support the event, and we’ll have a great time.”

The TTC said in a news release Monday that it had “successfully tested” key elements of its World Cup plan over the weekend, including added service and train cars on major routes.

“The TTC will continue to refine its plans as needed before and during the World Cup to ensure the event is a success,” the transit agency said.

It comes as TTC electrical workers are in bargaining with the transit agency, which issued a “no-board” report on April 30, meaning workers could strike or be locked out as of May 16.

Premier Doug Ford said he hopes both parties “can come to their senses” to keep trains running during the World Cup.

“First put the people and Toronto, that’s hosting it, ahead of the negotiations. Maybe they can take a break and go back to work and support a world-class event like FIFA,” Ford said at an unrelated press conference Tuesday. “That would go a long way, I think, for the people of Toronto.”

Provincial transit agency Metrolinx said it plans to add more service during the World Cup as it’s expected to bring about half a million more riders on GO Transit and UP Express.

Starting June 10, GO Transit will have nearly 3,000 weekly trips available during the tournament, including more trips before and after match times, Metrolinx said.

Posluns said that Toronto “has a lot of experience” managing large-scale events, and the city’s mobility plan is in place to ensure residents and visitors can enjoy the event.

“All of these measures working together will help people to get in and around during what will be a busy period of time,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2026.

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press