Ted Rogers alumni scored big at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Ask any Torontonian, and they’ll say there’s nothing like a Toronto summer. The FIFA World Cup dominated summer 2026, with 104 matches played by 48 teams between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Toronto hosted six matches, as hundreds of watch parties, marches and the FIFA Fan Festival spread FIFA fever across the city. 

“The city started putting the budget together in 2018; I was a financial analyst and FIFA was part of my portfolio,” says Patrick Inacio, CPA (Accounting ‘17). “City Council approved our $380M budget years ago, and we stayed within that budget.”

As a Manager of Financial Strategy and Reporting with the FIFA Secretariat, Inacio was directly involved in making sure that the World Cup would seamlessly integrate with the regular hustle and bustle of city life. “Our team includes everything from overseeing FIFA Fan Fest to figuring out how we’re paying for the Toronto Stadium and working with city councillors to bring the vibe of FIFA to their ward.”

“It was a lot of long days leading up to the games, but I’ve always dreamed of being involved in the World Cup as someone who grew up loving soccer,” he adds. 

The World Cup gave an excuse to go out with friends and discover new bars in the city, or visit classics that have been around for years. Jamieson Kerr (Hospitality and Tourism Management ‘89) opened Queen and Beaver (external link)  in 2009, and it’s been one of the leading bars for soccer (or football, as he calls it) for the last seventeen years.

“This was our fifth World Cup, but we made some upgrades by buying new TVs and making sure they synced up to the same cable box,” he explains. “I’ll never forget the Euro Championship games two years ago when the TVs were off by three seconds each—it’s definitely worth the money!”

Whereas some restaurants changed pricing (external link)  or added menu items, Kerr says QB didn’t need to make any adjustments, given its reputation as a dedicated soccer pub. “We have people who have been coming for over a decade, maybe they were given that special upstairs seating,” he laughs. “But really, it’s about cramming as many people as you can. The games definitely brought in new people; I was shocked by how packed we would be for matches later in the evening.”

In June, there were reports in local media (external link)  that half of the city’s hotel rooms were unbooked leading into the World Cup. By early July, payment processing company Moneris released data that spending was up just 3% (external link)  between June 12 and 26 compared to last year; Kerr says that the enthusiasm for spending varied between hotels and restaurants. 

“The biggest hotel in the country (the Chelsea Hotel) is across from us, and they were certainly not at 100% capacity. Meanwhile, for the England games, we turned away 500 people each,” he explains. “The days when matches were in the city were big, but other than that, I didn’t see more out-of-town visitors than I expected.” 

For Inacio, being a part of the Portugal fan march (external link)  was the most memorable experience for this World Cup. “I was part of over 10,000 other fans shutting down a street in the city, while also being part of the planning work so that the city doesn’t stop when we do shut down that street! There’s lots of international pride in Toronto.”

“I was cheering for Scotland originally,” says Kerr, “then Canada and England. We played some great games.”

In the latter half of the summer, Toronto will be winding down from the excitement and reflecting on the city’s role in the World Cup. One survey had 61% of Torontonians (external link)  believe hosting matches was good for the city; for alumni who were boots on the ground, the impact couldn’t be more positive. 

“I’ll say this about the team at QB, we managed all the fun and crowds with professionalism and grease,” says Kerr, laughing. “I wouldn’t change anything for another tournament. We’ve got it down to a science.”

“Walking around downtown and seeing people wear jerseys from around the world—that’s the heart of it all,” adds Inacio. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of what we achieved.”