“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”: Meet Sharon Bollenbach, the city’s World Cup executive director
Her biggest challenge? Convincing skeptics it was worth the money
Before your current role, you were the CEO of Special Olympics Canada and worked in events for the Canadian Olympic Committee. Are you a sports nut or do you just love management? A little bit of both. I love watching sports, but I really love big events and what they can do for communities. That’s why I’m in the business.
What does it mean, then, to run the highest-profile sports event in Toronto history? I’m super proud. I had the good fortune to manage BMO Field for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, when Toronto hosted the championship match. That was my first foray into soccer. Fast forward to 2023, and Toronto was looking for someone to run its first World Cup. I applied because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Arguably, the most important people to please are everyday Torontonians. They’re footing the bill, and most of them can’t get a ticket. Is there anything you can do about that? Honestly, FIFA controls the pricing and issuing of tickets, so the host city doesn’t have any input. Also, no matter how large your stadium is, not everyone will be able to attend. The idea is to create other experiences for fans, like our Fan Festival at Fort York and the Bentway.
Related: An everything guide to World Cup mania
I want to talk a bit more about costs. At $380 million, the city’s World Cup budget has ballooned to eight times its original estimate. Why? The original budget was based on the assumption that we would host five matches. When we were granted six, costs went up. We also greatly increased spending on safety and security. When you work on big events like this, plans evolve. You do your absolute best to create estimates, but as you get into the minutiae, you discover things you didn’t expect.
What do non–footy fans get out of the World Cup? It creates civic pride. I can’t imagine anyone who’s Portuguese, for example, not being a football fan, but even if they aren’t, the prospect of your country and your team coming here to play is special. It’s also about jobs: a study from Deloitte estimated that the games will create 6,600 new jobs. And ultimately, it’s about putting Toronto on the world stage. Billions of people are expected to tune in, and many of them will be inspired to visit our city. Maybe we’ll create some new fans.
Toronto’s 2015 Pan Am Games cost $2.4 billion, but they gave us a new neighbourhood in the Canary District, affordable housing, a world-class aquatic centre and a velodrome. Why aren’t we getting more stuff from the World Cup? The model for FIFA is different from that of the Pan Am Games, which required a number of new facilities to be built. The 2026 World Cup is instead spread across three countries and 16 host cities. It’s cheaper and far better for the environment to use facilities that already exist. One of our big infrastructure improvements is Toronto Stadium, which is BMO Field’s name for the duration of the tournament. Many new elements—such as improved seating, AV tech and concessions—will serve attendees long after the tournament is over. The second legacy project is at Centennial Park, where we’re building a new pitch and fieldhouse.
Let’s talk gridlock. I live in Liberty Village, and all people can talk about is how Toronto Stadium’s 45,000 fans are going to turn our one-road neighbourhood into a traffic war zone. Assuage my fears. First of all, the city’s traffic experts have devoted a lot of time to our mobility plan. Yes, there are going to be impacts: you can’t put on a big event like this and have things be exactly as they were the day before. Our plan is very much transit-first. The TTC and Metrolinx have added critical service. We’ll also be limiting vehicle access in and around Liberty Village, the Exhibition grounds and Fort York.
Related: Toronto police have seized $3.5 million in counterfeit sports merchandise ahead of the World Cup
Will you take the TTC to the stadium? Yes, transit plus walking and cycling.
Any plans to sit in on the games? I’ll be working more or less around the clock. But my career has taught me to always take a moment, step back and appreciate the event.
Career-wise, what does one do after hosting the World Cup? My contract with the city is up at the end of December. The time after the tournament will be spent pulling together stats. How did we do? What does it mean for future events in Toronto? What have we learned? After that, I will see what interesting projects may lie ahead—and maybe take a bit of a break.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Teagan Sliz covers Ontario real estate for Toronto Life and Storeys. She also writes for Cottage Life and has reported on everything from hidden-gem restaurants to Canadian wildlife and forest fires. She graduated from Queen’s University with a bachelor’s in history and art history and from Centennial College, where she studied Canadian publishing.
