Canada’s men’s national soccer team scored a huge win against Honduras in front of a few spectators at Toronto’s BMO Field on Tuesday night. On social networks, several netizens have accused the exorbitant ticket price.
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Only 13,626 football fans passed through the amphitheater’s turnstiles in the Queen City, half of its total capacity. Interest in the clash, which secured Canada’s passage to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League, was high nonetheless.
According to testimonials pulled from Twitter’s blogTO.com site, it’s impossible to enter the stadium without paying $150 at Ticketmaster. It would be even without counting the nearly $30 extra payable in “service fees.”
Several sections of the BMO field, including entire rows, were cordoned off by organizers, giving the impression of a crowd being cooped up on TV. The upper tiers, which typically have the cheapest seats, have been closed due to low ticket sales. A few lucky ones who bought their entrance fee early for about fifty dollars were able to wander to the edge of the field.
Ticketmaster has been making a lot of noise in the music world lately for its ridiculous prices at certain concerts, particularly those of Taylor Swift and Drake. Their “service fees” and other add-ons skyrocketed the overall cost of tickets. A class action lawsuit has been filed against the company in Quebec.
When is the game in Montreal?
Canadian soccer programs have gained momentum in recent years due to the excellent results of the national teams. Obviously given the mainstream crowd and without the price of tickets in Toronto, Montreal would have nothing to take away from other Canadian destinations.
In October 2021, no fewer than 16,386 people descended on Stade Saputo in the midst of a pandemic to watch the women’s team beat New Zealand 1-0. The Canadians were in the middle of their celebration tour after their gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics.
The men’s final match in Montreal took place on June 13, 2017 against Curaçao, also at the Saputo Stadium. This time, just over 6,000 people turned out for this unimportant game, at a time when the Canadian team was still a long way from making the headlines. We have to go back to 2010 for the penultimate men’s game in Quebec.
The Olympic Stadium is also well prepared for major events. At the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Christine Sinclair and her gang pulled the Netherlands in front of 45,420 fans.
It will be seen this summer if Canada Soccer takes a look at Montreal. The preparatory games for the 2026 World Cup will be numerous, but let’s remember the refusal of the Quebec metropolis to participate, which could weigh on the balance sheet.