Toronto mayor unveils new sporting facilities at Centennial Park ahead of World Cup

Park in the city's northwest has 'premium field' to be used by World Cup teams as training site

One of Toronto's biggest parks is getting a facelift

Mayor Olivia Chow unveiled new sporting facilities at an Etobicoke park on Friday, two weeks before the city hosts its first FIFA World Cup game.

The mayor officially opened four baseball diamonds, eight beach volleyball courts, 12 pickleball courts, three soccer pitches and a new multi-use field at Centennial Park, located near Eglinton Avenue W. and Renforth Drive.

Reporters also got a sneak peak of an additional "premium field," a regulation-sized professional pitch that will be used as a training site for participating teams at the FIFA World Cup in Toronto. The field is one of the amenities that opened Friday.

"This investment was designed first and foremost with the community in mind," Chow said.

Chow, along with Coun. Stephen Holyday, said the opening of all of the facilities marks an important milestone for the city.

"Centennial Park is one of Toronto's largest and most visited parks, welcoming 1.5 million visitors every year. It is a place where families gather, kids play sports, neighbours come to enjoy the outdoors and spend time together," Chow said.

"As Toronto grows, we need more first-class parks facilities like what the city has delivered here at Centennial Park."

Improvements to Centennial Park, as part of its master plan, will cost the city more than $75 million over five years.

According to the city, the park's west sports hub features the baseball diamonds, beach volleyball courts and pickleball courts, while the park's east hub has the soccer pitches, multi-use field and premium field. The east hub also has a new fieldhouse with change rooms, washrooms and community space.

Training site to be used by community after games

In a news release Friday, the city said FIFA has "operational control" of the training site, or premium field, until the end of the tournament.

"Following the tournament, the facility will be returned to the City for public use, supporting local leagues, community programming and recreational activities," the city said.

According to Chow, the training site will welcome teams from around the world playing World Cup matches in Toronto. The site, with a fieldhouse, will support team operations during the tournament, she said.

"When the tournament ends, these facilities will continue serving residents, families, local leagues and community programs for years to come," she said.

Holyday said the training site to be used by FIFA World Cup teams is well placed logistically.

"We're very close to the airport ... We're very close to the highway system. I mean that's one of the great things about Etobicoke — we're such well positioned for access," Holyday said.

'It meets all standards,' official says of training site

Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of the the city's FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Secretariat, said summer camps will use the field when it is no longer in use as a training site for World Cup games. After that, it will be open to community use.

Bollenbach said FIFA officials have taken a look at the field and are pleased with it.

"It meets all standards. This particular training facility has been identified as the number one training site across the 16 host cities," Bollenbach said.

Later this year and in 2028, the city plans to open new features at Centennial Park, including a cricket pitch, a playground and a splash pad, a skate trail, an updated chalet and expanded community programming spaces.

Chow said the city also plans to work on naturalizing Elmcrest Creek, part of which runs through the park. This work involves planting 80,000 trees and shrubs to support ecological restoration.

Toronto will host its first World Cup match on June 12 and its last on July 2. It is hosting six matches in all.