BMO Field

BMO Field

BMO Field is an outdoor stadium at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 2007 and is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned by the City of Toronto and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Its naming rights belong to the Bank of Montreal, known as "BMO".

Originally built as a soccer-specific stadium for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, BMO Field has hosted many big games. It was used for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The stadium has also held the MLS Cup and 2017 finals when Toronto FC had home field advantage.

Between 2014 and 2016, the stadium was updated. These changes added an upper deck, a roof over the seats, and made the field long enough for Canadian football. This let the Toronto Argonauts move there starting in the 2016 CFL season. The stadium also hosted the 104th Grey Cup. BMO Field is one of two Canadian stadiums that will host games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and its capacity will grow to 45,736 seats for that event.

Construction

BMO Field is the fifth stadium built at its location at Exhibition Place. The most recent stadium before this was Exhibition Stadium, which lost two of its main teams—the Argonauts and the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball—when SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) opened in 1989. Exhibition Stadium was torn down in 1999.

In the 2000s, several ideas for building a new stadium in Toronto were discussed. The Argonauts wanted to improve Lamport Stadium and make it bigger. Later, they planned to build a new stadium at Exhibition Place. At the same time, the Canadian Soccer Association wanted to build a stadium there for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The governments of Canada and Ontario offered money to help build a new stadium if the association could get the tournament rights. Around this time, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which owns teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, was also looking for a place to put a new Major League Soccer team.

Eventually, the Argonauts, the Canadian Soccer Association, and MLSE decided to build a new stadium at Exhibition Place. The plan was for a 25,000-seat stadium costing $80 million. But the deal fell through when the cost went over $100 million.

In 2005, the plan moved back to Exhibition Place, where the old Exhibition Stadium once stood. MLSE and the Canadian Soccer Association partnered to build the stadium. The total cost was $62.9 million, with money coming from the Canadian government, the government of Ontario, the City of Toronto, and MLSE. MLSE also agreed to buy a MLS team for the stadium.

The stadium was built to possibly be changed into a football field setup. On May 11, 2006, Major League Soccer announced that Toronto FC would join the league in 2007, with BMO Field as their home.

Renovations

BMO Field started with artificial turf instead of real grass, which some people did not like. In 2009, a temporary real grass surface was put in for a friendly game against Real Madrid. Before the 2010 season, the city allowed MLSE to change the field to real grass. MLSE paid for the change and promised to cover all costs to keep the grass healthy. They also added more seats and other improvements, spending a total of $5.5 million.

There were talks about the Toronto Argonauts moving to BMO Field from Rogers Centre, but the stadium was not big enough for Canadian football games. Plans were made to add more seats and make the field longer, but these needed approval and money.

In 2015, the stadium was renovated to make it suitable for both soccer and Canadian football. The changes included adding a new upper level of seats, which increased the capacity for soccer games and allowed the stadium to host big events like the rugby sevens and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The renovations cost $150 million.

Recent developments

In 2017, Toronto FC II, a smaller soccer team, started playing some of their games at BMO Field. Later, they moved to another location.

BMO Field was chosen to host games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city of Toronto and MLSE worked together to update the stadium. The upgrades included new seating, a rooftop patio, and better screens. The renovations cost $157.9 million and were finished in time for the tournament. During the World Cup, the stadium will be called Toronto Stadium.

History

Soccer

Toronto FC played their first game at BMO Field on April 28, 2007. The big opening party was on May 12, 2007. The 2008 MLS All-Star Game happened at BMO Field on July 24, 2008, with West Ham United from the English Premier League.

BMO Field has had many big soccer events. The 2010 MLS Cup was the first time it was held outside the United States, and the Colorado Rapids won against FC Dallas. In 2016, Toronto FC won their first MLS Eastern Championship and played Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS Cup final. The next year, in 2017, Toronto FC won the MLS Cup, becoming the first Canadian team to do so.

On July 24, 2014, BMO Field had the first match of the 2014 International Champions Cup between Olympiacos and A.C. Milan.

In 2021, after a break because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto FC played again at BMO Field and tied against Orlando City SC.

In 2025, AFC Toronto from the Northern Super League played their first game at BMO Field and later played in the league’s first final.

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup

BMO Field was the place for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the first big tournament at the stadium. The Canadian Under-20 squad played there, and Argentina won the final. Because of sponsor rules, the stadium was called the “National Soccer Stadium” during the event.

2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

BMO Field also had the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Canada played their first two games in Toronto.

2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Campeones Cup

2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup

2026 FIFA World Cup

BMO Field will be used for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and will be called “Toronto Stadium” for a little while. The stadium will get extra seats for the event. It will have the opening match for Canada on June 12, 2026, and five more games.

List of 2026 FIFA World Cup matches

Notable friendlies

BMO Field has had many friendly soccer matches.

Football

Canadian

The Toronto Argonauts moved to BMO Field in 2016. They played their first preseason game there on June 11, 2016, beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Their first regular season game at BMO Field was on June 23, 2016.

American

In May 2026, it was said that the Syracuse Orange and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons would play a game at BMO Field in August 2027.

Rugby

Rugby union

BMO Field was home to Canada's national rugby union team from 2011 to 2016.

During the 2015 Pan American Games, BMO Field had rugby sevens. The stadium was called “Exhibition Stadium” for the event.

Lacrosse

In 2009, the Toronto Nationals played their home games at BMO Field before moving to other places.

Hockey

On January 1, 2017, BMO Field had an outdoor NHL game called the NHL Centennial Classic. The Toronto Maple Leafs played against the Detroit Red Wings. The stadium was called “Exhibition Stadium” for the game because of sponsor rules.

Concerts

The only concert at BMO Field so far was by the band Genesis on September 7, 2007.

Milestones

The first goal at BMO Field was scored by Eddie Johnson for the Kansas City Wizards on April 28, 2007. The first goal by a Canadian at the stadium was scored by David Edgar on May 11, 2007.

Attendance records

The biggest crowd at BMO Field was on May 9, 2026, when Toronto FC played against Inter Miami CF with 44,828 fans. This was more than the old record from January 1, 2017, when the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL Centennial Classic with 40,148 fans. The largest crowd for a Canadian Football League game was the 104th Grey Cup on November 27, 2016, with 33,421 fans. For these games and the MLS Cup 2016, the stadium had more seats than usual.

Notes:
¹Only one Toronto FC home match in Canada was played with fans on March 7, 2020 before the season changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
² Fewer fans were allowed for regular season home matches after games started again in July because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes:
¹ 104th Grey Cup game between the Ottawa Redblacks and Calgary Stampeders.
² Fewer fans were allowed for all regular season games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The biggest crowd for rugby at BMO Field and in Canada was when the Canada team played against the New Zealand Māori All Blacks on November 3, 2013, with 22,566 fans. The Māori All Blacks won 40–15.

The regular-season NHL Centennial Classic game on New Year's Day 2017 between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs had a record attendance of 40,148 fans.