Is infrastructure the only thing preventing the NFL coming to Toronto?

Over the course of the most recent Super Bowl LVIII, an astonishing 19 million viewers tuned in at some stage to watch the enthralling battle between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. To put that into more perspective, that equates to half the country watching part of the Super Bowl, if not all of it. The Chief’s 25-22 overtime victory not only goes down as one of the most thrilling Super Bowls in recent history, but for Canadian television, it signaled the highest number of viewers of the event in history and goes down in the record books as one of the top five most watched events in Canada. 

This interest has not come out of nowhere. For Super Bowl LVII, 17.3 million viewers tuned in to the match between Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (38-35). The huge following of the National Football League is nothing new, but it is perhaps surprising amongst the backdrop that Canada does not have a team competing in the NFL. Nor has there ever been. Locals can only follow their favorite teams and players through television and sports betting in Canada, unless they make the pilgrimage to the U.S.  

 

With such a huge Canadian following, the question is why Canada does not have representation in the NFL in the form of a franchise? The argument for the NFL to be expanded to Toronto has been on the table for long enough, but what is holding the sports-mad city back? 

Stadiums in Toronto and their capacities: 

Rogers Center: 50,000
BMO Field: 22,000
Sobeys Stadium: 12,500
Allan A. Lamport Stadium: 9,600 

The more the merrier 

With a concrete fan base within the country, attracting fans to watch live matches would not be an issue. If anything, the interest would heavily outweigh the demand. With such a dedicated fan base, and one that is willing and ready for live NFL action in Toronto, the main reservations from the NFL revolve around the ability to cater for all this interest. 

Many are of the opinion that the infrastructure is the main reason why the NFL is not setting up a base in Toronto. The city already plays host to many top-level sports teams that attract a huge crowd, including the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) and Toronto Raptors (NBA). But despite the popularity, the sizes of stadiums currently located in Toronto are dwarfed by those on show in the U.S, including college stadiums.  

The largest stadium in Toronto is the Rogers Center, home of the Blue Jays, but at around 50,000 fans, that is just over 10,000 down on the smallest NFL stadium in the divisions, Soldier Field, home to the Chicago Bears. And significantly smaller than the largest stadium in the NFL, the AT&T Stadium with a capacity of 82,500. Size clearly matters to the NFL, and until Toronto boosts its sporting infrastructure, the wait to see live NFL in Canada could go on slightly longer. 

The future is bright though… 

If the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, says jump, those in Toronto will say “how high?” The good news for locals is that plans to bolster sporting infrastructure are already in place. With six matches being played in Toronto during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, BMO Field is undergoing a major $37 million revamp with an expansion of nearly 18,000 seats planned for the tournament. This would meet FIFA’s capacity requirements but would also show the city’s ambition and drive to host sports. The fan base is expectant. It seems only a matter of time before they can watch NFL in Toronto.