Security for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup cost Canadian taxpayers more than $231 million, making it one of the largest federal expenses tied to hosting the international soccer tournament, according to documents tabled before the Senate.Blacklock's Reporter says Department of Canadian Heritage records submitted to the Senate national finance committee show Ottawa spent $231.6 million on security measures for the tournament, including $145 million through Public Safety Canada, $78.9 million by the RCMP, $4.3 million by the Canada Border Services Agency and $3.4 million through the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.The security bill accounted for nearly half of the federal government's estimated $473 million contribution toward hosting 13 World Cup matches in Vancouver and Toronto. The Parliamentary Budget Office has also estimated provincial and municipal governments spent another $593 million on the event.Despite the cost, Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden celebrated the tournament as a historic success."For Canadians it was a pivotal period for soccer and all sports in the country," van Koeverden previously told reporters. "We made history and Canadians have never been so optimistic and ambitious about the future of sport in Canada."Parliamentary Budget Office director Govindadeva Bernier warned MPs earlier this year that security represented one of the largest costs associated with hosting the tournament."A lot of it is security costs," Bernier told the House of Commons government operations committee on May 28."The RCMP is covering some of that. Public safety, expedited visas, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a bunch of government departments are involved with some level of operating spending.".The documents also show the RCMP's $78.9 million security bill was roughly eight times larger than the federal government's $9.8 million commitment toward a planned National Soccer Training Centre.The federal government has pledged $9,826,000 toward the facility, while Soccer Canada estimates the project will cost about $250 million and will rely on additional funding from corporate sponsors and private donors. A location for the training centre has not yet been announced.When celebrating the World Cup, van Koeverden did not reference the tournament's $231.6 million security bill."This victory belongs to all Canadians," he said. "We have shown that Canada is the best sports hosting country in the world. Sport brings us together. Let's keep the game going."Van Koeverden also defended the overall cost of hosting the tournament during a June 11 appearance before the House of Commons, arguing the event would generate lasting benefits."It will inspire countless young Canadians," he said. "It will bring $1 billion to our national revenue."The minister did not provide details explaining how that figure was calculated.
