A packed crowd at Toronto Stadium during a tournament game.

From kickoff to final whistle: What it takes to power “the beautiful game” in Toronto

Published: July 20, 2026

Summary

  • As Toronto welcomed the world for a major milestone in Canadian soccer, Toronto Hydro helped support six matches, more than 30 fan events and critical city operations
  • Months of careful planning and collaboration with partners helped ensure reliable power for tournament activities while maintaining the dependable service customers count on every day
  • The tournament's biggest moments also brought significant electricity demand, with Toronto Stadium reaching a peak load of 2.70 MW during its final match, enough to power approximately 2,700 homes at the same time

 

What do six soccer matches, over 30 fan festival events and three emergency command centres have in common? They all helped turn Toronto into the centre of the soccer world — and Toronto Hydro was there for every kick, save and goal along the way — keeping the lights on and excitement flowing.

From powering packed fan zones to supporting critical event operations, our teams worked around the clock to help deliver a safe, reliable and memorable tournament experience for players, fans and visitors from around the world.

We all play for team Toronto Hydro

As Toronto welcomed the world for a historic milestone in Canadian soccer, we recognized how important the moment was for fans, businesses and communities across the city. Throughout the tournament, our priority remained unchanged: delivering reliable power for event venues and activities while continuing to provide the safe, dependable service our customers rely on every day.

Delivering a world-class event took a true team effort. People from across Toronto Hydro — including Operations, Customer Experience, Communications, IT and Strategy — came together months in advance to prepare. From day one, the focus was on prevention, mitigation and response planning, with reliability and security guiding every decision.

Toronto Hydro employees from across the organization gathered to collaborate and prepare for the tournament.

“Our goal was simple: make sure the power system was one thing nobody had to think about during the tournament,” says Hani Taki, Incident Commander and Director, Distribution Operations and Grid Modernization, Toronto Hydro. “That level of reliability comes from months of planning, testing and collaboration behind the scenes.”

Preparation extended well beyond our organization. Toronto Hydro worked closely with the City of Toronto, FIFA, Exhibition Place, Hydro One and the Toronto Police Service to ensure critical infrastructure and response plans were in place before the first match kicked off.

To support reliability, teams reviewed, maintained and tested infrastructure serving key tournament locations across the city, including Exhibition Place, training facilities, athlete accommodations and other priority sites. Months of planning helped ensure the power system was ready to perform when it mattered most.

Behind the scenes, Toronto Hydro crews completed critical maintenance and testing activities to support reliable power throughout the tournament.

Powering the six matches

When the tournament began, preparation shifted into execution. Toronto Hydro worked alongside a dedicated incident management team and event partners, continuously monitoring priority sites, grid conditions, weather, cybersecurity and crowd movement across the city. Crews were strategically positioned for rapid response, while teams participated in three command centres alongside municipal, provincial and event partners to maintain situational awareness and coordinate decision-making.

“Success wasn't measured by what happened — it was measured by what didn't happen. Through continuous monitoring and close coordination with our partners, we helped ensure the tournament unfolded safely and seamlessly,” Taki says.

That coordination was essential. Through partnerships with organizations across the city, information flowed quickly, plans remained aligned and response teams stayed connected. This collaborative approach helped ensure a safe and successful tournament from kickoff to the final whistle.

The scale of the event was also reflected in the electricity required to power it. Toronto Stadium hosted six matches during the tournament, each supported by extensive lighting, broadcasting equipment, security systems and fan amenities.

Following the opening match between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12, Toronto Stadium recorded a peak electricity load of 2.23 megawatts (MW) — enough to power approximately 2,230 homes at the same time.

The highest electricity demand came during Toronto's final match on July 2, when Portugal faced Croatia in the Round of 32. During the game, the stadium reached a peak load of 2.70 MW, equivalent to powering roughly 2,700 homes simultaneously.

The unsung heroes behind the scenes

While those numbers are impressive, they tell only part of the story. Behind every match was months of planning, infrastructure testing and coordination between teams and partners. For Toronto Hydro, reliably powering major events across the city is part of what we do every day — and this tournament was no exception.

“While fans were cheering in the stands and at FanFest events across the city, hundreds of Toronto Hydro employees were working behind the scenes to help make the experience possible,” says Hasdeep Bhatia, Public Information Officer and Senior Manager, Media and Public Relations, Toronto Hydro. “This tournament was an incredible opportunity to showcase the dedication of our people and demonstrate the critical role reliable power plays in bringing world-class events to Toronto.”

Thanks to the dedication of our employees and the strength of our partnerships, fans were able to focus on the action on the field, while the power system performed exactly as intended in the background.

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