Why this inspiring Canadian city is the perfect host for the World Cup


I like heights, the man next to me shouted as we clumsily stuffed our limbs into our bright red suits and tightened the straps. I've wanted to do this for a long time. His excitement should have been infectious, but whatever courage I once had evaporated like a maple leaf in the cool Canadian autumn breeze. I'm at the starting point for Edgewalk, an experience walking around the edge of Toronto's CN Tower, held back only by a black strap. A short elevator ride later, our group of six stealthily stepped out into the elements 356 meters (1,168 feet) above ground. Coal-black clouds were silently gathering over Lake Ontario, and the tourists below looked like moving grains of sand. My hands stiffened, gripping the straps as we tested the forward tilt exercise. But, hanging above it all, watching the city I once called home spread out beneath my feet made me feel strangely safe. My first summer in Toronto was a calm one filled with rides on red streetcars, enjoying happy hour beers on downtown rooftops, hanging out in crowded dorms, learning the rules of ice soccer, and enjoying brief friendships with fellow travelers from around the world. That was 2011. Now, 15 years later, Canada's largest city is hosting six matches in the 2026 World Cup. I've stayed two years, and it still feels like home. Toronto's international character captivated me as soon as I arrived, with more than half of its three million population born outside Canada and more than 180 languages ​​spoken. Although I visited attractions like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Norman Foster-designed Ontario Museum of Art, it was the city's diverse neighborhoods that captivated me the most. There's a neighborhood spirit here, says Saro Yacoubian, one of three brothers who run the restaurant Taline, influenced by Lebanese cuisine in Toronto's verdant Summerhill neighborhood. It was my first time in this corner of the city, a few blocks north of bustling Yonge and Bloor intersection, and my first time eating Armenian food. In the 1960s, this used to be a tailor's place, and above is where the tailor lived. Interestingly, he is also an Armenian. What a coincidence! Yacoubian said with a smile, before explaining what dishes I would enjoy tonight. I don't know where to find Armenian food in the UK, but in a city like this, with its global marketplace of culture and cuisine, it's just an ordinary Wednesday evening. Taline is the name of the brothers' late mother, and I enjoy the refined versions of Armenian-Lebanese cuisine she used to cook for them, like boat-shaped dumplings called manti, or tender, well-seasoned vochkhar lamb chops. The food is great, but Summerhill isn't the only neighborhood with great food. There's Portuguese salted fish on Dundas St West, Polish dumplings on Roncesvalles, Korean BBQ on Bloor St West or Peking duck in the historic Chinatown neighborhood of Spadina. However, my favorite place is always Kensington Market. Returning from a night at the sparkling Bisha Hotel, I felt like an intruder. This was not my world 15 years ago; I barely paid the rent and became quite the connoisseur of happy hour beers and cheap poutine. The Toronto skyline may be taller and shinier, but the multicultural spirit of Kensington Market is as appealing as ever. “Kensington Market is a microcosm that represents all that Toronto stands for,” said my tour guide, CJ, as she led a bustling culinary tour from Chinatown into the art-filled streets of Kensington. Incense hung in the air, pro-Palestinian leaflets were handed out and Pride flags fluttered from houses. The vintage shops and old bars I used to frequent are still here, while the orchestra of cheap eats offers new surprises, with spicy Jamaican meat pies, plump tacos and dense fried chicken offering a hearty choice. Diversity, multiculturalism. That means everyone is welcomed, recognized and respected, says CJ, before leading our group on a mobile breakfast. If food and soccer can go hand in hand, the World Cup is an opportunity to showcase Toronto's other famous sports. As an avid soccer fan, I initially despised hockey, basketball, and baseball when I first arrived, but by the end of my first summer, I had become a die-hard fan of the Toronto Blue Jays. They are the local baseball team that almost won the World Series last October. Ticket prices for games at the giant Rogers Center (conveniently located downtown next to the CN Tower) in the summer are always affordable, and on a warm evening, with a beer in hand, the games are fun, even if the rules can seem as complicated as a Russian novel to the uninitiated. Six World Cup matches will be held at Toronto Stadium, near the lakefront. Regularly home to Major League Soccer team Toronto FC, the ground's capacity of 28,000 is being expanded to 45,000 for the tournament, with two new stands and a range of luxury suites. The Bentway, usually a concrete walkway, is being transformed into a vibrant art, music and events space, and will host FIFA's official fan zone. I also recommend visiting nearby Liberty Village for more drinks and fun. This is where I got my first job in Toronto, though the less said about it the better (I was never suited to manual labor). One place where I did fit in was Loose Moose, a brewpub with a favorite cartoon name from my time here — a downtown brewpub with nearly as many screens as there are beers. With the Blue Jays on TV and a cold Canadian beer in hand, my last night in the city was great. It always makes me happy, because it reminds me of happy memories the great food critic and storyteller AA Gill wrote about his old hometown, New York. I feel similarly about Toronto. Next time, though, I'll probably just stay on the CN Tower's indoor observation deck.