Strong winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms are threatening to rain out some of Toronto’s celebrations as the city prepares to host its second 2026 men’s World Cup match.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Ghana and Panama will kick off their first Group L match in front of 40,000-plus fans at Toronto Stadium.
Ghana, which is ranked 73rd in the world by FIFA, will be without midfielder and vice-captain Thomas Partey, who was denied entry to Canada over multiple rape and sexual assault charges in the United Kingdom.
Under Canadian law, a foreign national can be denied entry if they are facing serious charges in another jurisdiction that are deemed to carry a sentence of at least 10 years in prison in Canada.
Court submissions by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) argued Partey’s inadmissibility “is reasonable given the detailed and graphic allegations of sexual violence.”
Partey’s legal team had brought a motion to overturn the Canadian government’s decision, but a federal court dismissed the motion on Tuesday.
Ghana’s match against Panama, ranked 34th overall, will also come as thunderstorms gather over Toronto.
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A special weather statement from Environment Canada warns that storms will begin during the evening and could bring as much as 40 millimetres of rain.
“Showers are expected early this evening and will intensify as a strong low pressure system approaches the area,” the agency wrote.
“There is a potential for severe thunderstorms late this evening and overnight with heavy rain and strong wind gusts being the primary threats.”
The weather is also bad news for Toronto’s troubled FIFA Fan Fest events at Fort York and the Bentway.
The City of Toronto has already twice been forced to cancel parts of the soccer festival over concerns about the weather.
“I do want to acknowledge we have experienced a few weather-related delays and cancellations at Fan Fest,” Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of Toronto’s FIFA Secretariat, told reporters on Wednesday.
“We know these situations are disappointing for fans; they’re disappointing for us as well. When weather creates a safety risk, we have to put safety first.”
The weather may have dampened demand for the festivals, which only saw 65,000 out of a possible 80,000 people attend over the opening four days of the World Cup.
The match is Toronto’s second, after the city hosted Canada’s home opener on the second day of the soccer tournament.
That game saw Canada come from behind to draw 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina in front of a packed Toronto Stadium, with watch parties across the city.
Thousands of fans appear to have cycled to and from the stadium for that game, with Bike Share Toronto setting a record over the opening World Cup weekend of 95,000 rides.
Like Friday’s gameday, Wednesday will see a series of road closures and transit changes to accommodate the matches.
Streetcars will run more regularly on Bathurst Street, while GO trains are also on an enhanced schedule.
Areas like Liberty Village and Fort York have major parking and traffic restrictions in place, while parts of Strachan Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard will be closed entirely.
— with files from Mackenzie Gray and Justin Adjokatcher
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