In Toronto, Liberty Village, close to BMO Field, reportedly recorded a 9.7% rise in average daily visits during the tournament and a 57.9% increase on match days. CityPlace and Fort York, where the official fan festival was held, saw visits rise 13.1% across the tournament and 37.6% on game dates.
The report says Toronto hosted six matches, while Vancouver staged seven at BC Place, creating natural magnets for supporters. Bars, restaurants and businesses that screened games were positioned to benefit from the surge.
The gains were not evenly shared. Little Portugal reportedly experienced a 10.6% fall in average daily visits during the tournament, despite its strong Portuguese football identity.
Giovanny Restrepo, a local business representative, said the increase was concentrated among venues showing matches, with other businesses seeing little benefit. He pointed to warnings about road closures, crowding and difficult access to the centre, as well as parking restrictions, as possible reasons visitors stayed away.
Vancouver showed a similar divide. Yaletown reportedly enjoyed an 18.2% rise in daily visits and a 63.3% jump on match days after businesses added mini-pitches, murals and outdoor viewing areas. Strathcona, Mount Pleasant and the West End, however, all recorded declines.
Neil Wyles of Mount Pleasant attributed the weaker turnout to the downtown focus and fears of congestion. His assessment underlines a key lesson: football can create a citywide celebration, but only if access and local programming extend beyond the main event zones.
Reported spending increases in bars and restaurants - 6% in Vancouver and 3% in Toronto - show the tournament generated commercial value, although the figures may not capture all international visitors.
For future mega-events, the next storyline will be whether cities can turn match-day excitement into a broader neighbourhood benefit through clearer transport advice, distributed fan activities and better support for local businesses.