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An Inter Miami-Toronto FC match at the new-look BMO Field on Saturday provided a dress rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup next month.
A sellout crowd of 44,828 fans — including about 17,000 spectators in the new grandstand seats that were added for the tournament — took in the 4-2 Inter Miami win.
Longtime TFC fan Trevor Ellis took a few moments before the game to walk to the top of the north grandstand to check out the view.
“It’s almost the perfect seat, like the front row and the back row are both really cool in that way,” he said. “You can see the entire pitch. The sightline is pretty good.
“You’ve got the skyline in the background and the lake — it looks beautiful.”
A few thousand seats remained empty at kickoff as fans slowly made their way into the west-end Toronto venue near Lake Ontario’s shoreline.
Many fans needed extra time to navigate lineups and the fencing around the stadium’s perimeter as preparations continue ahead of Canada’s World Cup opener June 12 against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The grandstand concourse area had a temporary outdoor tent feel. Outside the venue, the walk to the stadium felt like things were still a work in progress rather than a finished product.
“I think the structure had to look better than this, especially when you have people coming from other countries and comparing it to other stadiums, in North America, everywhere, in Mexico,” said Jaime Garcia of Toronto. “I think the structure from the outside looks scary, to be honest with you.”
The scaffolding-style grandstands were added to bring capacity up to the FIFA minimum. The grey flip-down seats offer a colour contrast to the sea of red in the regular seating area.
The steps are grippy but spectators in the upper reaches will definitely feel the incline in the quads and glute muscles.
It was a comfortable 14 C for the MLS matchup, featuring Miami superstar Lionel Messi, under partly cloudy skies.
“I think this will actually be a good preview of the World Cup because of the types of fans,” Ellis said. “It’s different than a regular TFC game. You’ve got a real variety of people who are different types of soccer fans, young and old.
“So I think it’s kind of a taste of what the World Cup might be like.”
Toronto to host 6 World Cup matches
Toronto will host six tournament games in all through July 2. The United States and Mexico will co-host the tournament with Canada.
“I think the heat will be tough up here,” Ellis said. “It’s definitely going to be hot where it’s uncovered, the metal [stands] and people are going to get wet if it rains. There’s nowhere to go. But you just have to commit to the experience.”
If storms roll in off the lake during the tournament, it could present some challenges. Rambunctious, jumping, foot-stomping fans — a distinct likelihood at an event like the World Cup — could also boost anxiety for grandstand spectators.
“I think it’d be cool. I trust it,” Ellis said. “I think it’s part of the experience. You picture the stadiums in Argentina that are literally shaking the whole game.”
One issue for fans sitting along the grandstand edges are partially obstructed views from the video screens near the four corners of the pitch. The view from the closest seat to the railing, for example, could not see one corner of the field at the opposite end.
BMO Field will be renamed Toronto Stadium for the World Cup. It’s the smallest venue among the 16 host cities.
The tournament final will be played July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
