Media are seen on the pitch of BMO Field during a tour organized by MLSE and the City of Toronto to showcase the stadium’s upgrades ahead of hosting six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in Toronto, Ont., March 24, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima

TORONTO — Toronto environmental advocates and local officials have condemned FIFA’s decision to ban reusable water bottles at World Cup stadiums and are urging the city to push back against the policy.

The sports body changed its stadium code of conduct to prohibit bottles, cups and other receptacles ahead of the tournament's start next Thursday. Its previous policy had allowed refillable bottles inside.

FIFA said in a statement the decision aims to "prevent risk and injury to players and attendees."

"Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations, and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums," it said.

FIFA said it's working with host cities and local authorities on heat mitigation measures such as hydration stations and cooling tents, and pricing for water bottles at the games "will remain consistent with other events" at each venue.

The Toronto Environmental Alliance said the move to ban reusable bottles is "short-sighted and environmentally harmful" as they keep fans safe during hot summer days and reduce single-use plastic items.

"FIFA’s last-minute flip-flop will worsen the massive piles of single-use garbage expected from the games, in addition to costing fans more money to buy single-use water bottles," the group said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Toronto Coun. Josh Matlow called the ban "greedy and unreasonable."

"Access to drinking water, especially when you’re outside in the heat, should be a right no matter where you are in Toronto," he said in a social media post Thursday. "I’ll be asking city hall to push back on this latest greedy and unreasonable FIFA demand."

When asked about drinking water access and summer temperatures amid the reusable bottle ban, Toronto Public Health referred questions to FIFA.

Don Hardman, Canada's executive director of stadium and venue management for the World Cup, said there are cooling stations set up at Toronto Stadium. He added that officials are still "fine-tuning" options for water refills, but did not confirm how much a water bottle will cost at the venue.

"There will be a number of hydration stations the city is providing and we'll have water available in the stadium as well," he told reporters at Toronto Stadium on Thursday.

Canada will host 13 games during the FIFA World Cup, with six games in Toronto and seven in Vancouver.

A sellout crowd of over 45,000 fans is expected to be at the first FIFA World Cup game to be played on Canadian soil when Canada takes on Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12 at Toronto Stadium.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

-with files from Gregory Strong

News from © The Canadian Press, 2026