Toronto sports run twelve months a year, and the 2026-27 season is the fullest calendar the city has had in decades. The Maple Leafs open at home on 29 September 2026, matching the earliest start date in NHL history; the Blue Jays play their final 2026 home series on 25–27 September; the Raptors tip off at Scotiabank Arena on 21 October; and the Argonauts still have three dates left at BMO Field. Ten professional teams share six buildings, four of them within a streetcar ride of Union Station. This guide covers every team and venue, how to reach each one, what to expect at the gate, and how Ontario’s new resale-price cap changes the way you buy a ticket.
A few things have changed since most visitors last checked. The NHL is playing an 84-game schedule for the first time since 1993-94. BMO Field has shed the 17,000 temporary seats it wore for the FIFA World Cup and is back to roughly 28,000. The old FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton has reopened as TD Coliseum after a $300 million rebuild and now hosts the Toronto Rock, the new Hamilton Hammers of the AHL and a new PWHL Hamilton club. And, as of 24 April 2026, Ontario law says nobody can resell a ticket for more than the all-in price they paid for it.
The 2025-26 results set the mood. The Blue Jays won the American League and took the World Series to Game 7 at Rogers Centre before losing 5-4 in eleven innings to the Dodgers on 1 November 2025. The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, then won the draft lottery, picked Gavin McKenna first overall, hired Jim Hiller as head coach and signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Marlies won the Calder Cup, the Rock won a record-tying seventh NLL Cup, and the Toronto Tempo, the first WNBA team based outside the United States, are finishing their inaugural season. Expect full buildings.
Toronto sports at a glance: every team, every venue
Everything below is for the 2026-27 seasons as of September 2026; “TBA” means the league had not published dates when this guide went to press.
| Team | League | Home venue | Season and home games | Official tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | MLB | Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way | Late March to late September, 81 home games; postseason in October | Ticketmaster.ca |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St | 29 Sept 2026 to 10 April 2027, 42 home games; playoffs to June | Ticketmaster.ca, Leafs app |
| Toronto Raptors | NBA | Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St | 21 Oct 2026 to 7 April 2027, 40 home games (41 if an NBA Cup knockout game lands here); playoffs to June | Ticketmaster.ca, Raptors app |
| Toronto FC | MLS | BMO Field, 170 Princes’ Blvd | Late February to early November, 17 home matches; playoffs to MLS Cup on 18 December. 2027 is a short Sprint Season, February to April | torontofc.ca, Ticketmaster.ca |
| Toronto Argonauts | CFL | BMO Field, 170 Princes’ Blvd | June to late October; Grey Cup mid-November | argonauts.ca, Ticketmaster.ca |
| Toronto Tempo | WNBA | Coca-Cola Coliseum, 19 Nunavut Rd | May to September; last 2026 home game 20 Sept; 2027 dates TBA | Ticketmaster.ca |
| Toronto Sceptres | PWHL | Coca-Cola Coliseum, 19 Nunavut Rd | Late November to May; 2026-27 dates TBA | Ticketmaster.ca |
| Toronto Marlies | AHL | Coca-Cola Coliseum, 19 Nunavut Rd | 3 Oct 2026 to 11 April 2027, 36 home games; playoffs to June | Ticketmaster.ca |
| Raptors 905 | NBA G League | Paramount Fine Foods Centre (now signed as Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre), Mississauga | November to April; first home game Sun 27 Dec 2026 | Ticketmaster |
| Toronto Rock | NLL | TD Coliseum, 101 York Blvd, Hamilton | Late November or December to April; playoffs to May; 2026-27 dates TBA | Ticketmaster.ca |
Every team sells through Ticketmaster.ca as its official marketplace and delivers tickets to your phone. Download the relevant team app before you travel, because concourse Wi-Fi is unreliable and the Coliseum has none at all.
The teams, one by one
Toronto Blue Jays (MLB)
The Jays are the only Major League Baseball team outside the United States, and 2026 was their 50th season. They play 81 home games at Rogers Centre, the retractable-roof stadium at the foot of the CN Tower, from late March to the last weekend of September. Crowds in 2026 regularly topped 40,000, carried over from the World Series run, when Game 7 drew 44,713 to a building that seats roughly 39,000 after its 2022-24 renovation. Two home series remain in 2026: 14–16 September against Detroit and 25–27 September against Cincinnati, the latter closing the home season. The 2027 schedule is already out: the Jays open on 25 March 2027 in New York against the Yankees, play their home opener on Friday 2 April 2027 against Seattle, and close the home schedule against Tampa Bay on 24–26 September 2027.
Tickets are priced dynamically by opponent and day, so the same seat costs more against the Yankees on a Saturday than the Athletics on a Tuesday. The two cheapest ways in are the 500 level and the Outfield District general-admission ticket, which gives you no seat but access to the Corona Rooftop Patio, the retro bleachers and the standing social spaces that replaced the old outfield rows. Prices for both move with demand; check Ticketmaster for the game you want rather than trusting a number you read elsewhere. The “Loonie Dog” promotion, $1 hot dogs at Tuesday home games, sold its millionth dog of 2026 on 25 August.
Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
The Leafs are the reason the phrase “Toronto sports” exists. They play at Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay Street, directly connected to Union Station. The 2026-27 season is an 84-game schedule rather than the usual 82, and it opens on Tuesday 29 September 2026 with a 7 pm home game against Montreal, the earliest opening night the league has ever staged and the first September puck drop in North America (the only previous one was in London, England, in 2007). The regular season ends on 10 April 2027, with playoffs into June. There are 42 home games and 27 Saturday games, and November is the busiest home month with nine dates, including a six-game home stand from 3 to 14 November. The full 2026-27 Maple Leafs schedule is on the team’s site.
Single-game tickets went on general sale on 24 August 2026, and reporting on the on-sale found no section that could be called cheap, standing room included. Treat that as a warning, not a figure: primary prices are dynamic and change daily. Tickets are delivered in the Maple Leafs app. Sign up for the free Fan Access programme before you need it; it is the route to presales and the occasional release of held-back seats. Standing-room tickets are the cheapest way into the building, and weeknights against non-rivals in November, January and February are the easiest to get.
Toronto Raptors (NBA)
The Raptors share Scotiabank Arena with the Leafs and, as of August 2026, were closing a trade for Kawhi Leonard, the man who won them the 2019 championship. The home opener is Wednesday 21 October 2026 against the Chicago Bulls; preseason begins 3 October against Miami in Quebec City, with the only Toronto preseason date on 13 October against the Knicks. NBA Cup group play starts at home on 30 October against Orlando, the Knicks visit on 15 and 17 November, the Clippers come on 1 January, Dallas, with former Raptors president Masai Ujiri, on 27 January, and Cleveland on 29 January and 12 February. There is no Christmas Day game, and the 40 scheduled home dates run to 7 April 2027, with a 41st only if an NBA Cup knockout game is drawn at home. Tickets are on Ticketmaster.ca and delivered in the Raptors app. The team publishes no fixed price list, so plan around demand: the 300-level upper bowl is the entry point, and a January weeknight against a lottery team costs a fraction of a Saturday against Boston.
Toronto FC (MLS)
TFC play at BMO Field on the Exhibition Place grounds, a lakeside stadium that returned to its normal size in July 2026 after hosting six World Cup matches. The 2026 season, the club’s 20th, runs from 21 February to Decision Day on 7 November, with 17 home matches, 12 on Saturdays and 5 on Wednesdays. The record BMO Field crowd of 44,828 came on 9 May against Inter Miami, during the temporary expansion. Three home matches remain after this guide publishes: Saturday 10 October 2026 against CF Montréal, the 401 Derby, at 1 pm; Wednesday 14 October against Orlando City at 7:30 pm; and Wednesday 28 October against D.C. United at 7:30 pm. The MLS Cup Playoffs open with a Wild Card round on 18 November and finish with MLS Cup on Friday 18 December. Then the calendar changes: 2027 is a one-off 14-game “Sprint Season” from February to April, with its own playoffs in May, before MLS switches in July 2027 to a July-to-May season aligned with Europe. The Sprint Season fixtures had not been announced when this guide went to press.
For the full experience sit near the supporters’ sections, 112 to 118 at the south end, where fans stand, sing and beat drums for ninety minutes; section 227 is the family section. Tickets come through torontofc.ca and Ticketmaster.ca, or from the cashless BMO Field ticket office at Gate 1. Every MLS match streams on Apple TV, and TSN and RDS carry a selection.
Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
The Argos have played at BMO Field since 2016 and own 19 Grey Cups, more than any other CFL club. The 2026 season is their 68th, with Mike Miller in his first year as head coach and Michael “Pinball” Clemons as general manager. The World Cup forced three “home” games out of town, to Regina, Winnipeg and Hamilton, leaving just six at BMO Field in 2026. Three remain: Saturday 19 September against Edmonton at 3 pm, the “WWE Game”; Saturday 3 October against the BC Lions at 3 pm; and Friday 23 October against Montreal at 7 pm, the final home game and the “Loonie Dog Game”, with $1 hot dogs. The playoffs begin 31 October and the 113th Grey Cup is 15 November 2026 in Calgary. A normal nine-game home schedule should return in 2027. Tickets are sold via argonauts.ca, which routes to Ticketmaster.ca, or on 416-341-2746; section 127 is the family section and the Fan Zone sits in the south end zone. The Argos and TFC are the value plays in Toronto sports: smaller crowds, outdoor seats by the lake, and good tickets available days before the game rather than months.
Toronto Tempo (WNBA)
Canada’s first WNBA franchise is playing its inaugural season, 8 May to 24 September 2026, at Coca-Cola Coliseum, which holds 8,500 for basketball, under head coach Sandy Brondello, with three home games moved to Scotiabank Arena and two each staged in Vancouver and Montreal. The final home game is Sunday 20 September against the New York Liberty; the Tempo were eliminated from playoff contention in late August, so the season ends with the regular-season finale in Connecticut. The 2027 schedule has not been announced; the WNBA season normally runs May to September, so a summer visitor can expect home games. Ticketmaster is the official marketplace, deposits for next season are taken through the Ticketmaster deposit page linked from the team’s site, and doors open 75 minutes before tip-off. The Coliseum’s small-bag rule applies, posters larger than 8.5 by 11 inches are refused, and the building is cashless. Hotel X, on the Exhibition grounds, is the team’s partner hotel and offers a fan rate.
Toronto Sceptres (PWHL)
The Sceptres moved from Mattamy Athletic Centre to Coca-Cola Coliseum as their primary home in 2024-25. The 2025-26 season was 30 games, opening 21 November with the home opener on 29 November and running to the Walter Cup playoffs in May. The 2026-27 schedule had not been released in early September; expect a start around the turn of November and December, after the women’s world championship, and a bigger league, since the PWHL grows to 12 teams with Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose. Pascal Rhéaume took over as head coach in June 2026 after Troy Ryan left for San Jose. Single-game tickets are on Ticketmaster.ca. The new PWHL Hamilton team, still without a nickname at the time of writing, with Meghan Duggan as general manager, Kris Sparre as head coach and Brianne Jenner as first signing, plays at TD Coliseum from this season, so a Toronto–Hamilton rivalry is about to exist.
Toronto Marlies (AHL)
The Marlies are the Leafs’ farm team, the reigning Calder Cup champions and the cheapest hockey ticket in the city. They have played at Coca-Cola Coliseum, which holds 8,140 for hockey, since 2005. The 2026-27 season opens 2 October in Rochester, with the home opener on Saturday 3 October 2026 against the brand-new Hamilton Hammers, and closes at home on Sunday 11 April 2027 against Laval. The longest home stand runs 19 December to 8 January, a gift for holiday visitors, and March is the busiest home month with seven games. Tickets are on Ticketmaster.ca or by phone on 416-597-7825; the team advertises season memberships from as low as $19 a seat, which tells you where prices sit.
Raptors 905 (NBA G League)
The Raptors’ development team plays at Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, which holds 5,400 for basketball and opened in 1998 as the Hershey Centre; the building itself is now signed as the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre, though the team still uses the old name. The 2026-27 season starts with a 14-game Tip-Off Tournament from 6 November, on the road at first; the first home regular-season game is Sunday 27 December 2026 against the Cleveland Charge, followed by a home stand to 7 January. March brings seven home games, and a School Day Game at Scotiabank Arena on 5 March 2027 is a rare chance to see the 905 downtown. Tickets are on Ticketmaster.
Toronto Rock (NLL, in Hamilton)
The Rock are Toronto in name only. The 2026 NLL Cup champions play their home games at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, having spent 2024-25 in Mississauga while that building was rebuilt. A season runs from late November or December to April with playoffs into May, and 2026 featured nine home games; the 2026-27 schedule was not out at the time of writing. Box lacrosse is fast, physical and loud, and a full lacrosse barn will surprise anyone who has only seen the field version. For lacrosse without the trip west, the Oshawa FireWolves, relocated from Albany in 2025, play east of the city.
The venues, and how to reach each one from Union Station
Union Station is the hub. Two venues are a walk away, two more are one streetcar or one GO stop away, and the last two need a train out of town. Load a PRESTO card or tap a credit card and you will not need to think about fares; the TTC subway and streetcar guide explains the route numbers used below.
Rogers Centre (Blue Jays)
Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way, opened in 1989 as the SkyDome, the first stadium anywhere with a fully retractable motorised roof. A renovation costing nearly $400 million, finished with the new 100-level bowl for the April 2024 home opener, re-angled the outfield seats and added the 500-level social spaces and the Outfield District. The four-panel roof takes about 20 minutes to open or close, the decision is made on game day, and the club keeps it closed in cold or windy weather, so April and September games are often played under the roof. A 348-room Marriott is built into the stadium, with 55 rooms and suites that look onto the field.
From Union Station, take the SkyWalk, an enclosed 160-metre walkway that delivers you to the stadium in five to ten minutes, dry in any weather; the TTC 509 Harbourfront streetcar from the Union loop to the Queens Quay West at Rees Street stop, a short walk south of the stadium, is worth it only with a stroller, and the 510 Spadina is frequently diverted away from Union during events, so do not count on it. Gates open 90 minutes before first pitch on weekdays and two hours at weekends, and the whole building is cashless. Outside Gates 5 and 6 you will pass the statue of Joe Carter’s 1993 World Series-winning home run, unveiled on 18 July 2026.
Tours leave from Gate 6A: the 60-minute Classic tour is $40, the Pregame Tour starts at $80 and requires a game ticket (you watch batting practice), a history and artifacts tour starts at $70, and the Ultimate Pregame Tour, from $300, puts you on the field. No tour enters the clubhouse and field access is never guaranteed. Keep your ticket for 10 per cent off at the Jays Shop; details are on the official Rogers Centre tours page.
Scotiabank Arena (Maple Leafs, Raptors)
The arena stands at 40 Bay Street, on the corner of Lake Shore Boulevard West, and opened in 1999 as the Air Canada Centre. It seats 18,200 for hockey and 19,300 for basketball, and is joined to Union Station through the galleria and the PATH network, so from a GO train, the subway or the UP Express you can reach your seat without stepping outside. The arena’s getting-here page covers the walkway, and the PATH network guide shows how the tunnels connect to the hotels on Front Street.
The building is fully cash-free, debit and credit only with Mastercard preferred, and tickets are mobile-only. Only a small purse, clutch or fanny pack up to 16.5 by 11.5 centimetres is allowed without a fuss; larger bags go through x-ray at Gates 1, 3 and 5, and a paid bag check in the galleria across from Gate 1 has limited space and is priced at $20 on one of the arena’s pages and $25 on another, so leave the backpack at the hotel. No outside food or drink, beyond an empty soft water bottle. The on-site garage charges a flat $50, opens an hour before the event and has a two-metre height limit, but it is aimed at suite holders and office tenants; the arena points ordinary fans to the Maple Leaf Square public garage at 15 York Street or to pre-booked spaces nearby.
Tours check in at Gate 6. The 60-minute Classic tour is $40 for adults and $30 for seniors and under-18s, children four and under free, and includes the Foster Hewitt broadcast gondola, the suites and, when they are not in use, the Leafs and Raptors dressing rooms, which are off-limits on that team’s home-game days and never guaranteed. There are no tours on concert days, and everything books through Ticketmaster. Real Sports Apparel, the official team store, is inside the galleria at Gate 1, and the Real Sports bar is across Maple Leaf Square at 15 York Street.
BMO Field after the World Cup (Toronto FC, Argonauts)
BMO Field, 170 Princes’ Boulevard at Exhibition Place, opened in 2007, is owned by the City of Toronto and operated by MLSE. For the 2026 FIFA World Cup it was renamed “Toronto Stadium”, expanded to 45,000 with 17,000 temporary seats and 32 new suites, and hosted six matches between 12 June and 2 July, starting with Canada’s 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in front of 43,002. The upgrade cost $157.9 million, of which the City paid $132.9 million and MLSE $25 million. The stadium was handed back on 22 July, the temporary stands came down, and capacity is back to about 28,000. What stayed is what you will notice: new videoboards, lighting, audio and Wi-Fi, a new north concourse, self-serve concessions, more premium areas, replaced seats and accessibility upgrades. The roof canopy covers the east, west and south stands, so only the north end gets wet.
Bag rules are strict and different from the arena: a clear plastic bag up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches, a one-gallon clear freezer bag, or a clutch up to 6.5 by 4.5 inches. Anything else is refused, though a bag check outside Gate 3 takes it for $10; the BMO Field bag policy has pictures of what passes. Gates open one hour before kickoff, the stadium is cashless, there is no re-entry, umbrellas over 12 inches are banned, and alcohol sales stop at the 65th minute of a TFC match or the start of the fourth quarter of an Argos game. Empty non-glass refillable water bottles are welcome; other outside food and drink is not, unless arranged for allergies through Fan Services on 416-815-5982. Parking runs about $30 for TFC and $25 for the Argos, but you should not drive.
From Union, take a Lakeshore West GO train one stop to Exhibition GO, about seven minutes, or ride the 509 Harbourfront streetcar to Exhibition Loop. From the west side, the 511 Bathurst streetcar from Bathurst station ends at Exhibition Loop and the 29 or 929 Dufferin bus from Dufferin station ends at Dufferin Gate, at the north-west corner of the grounds. Track work has replaced the 509 and 511 with buses for months at a time in recent years, so check MLSE’s transit updates page or the TTC’s service alerts the day you travel.
Coca-Cola Coliseum (Marlies, Sceptres, Tempo)
A few minutes’ walk from BMO Field across the Exhibition Place grounds, the Coliseum at 19 Nunavut Road was built in 1921-22 for the CNE and rebuilt for $38 million in 2003. It holds 8,140 for hockey and 8,500 for basketball, small enough that every seat is a good one. Rules track Scotiabank Arena: 6.5 by 4.5 inch bags only, no outside food or drink, cashless, no re-entry, gates at least an hour before the event. There is no Wi-Fi and no coat check, and the building runs cold, so wear the coat you would wear outside. Strollers are checked at the door, children up to 24 months are free on a lap, and pucks that reach the stands are yours to keep. Exhibition Place lots charge $12 to $15. Transit is identical to BMO Field, and the Coliseum FAQ is worth a read before a Marlies game.
TD Coliseum, Hamilton (Rock, Hamilton Hammers, PWHL Hamilton)
TD Coliseum at 101 York Boulevard is the former Copps Coliseum and FirstOntario Centre, reopened on 21 November 2025 after a $300 million Oak View Group rebuild. It seats about 18,000 for concerts and 16,386 for hockey, and three teams call it home this season: the Toronto Rock, the Hamilton Hammers (the New York Islanders’ AHL affiliate, moved from Bridgeport) and the new PWHL Hamilton club. Getting there means GO Transit: the venue’s own advice is a Lakeshore West train from Union to West Harbour GO, then a 10 to 15-minute walk south along James Street North, or a train or bus to Hamilton GO Centre, which is about ten minutes on foot the other way. Allow roughly an hour and a quarter each way and check the last train back before buying a weeknight ticket; there is no parking at the arena itself, and the official lot is the York Boulevard Parkade at 28 York Boulevard. The Hamilton day trip guide covers what to do with the daylight hours.
Paramount Fine Foods Centre, Mississauga (Raptors 905)
The 905’s home is a 5,400-seat arena at 5500 Rose Cherry Place in Mississauga, west of the city. MiWay routes 39 and 53 stop at the arena gate, but neither starts at Kipling station at the end of Line 2, so a transit trip means a transfer and the journey is long enough that many visitors take a rideshare from downtown. Because the first home game is not until Sunday 27 December 2026, this is a venue for winter visitors.
How to buy Toronto sports tickets safely in 2026
The biggest change in Toronto sports ticketing in years arrived on 24 April 2026, when Ontario’s Bill 97 received Royal Assent and its ticket-resale schedule took effect the same day. A ticket now cannot be resold in Ontario for more than the total the seller originally paid, including the primary seller’s fees and taxes, though the resale platform may still add its own service charge on top, and the seller must be able to show proof of that original price. The maximum administrative penalty for repeat offenders rose to $25,000 on 10 June 2026. Ticketmaster delisted its Ontario resale inventory within a day. StubHub and SeatGeek kept operating but were added to Ontario’s Consumer Beware list on 10 June 2026, and in July it was reported that the province was drafting regulations to define what “face value” means and how platforms must verify it. Expect the rules to keep moving during the 2026-27 season.
What the resale cap means for you
Buying a resale ticket is still legal for the buyer; the offence sits with the seller and the platform. In practice the cap has thinned resale inventory, because a fan who would once have listed a Saturday Leafs ticket at a mark-up now goes to the game or gives the ticket to a friend. Ticketmaster’s fan-to-fan resale in Ontario, where it exists, is capped at the original price, which makes it the safest secondary channel: the ticket transfers inside the team app and you know it is real. On any third-party site, look for the original price on the listing and treat anything above it as a listing that should not exist. Never buy from a stranger on the Exhibition Place grounds; face-to-face resale there breaks a City by-law as well as the provincial one. The cap does not touch primary pricing: teams may still reprice their own inventory as demand shifts, which is why a ticket that was expensive at the on-sale can be cheaper, or dearer, a week before the game.
Where to buy, team by team
- Maple Leafs and Raptors: Ticketmaster.ca, delivered in the Leafs or Raptors app. Join the free Fan Access programme for Leafs presales.
- Blue Jays: Ticketmaster.ca. The Outfield District GA ticket and 500-level seats are the entry points; Tuesday beats Saturday.
- Toronto FC and Argonauts: torontofc.ca and argonauts.ca route to Ticketmaster.ca; the BMO Field ticket office at Gate 1 sells in person. TFC’s Insider list and the Goal Line on 416-360-4625 handle presales and questions.
- Marlies, Sceptres and Tempo: Ticketmaster.ca, with the Marlies Insider list and the Tempo deposit programme for priority access.
- Raptors 905 and Toronto Rock: Ticketmaster.
How to get a Leafs ticket without overpaying
Leafs tickets are the hardest in Canadian sport, and the Montreal opener and the marquee visits were gone at on-sale. Four approaches work. Join Fan Access before the on-sale rather than after; the presale window is where the reasonable seats go. Target weeknights against non-rivals in November, January and February, when the building is still full but the gap to a Saturday price is widest. Buy standing room, which is sold as a ticket in its own right. Or, if you only need NHL-calibre hockey in a Toronto jersey, buy a Marlies ticket: the same organisation, the reigning Calder Cup champions, and memberships advertised from $19 a seat.
Red flags
Screenshots of tickets are worthless; every venue here scans a rotating barcode inside an app. A seller who wants an e-transfer before transferring the ticket, a listing without a section and row, or a “will call” pickup for a Scotiabank Arena event should end the conversation. If you have a problem on the day, the box office at Gate 1 of BMO Field is open on match days, and the Scotiabank Arena ticket office at the west end of the Union Station galleria, near Gate 1, opens three hours before an event and only on event days.
Which game should you see? Choosing by budget, season and mood
Which Toronto sports night costs the least?
The Marlies, the Argonauts and Toronto FC. None publishes a fixed price grid, but all three sell out rarely, all three have family sections, and all three cost a fraction of the arena teams. A Marlies game is the cheapest hockey in the city and the building is intimate enough that a child can follow the puck. The Argos and TFC throw in free CNE admission with their late-August games. For the Jays, aim for a weeknight and a 500-level or Outfield District ticket. The Toronto trip budget guide sets a game night against the rest of your spend.
Which is the spectacle?
A Leafs Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, and it is not close. Maple Leaf Square fills two hours before puck drop, the anthem is sung by the crowd rather than the singer, and the history hangs in the rafters. Pay for it once. A Raptors game is louder and more produced, with a younger crowd; if the Leonard trade closes it becomes the hotter ticket for stretches of the winter. A Blue Jays game with the roof open on a July evening is the most relaxed of the three and the only one where the venue is part of the view.
Which is best with children?
The Marlies, then the Jays. The Coliseum has short walks to the seats, pucks to keep and afternoon Saturday starts most weeks. Rogers Centre lets you bring your own wrapped food, has 81 dates to choose from and a hotel inside the building. BMO Field’s family sections keep you away from the drums. Scotiabank Arena is the least child-friendly on cost alone. The Toronto with kids guide has the rest of the family logistics.
Which fits a one-night stopover?
Whatever is on at Scotiabank Arena or Rogers Centre, because both are attached to Union Station and the hotel district on Front Street. Arrive by UP Express, check in, walk to the game under cover and be back at the hotel bar within 20 minutes of the final horn. Exhibition Place games add a 20-minute streetcar or GO leg each way, fine for two nights and tight for one.
Month-by-month: what’s on in Toronto sports
October is the only month when NHL and AHL hockey, the NBA, the MLB postseason, the MLS run-in and the CFL all overlap, and in 2026 it also brings the Waterfront Marathon on 18 October. June to August are baseball, soccer, football and the WNBA. January and February are hockey and basketball indoors, with the cheapest hotel rates of the year. Check the annual events calendar for what else shares your weekend.
| Month | Indoors (Leafs, Raptors, Marlies, Sceptres, 905, Rock) | Outdoors and dome (Blue Jays, TFC, Argos, Tempo) | Pick of the month |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Leafs, Raptors, Marlies, Sceptres, 905 (home stand to 7 Jan), Rock | Nothing | Raptors v Clippers 1 Jan |
| February | All six indoor teams | TFC’s 14-game Sprint Season opens (2027 only) | A Leafs weeknight; cheapest arena month |
| March | All six; busiest home month for Marlies and 905 (7 games each) | Blue Jays open on the road on 25 Mar 2027; TFC Sprint Season | 905 School Day Game at Scotiabank Arena, 5 Mar 2027 |
| April | Leafs end 10 Apr, Marlies 11 Apr, Raptors 7 Apr; NHL, NBA and NLL playoffs begin | Blue Jays home opener 2 Apr 2027 v Seattle; TFC Sprint Season ends | First Jays home stand, roof probably closed |
| May | Playoffs only: NHL, NBA, Walter Cup, Calder Cup, NLL Cup | Blue Jays, Tempo (season opens), Sprint Season playoffs, Argos preseason | Tempo home opener |
| June | Finals only if a Toronto team is in them | Blue Jays, Argos (season opens), Tempo | Argos home opener; a roof-open Jays game |
| July | Nothing | Blue Jays, Argos, Tempo; TFC’s new July-to-May MLS season opens | Any Jays weekend series |
| August | Nothing | Blue Jays; TFC and Argos CNE games (ticket includes fair admission); Tempo | An Argos or TFC CNE game |
| September | Leafs open 29 Sept 2026 | Blue Jays to 27 Sept; Argos 19 Sept; Tempo’s last home game 20 Sept | Jays final series 25–27 Sept; Leafs opener 29 Sept |
| October | Leafs; Raptors from 21 Oct; Marlies from 3 Oct | Jays postseason only if they qualify; TFC 10, 14 and 28 Oct; Argos 3 and 23 Oct, playoffs from 31 Oct | The busiest month; Raptors opener v Chicago 21 Oct |
| November | Leafs (busiest home month, 9 games), Raptors, Marlies, Sceptres (late), Rock (late) | World Series early in the month; MLS Cup playoffs from 18 Nov; Grey Cup 15 Nov in Calgary | Leafs six-game home stand 3–14 Nov |
| December | Leafs, Raptors, Marlies (home stand from 19 Dec), Sceptres, 905 (home from 27 Dec), Rock | MLS Cup 18 Dec | Marlies or 905 between Christmas and New Year |
October is also peak foliage and marathon weekend, and TIFF has only just cleared out of the hotels on 20 September, so rooms near Union fill early; the autumn guide explains what else competes for rooms. For winter hockey, the month-by-month weather guide will tell you what to wear for the walk from the streetcar to the Coliseum, which is colder than it looks on a map.
Game-day logistics: bags, cash, kids and accessibility
The main venues share a philosophy of mobile tickets, no cash and security screening at the door, but differ on the details that catch visitors out. Bag size is the one that ruins evenings.
| Venue | Bag rule | Outside food and drink | Bag check | Gates open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers Centre | Soft-sided bags up to 16 x 16 x 8 in; no hard-sided coolers | Wrapped or bagged food that fits under your seat, and non-alcoholic plastic bottles or cans of 600 ml or less (caps removed at the gate); no glass, metal bottles, alcohol or hard coolers | None | 90 min before first pitch on weekdays, 2 hr at weekends |
| Scotiabank Arena | Purse, clutch or fanny pack up to 16.5 x 11.5 cm; larger bags x-rayed at Gates 1, 3, 5 | Not permitted (empty soft water bottle OK) | Galleria across from Gate 1, limited, $20–25 | 1 hr before |
| BMO Field | Clear bag up to 12 x 6 x 12 in, one-gallon clear freezer bag, or clutch up to 6.5 x 4.5 in | Not permitted; empty non-glass refillable bottles OK; allergy exceptions via Fan Services | Outside Gate 3, $10 | 1 hr before (clubs 1.5 hr) |
| Coca-Cola Coliseum | Bags up to 6.5 x 4.5 in only | Not permitted | None; no coat check either | At least 1 hr; Tempo doors 75 min |
| TD Coliseum (Hamilton) | Check the venue’s site before you travel | Check the venue’s site | Check the venue’s site | See event listing |
Bring a physical card as well as your phone, because a dead battery at a cash-free concession stand is a long night. Alcohol is served to 19 and over, and Ontario rules require staff to examine a physical government photo ID by hand, so a photo of your passport on your phone does not count. All the venues sell accessible seating through Ticketmaster’s accessible-seating filter, the Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Centre approaches from Union are step-free, and BMO Field’s World Cup work included accessibility upgrades across the concourses. The Coliseum is the oldest and coldest building of the group; allow extra time on its ramps in winter.
Arriving from the airport? The UP Express reaches Union in 28 minutes, so a 5 pm landing can make a 7 pm puck drop; the airport-to-downtown guide compares the alternatives if you are staying west of the core.
Sports bars near the venues
Toronto watches games as seriously as it attends them, and the bars within a few hundred metres of the arena and stadium are where a visitor without a ticket still gets the night.
- Real Sports, 15 York St, Maple Leaf Square. MLSE’s own bar, built around a 39-foot screen with close to 200 televisions and more than 100 taps. The loudest place in the city on a Leafs night and impossible to get into without arriving early. A Scotiabank Arena tour ticket earns 10 per cent off.
- The Loose Moose, 146 Front St W. Open since 1989 with more than 50 taps, halfway between Union and Rogers Centre, and the default pre-game meeting point for Jays fans.
- The Pint Public House, 277 Front St W. Steps from Rogers Centre and the CN Tower, with a menu built for feeding a group before first pitch.
- Sportsnet Grill, inside the Toronto Marriott City Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way. The windows look onto the Rogers Centre field. Book ahead on game days; on non-game days you get the empty stadium to yourself.
During playoff runs, Maple Leaf Square has historically become an outdoor watch party of thousands, famous as “Jurassic Park” in 2019; whether it operates in 2027 depends on the teams’ fortunes, so watch the team sites in April. For cocktails rather than screens, the best bars in the city are a short walk north on King Street.
Exhibition Place has few bars outside event days, so the pre-game for BMO Field and the Coliseum happens in Liberty Village, the converted-factory neighbourhood a ten-minute walk north across the rail corridor, whose pubs fill with TFC scarves from mid-afternoon on a Saturday; the Liberty Village and King West guide has the run-down. Hotel X, on the Exhibition grounds, has a rooftop bar that is the closest drink to the stadium. On CNE game days in late August the fair is your concourse, and the CNE guide explains what to do with the hours before kickoff.
Hotels within a short walk of the games
For the arena and the ballpark, stay on or south of Front Street between York and Spadina. Every hotel below is within ten minutes on foot of both Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Centre, and several connect to Union through the PATH so you never see the weather.
- Le Germain Hotel Toronto Maple Leaf Square, 75 Bremner Blvd. Attached to the arena block; leave your room at 6:50 pm for a 7 pm face-off.
- Toronto Marriott City Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way. Inside Rogers Centre, with 55 field-view rooms and suites among its 348. A field-view room on a game night is a private box with a bed in it.
- Delta Hotels Toronto, 75 Lower Simcoe St. Between the two venues, a large modern tower that suits families and groups.
- Fairmont Royal York. Directly opposite Union Station on Front Street, connected by tunnel, and the grandest of the options; the walk to the arena is entirely indoors.
- InterContinental Toronto Centre and Westin Harbour Castle. The first on Front Street West near Rogers Centre, the second on the harbour south of the arena; both are ten minutes or less on foot.
For BMO Field and the Coliseum, Hotel X Toronto is on the Exhibition Place grounds and offers a Tempo fan rate; otherwise stay in Liberty Village or King West and walk. The hotels near the CN Tower round-up covers the Rogers Centre end in more detail, and if you are comparing neighbourhoods rather than properties, the accommodation overview and the downtown hotel picks by budget will narrow it down.
The Hockey Hall of Fame and other off-day sports fixes
Not every day of a trip lands on a game. The Hockey Hall of Fame at 30 Yonge Street, inside Brookfield Place and five minutes from Union, is the obvious fill-in: the Stanley Cup lives there when it is not on tour, the Great Hall is a former bank branch, and the interactive zones let you shoot on a video goalie. From 8 September 2026 it is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, and it closes on 9 November 2026 for the induction ceremony, on 24 and 25 December, and on 1 January 2027. Admission is $29.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors and $19.95 for children aged 4 to 13, plus tax, with under-4s free, per the Hall’s ticket page, and the Hockey Hall of Fame visitor guide walks through the exhibits room by room.
The two stadium tours are the other indoor options and both run on non-game days. Take the Scotiabank Arena Classic tour if you have never seen an NHL dressing room; the Rogers Centre Classic tour is the better building, and on a game day with a ticket the Rogers Centre Pregame Tour (from $80) gets you into batting practice, the best value of the lot.
To play rather than watch, Toronto’s outdoor rinks open at the end of November. Nathan Phillips Square, in front of City Hall, is free if you bring skates and has a rental hut on site; the Harbourfront Centre rink, now marketed as Skate by the Lake and long known as the Natrel Rink, is also free to skate on, rents skates, and has the lake as a backdrop. The skating guide lists 25 rinks with current rental prices and hours. In October, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon takes over the downtown streets on Sunday 18 October 2026, with a 5K on the Saturday and an expo on 16 and 17 October; every distance sold out months in advance, so treat it as a spectator event, and the running events guide covers entry and spectator spots.
Toronto sports FAQ
Can I bring food into a Toronto stadium?
Only at Rogers Centre, where wrapped or bagged food that fits under your seat and non-alcoholic plastic bottles or cans of 600 ml or less are allowed, with caps removed at the gate; glass, metal bottles, alcohol and hard-sided coolers are not, and you should confirm the current wording on the Blue Jays’ Rogers Centre information guide. Scotiabank Arena, BMO Field and Coca-Cola Coliseum ban outside food and drink, though BMO Field admits empty non-glass refillable bottles and makes allergy exceptions if you call ahead.
How early should I arrive?
An hour before the start at every venue. BMO Field, Scotiabank Arena and the Coliseum open their gates an hour before (BMO clubs 90 minutes, Tempo doors 75 minutes), Rogers Centre opens 90 minutes before first pitch on weekdays and two hours at weekends, and every building runs metal detectors and bag screening that back up in the final 20 minutes. For a Leafs Saturday, add another half-hour if you want to be in Maple Leaf Square for the atmosphere.
Will the Rogers Centre roof be open?
It depends on the forecast and the temperature on the day. The four-panel roof takes about 20 minutes to open or close and the club keeps it shut in cold or windy weather, so early-April and late-September games are usually closed and June to August games usually open. The decision is made on game day, so do not book around it; a closed-roof game is still comfortable and the seats are the same.
Are Maple Leafs games sold out?
For practical purposes, yes at the primary on-sale for marquee dates such as the 29 September Montreal opener. Tickets exist for most games, but at prices that move with demand and that reporting on the August 2026 on-sale described as steep in every section. The routes in are the free Fan Access presale, standing-room tickets, weeknight games against non-rivals, and Ticketmaster’s official resale, which in Ontario is now capped at the original price.
Where can I watch the Leafs without a ticket?
Real Sports at 15 York Street is the purpose-built answer, with a 39-foot screen and 100-plus taps, but it fills early. The Loose Moose at 146 Front Street West and The Pint at 277 Front Street West are within five minutes of the arena and less frantic. During playoff runs, Maple Leaf Square has hosted outdoor watch parties; check the team’s site in April for 2027 plans.
Is Scotiabank Arena cashless?
Yes. It accepts debit and credit only and states a preference for Mastercard. Rogers Centre, BMO Field, Coca-Cola Coliseum and the BMO Field ticket office are also cashless, and Rogers Centre has no ATMs. Bring a physical card as a back-up to your phone wallet, and note that the Coliseum has no Wi-Fi, so load your mobile tickets before you enter.
Which games are best for kids, and are there family sections?
The Marlies at the Coliseum are the best first game: small building, cheap seats, afternoon starts and pucks to keep. Children up to 24 months sit free on a lap at BMO Field and the Coliseum; everyone older needs a ticket. BMO Field has family sections at 227 for TFC and 127 for the Argos, away from the supporters’ end. Rogers Centre lets you bring your own food, which halves the cost of a family outing.
The outlier on that list is the one down by the lake. BMO Field holds around 28,000, has no roof and sits on open waterfront, and its south end has been the loudest corner of Toronto sport since Toronto FC’s first miserable season in 2007. It also hosts the Argonauts, whose Canadian football is cheaper, faster and stranger than most visitors expect. Our BMO Field guide covers where to sit, the strict clear-bag policy and how to get out afterwards without queueing at Exhibition Loop.
Not every trip lines up with a home fixture, and the consolation prize here is unusually good. Toronto has four professional teams playing most nights from October to April, which means the city’s bars have built a genuine viewing culture around them — from the 200 screens at Real Sports beside the arena to the baseball rooms in the east end and the Little Italy cafés that only come alive when there is a World Cup on. Our guide to the best sports bars in Toronto sorts them by neighbourhood and by sport.
Where to go next in Toronto
A game is three hours; the rest of the trip needs filling. If you are staying near Union, the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium sit between the arena and the ballpark and each takes a morning. The waterfront guide covers the lakeside walk from Harbourfront to Exhibition Place that doubles as the scenic route to BMO Field on a warm evening. For the months when the Leafs, Raptors, Marlies and Sceptres are all playing, the winter guide explains how to enjoy a city at minus fifteen.
Beer belongs with sport, and the craft brewery guide includes taprooms in Liberty Village and along the Lakeshore that make a better pre-game than a chain pub. If you have more than a weekend, the three-day itinerary builds a game night into a longer stay, and the full guide to things to do in Toronto has the rest. The articles that follow this one over the coming months go deeper on each team and venue; for now, the transport, hotel and bar links above will get you from the plane to your seat.
