Toronto FC

 When Toronto FC joined the MLS in 2007, they were the league’s first ever Canadian team (a common saying is North of the 49th Parallel, but Toronto actually lies on a peninsula that stretches south of the line that demarcates most of the border between Canada and the US!). While there were some doubters who claimed that a nation of hockey lovers would never truly embrace soccer, Toronto FC was a huge hit from day one, drawing thousands of fans from one of the most multicultural cities in the world to fill BMO Field, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the MLS at over 30,000. Toronto FC had a pretty rough initiation to MLS, however, failing to score a goal in their first 5 games and finishing rock bottom of the league in their first season with a record of 6-17-7. The team continued to stumble for the next 7 seasons, failing to make the MLS Playoffs, though they did win 4 Canadian Championships which led to their participation in the CONCACAF Champions League, in which they got to a Semifinal in 2011. Toronto FC finally broke into the MLS Playoffs in 2016 (their 10th season in the league!). They were dumped out in the First Round, but the experience stood them in good stead for 2017, when the team not only made the Playoffs but got all the way to the MLS Cup Final, held at BMO Field in front of 36,045 fans who braved −5 °C (23 °F) temperatures, hoping to see Toronto FC become the first Canadian team to lift the MLS Cup. The Seattle Sounders had other plans, however, spoiling the party with a 5-4 win on penalties after 120 minutes of frigid 0-0 stalemate. Undeterred, Toronto stormed back in 2018 with one of the best MLS seasons by any team, claiming a historic League-Cup-Cup Triple as they took the Supporters’ Shield, Canadian Championship, and MLS Cup. The MLS Cup Final, played once more against the Sounders and once more at BMO Field, this time a balmy 1 °C (34 °F), ended in sweet revenge for Toronto FC as they won 2-0 to become the first ever Canadian MLS champions. Incredibly, Toronto and the Sounders renewed hostilities again in the 2019 MLS Cup, this time in Seattle’s Lumen Field (at a more civilized 53 °F/12 °C!), with Seattle emerging victorious after a 3-1 win. Recent seasons, however, have seen Toronto FC slump hard, returning to the bad old times in 2023 when they finished rock bottom of the entire MLS. Toronto fans will be looking to newly hired coach John Herdman, the miracle worker who somehow got Canada to the World Cup in 2022, to pull out all his tricks and get them out of the basement in 2024.

How can I get cheap tickets to Toronto FC games?

Toronto FC has the largest soccer-specific stadium in MLS, but with such a diverse and passionate fan base from Canada’s largest city, home games are still often sold out. While this creates an incredible game day atmosphere, it can make tickets difficult to find, especially for playoff games, cup games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups (see below). To land the cheapest tickets to Toronto FC games, check the TicketX listings on this page and use our handy TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. You can buy your tickets from TicketX with a single click for the lowest commission fees! 

Will Toronto FC play against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in the 2024 regular season? 

Yes, Toronto FC will play against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF on the following dates in 2024:

• Jul 17 - Toronto FC at Inter Miami CF (Chase Stadium, formerly DRV PNK Stadium)

• Oct 5 - Inter Miami CF at Toronto FC (BMO Field) 

For your best chance at landing the cheapest tickets to sold out Inter Miami CF games featuring Lionel Messi*, search TicketX listings on this page and use our trusty TicketX seating chart to compare seats and prices. Tickets can be purchased from TicketX with a single click for the lowest commission fees! 

**As with any sport, there is never a guarantee that an athlete will be available to play in a certain game. Injuries and other issues can rule Messi out of action, just as they can with any other athlete.

Toronto FC Soccer Rivalries

In Canada, hockey still rules over all other sports, so it is unsurprising that the world’s most intense NHL hockey rivalry of all time, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens, has spilled from the ice onto the MLS soccer field. CF Montréal and Toronto FC’s MLS rivalry, dubbed the Canadian Classique, began way back in the original NASL in the 1980s, but has gained intensity in recent years with the two teams meeting so frequently. Familiarity brings contempt, they say, and these two teams have faced off not only in the MLS regular season but in the MLS Playoffs and Canadian Championship. The pair even met in an MLS Playoff Semifinals in 2016 held in Montréal’s Stade Olympique, which set a Canadian soccer attendance record with 61,004 fans of both teams. Toronto FC claimed victory, a result which their supporters still gleefully remind CF Montréal fans of whenever they get the chance. Toronto FC also has a rivalry with fellow Canadians the Vancouver Whitecaps FC as well as with the Seattle Sounders FC, whom they have met 3 times in the MLS Cup Final.

Are Toronto FC soccer games exciting?

InBMO Field, Toronto FC owns the largest soccer-specific stadium in MLS, known to house upwards of 35,000 fans for big games and rumored to be set to expand up to 45,736 in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Nevertheless, with some of the most passionate and loyal fans in the league, the team still frequently sells out home games to legions of red-clad supporters. Supporters groups like the Red Patch Boys, U-Sector, Kings in the North, Tribal Rhythm Nation, and Original 109 lead the way, making plenty of noise to spur the team on to victory. Toronto FC also have one of the best mascots in professional sports, Bitchy the Hawk, an actual real live Harris’s hawk tasked with chasing away seagulls from BMO Field. Get yourself down to a Toronto FC game for a great time as soon as possible; just don’t forget to bring a jacket!