Soccer In Toronto
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The city of
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Ontario, Canada, has a long history of
sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
. It is home to a number teams in North American major professional leagues, as well as clubs such as the
Granite Club The Granite Club (founded as the Toronto Granite Curling Club) is a private social and athletic club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1875, it has a long history of sports competition. It is located at 2350 Bayview Avenue, north of mi ...
(est. 1836), the
Royal Canadian Yacht Club The Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) is a private yacht club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1852, it is one of the world's older and larger yacht clubs. Its summer home is on a trio of islands (RCYC Island, South Island and North Chip ...
(est. 1852), the
Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club The Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club is a private sport and social club located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club has facilities for sports including aquatics, cricket, croquet, curling, figure skating, fitness classes, lawn bowling ...
(est. pre-1827), the
Argonaut Rowing Club The Argonaut Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club was founded in 1872. The current junior head coach is Connor Elsdon. In the past, the club fielded teams in ice hockey and football, and the football team c ...
(est. 1872),
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
football club (est. 1873), the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club (est. 1881), and the Badminton and Racquet Club (est. 1924). A number of heritage venues have developed in Toronto such as:
Christie Pits Christie Pits (officially Willowvale Park until 1983) is a public recreational area in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 750 Bloor Street West at Christie Street, just west of the Toronto Transit Commission's Christie subway station. T ...
(est. 1899),
Coca-Cola Coliseum Coca-Cola Coliseum (also or formerly known as CNE Coliseum, Royal Coliseum, Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto Coliseum, or Coliseum) is an arena at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, used for agricultural displays, ice hockey, and trade shows. ...
(est. 1921),
Varsity Arena Varsity Arenaretrieved from http://rrs.osm.utoronto.ca 2007-10-22 is an indoor arena located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus, and open ...
(est. 1926), and
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...
(est. 1931). Toronto is also the location of the
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
and
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
's headquarters. Toronto is notable among Canadian cities in sports for having several sports teams associated with American based professional leagues, particularly the most Canadian pro-sports teams in the major leagues.


Sports clubs in Toronto


Professional teams

Toronto has teams in nearly every North American major professional league, including the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
(
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
),
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
(
CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...
),
Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
(
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
),
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
(
MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
) and
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
(
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
). Toronto is one of five North American cities (alongside
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and the New York Tri-state area) to have won
titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
in its five major leagues (MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS and either
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
or CFL), and the only one to have done so in the Canadian Football League.
Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...
operates the Toronto Blue Jays
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
team through Rogers Blue Jays Baseball Partnership and the Rogers Centre. Rogers Communications and
Bell Canada Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun, Quebec, in Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in the province ...
are partners in a jointly-owned holding company that also own 75 per cent of
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) is a professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With assets that include franchises in four of the six major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
, which itself owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts, and Toronto FC of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
, as well as their minor league
farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...
s, the
Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
of the
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL),
Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fine Foods ...
of the
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
and
Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that competes in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as we ...
of
MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
. The city also has teams in
Prominent women's sports leagues in the United States and Canada The prominent women's sports leagues in the United States and Canada serve as the pinnacle of women's athletic competition in North America. The United States is home to the vast majority of professional women's leagues. In North America, the t ...
, including the
Toronto Sceptres The Toronto Sceptres are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Coca-Cola Colise ...
( PWHL),
Toronto Tempo The Toronto Tempo are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Tempo will compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference; they are scheduled to begin play in 2026. The team ...
( WNBA) and
AFC Toronto AFC Toronto is a professional women's soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, that competes in the Northern Super League, a league at the top of the Canadian soccer league system. History In April 2023, AFC Toronto was established by a grou ...
( NSL). The
Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fine Foods ...
is an
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
basketball team that primarily plays home games at the
Paramount Fine Foods Centre The Paramount Fine Foods Centre, formerly the Hershey Centre, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Its current name was adopted on July 1, 2018, following a new naming rights agreement with ...
in the neighbouring city of
Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...
, although they do play occasional home games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Raptors 905 was named after the 905 area code used by the metropolitan area surrounding the City of Toronto. The
Toronto Rock The Toronto Rock are a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL. The Rock play their home ga ...
is a
National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...
team is based outside the
city limit City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate li ...
s of Toronto, but is located within the
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) is an urban conurbation that is composed of some of the largest cities and metropolitan areas by population in the Canadian province of Ontario. The GTHA consists of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and ...
(GTHA). The team played their home games in Toronto from 1999 to 2021, when it relocated to
FirstOntario Centre Hamilton Arena (originally Copps Coliseum, later renamed FirstOntario Centre) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street (Hamilton, Ontario), Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Cana ...
in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
. Although the team is no longer physically based Toronto, the team continues to use ''Toronto'' as a part of its moniker; claiming that the Rock represents the entire province, and the GTHA in particular. For the 2025 NLL season, the Toronto Rock returned to the
Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
to play their home games at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga while FirstOntario Centre undergoes renovations.


Semi-professional and amateur teams


Post-secondary athletics


Universities

Three public universities in Toronto operate a varsity program. They include
Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...
and the TMU Bold (est. 1948), the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
and the Varsity Blues (est. 1877), and
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
and the
York Lions The York Lions is the official name for the athletic varsity teams that represent York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports and, where applicable ...
(est. 1968). The athletic programs of the three universities are a part of the
Ontario University Athletics Ontario University Athletics (OUA; ) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, ...
program, which itself is a member of
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...
. The
University of Guelph-Humber The University of Guelph-Humber (UofGH) is a collaboration between the University of Guelph and Humber Polytechnic. History The university was established in 2000 by a partnership of the University of Guelph and Humber Polytechnic. The officia ...
is a jointly-operated post-secondary institution in Toronto between the
University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...
(based in
Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...
), and
Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, rebranded as Humber Polytechnic since 2024, is a public Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has three mai ...
, and does not maintain its athletic programs. However, students attending Guelph-Humber can participate in the varsity programs of Guelph-Humber's parent institutions, including the
Guelph Gryphons The Guelph Gryphons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports (OUA's), and, where applicable, i ...
, or the Humber Hawks. Two independent public universities based in Toronto do not operate a competitive athletics program,
OCAD University Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD U, is a public university, public art school, art university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its main campus is located within Toronto's Grange Park (neighbourh ...
, and the
Université de l'Ontario français The Université de l’Ontario français (abbreviated as UOF; ) is a French-language public university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university campus is situated in the East Bayfront neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, near the Toronto waterfro ...
.
Tyndale University Tyndale University is a Canadian private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Toronto, Ontario, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs. Tyndale students come from over 40 different Christian denominations.CfAbout Ty ...
, a private university and
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
in Toronto, maintains several student athletic clubs, although these teams do not compete at a varsity level.


Colleges

There are presently four public
colleges A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary education, tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding academic degree, degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further educatio ...
in Toronto that operate a competitive athletics program. They include
Centennial College Centennial College may refer to: * Centennial College (Canada), a public college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada * Centennial College (Hong Kong), a private college in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong {{Disambiguation, schools ...
's Centennial Colts,
George Brown College The George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public, fully accredited college (Canada), college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, George ...
's George Brown Huskies, Humber College's Humber Hawks, and the
Seneca College Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, branded as Seneca Polytechnic since 2023, is a multi-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccala ...
's Seneca Sting. All four college varsity programs are members of the
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the governing body of all intercollegiate sports in the Canadian province of Ontario. The OCAA is a part of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association. The OCAA, with Ontario University Athletics, ...
; which itself is a member of the
Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA, ) is the national governing body for organized sports at the college level in Canada. National championships CCAA members currently compete for national championships in the following sports: ...
. Students of
Collège Boréal Collège Boréal d’arts appliqués et de technologie is a French-language college of applied arts and technology serving the Northern and Central Southwestern Ontario area. It is the youngest of the 24 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology ...
's Toronto campus are also able to compete for that college's athletic programs; although most of the athletic facilities for the Collège Boréal Vipères is based outside Toronto, at the university's main campus in
Greater Sudbury Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury, is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the List of the largest cities and t ...
.


Junior sports clubs


Canadian football

* GTA Grizzlies


Ice hockey

* Toronto Jr. Canadiens * Toronto Patriots * St. Michael's Buzzers *
North York Rangers The North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team located in the North York district of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the South Division of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and were previously a part of the M ...


Social sporting clubs

There are several social athletics and sporting clubs in Toronto. They include: *
Argonaut Rowing Club The Argonaut Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club was founded in 1872. The current junior head coach is Connor Elsdon. In the past, the club fielded teams in ice hockey and football, and the football team c ...
*
Granite Club The Granite Club (founded as the Toronto Granite Curling Club) is a private social and athletic club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1875, it has a long history of sports competition. It is located at 2350 Bayview Avenue, north of mi ...
* High Park Club * Lambton Golf and Country Club *
Oakdale Golf & Country Club Oakdale Golf & Country Club, founded in 1926, is a private, parkland-style golf and tennis club located in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It hosted the 2023 Canadian Open and will host the tournament again in 2026. History The club was f ...
*
Rosedale Golf Club Rosedale Golf Club is a private golf club in Toronto, founded in 1893 in Moore Park. The course hosted the Canadian Open in 1912 and 1928. History Founded in 1893 in Moore Park as a 9-hole course and moved to Rosedale, Toronto in 1895–1896 o ...
* Scarboro Golf and Country Club * St. George's Golf and Country Club *
Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club The Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club is a private sport and social club located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club has facilities for sports including aquatics, cricket, croquet, curling, figure skating, fitness classes, lawn bowling ...
* Toronto Hunt Club * Toronto Lawn Tennis Club *
Weston Golf and Country Club Weston Golf and Country Club is located in Toronto, Ontario. Designed by Willie Park, Jr., it was home to Arnold Palmer's first PGA Tour victory in the 1955 Canadian Open. Golf In 2018, Weston's golf course was ranked 31st in Canada by Scor ...


Sports venues

There are several sporting venues used in Toronto that host professional sport teams and major events. Many of these venues are multi-purpose and can host a variety of sports. However, a select number of venues are dedicated to hosting only a specific type of sport. Several venues are located near one another, like in
Exhibition Place Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, ...
, whose grounds are also used as a
race course A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...
for the
Honda Indy Toronto The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto is an annual Indy Car race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was part of the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series from 1986 to 2003, and then the Ch ...
and the Toronto Marathon. The
Discovery District The Discovery District is one of the commercial districts in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has a high concentration of hospitals and research institutions, particularly those related to biotechnology. The district is roughly bounded by ...
and
York University Heights York University Heights, also known as Northwood Park, is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of Toronto's northernmost neighbourhoods, located along the northern boundary of Steeles Avenue in the former city of North York. The ...
are neighbourhoods that also hold several sporting venues, most of which were built by the University of Toronto and York University respectively.


Venues used by professional teams and events

The following is a list of sporting venues in Toronto that either host professional sports teams or major national or international events:


Practice facilities

Several professional teams also maintain a practice facility. As opposed to arenas and stadiums, these facilities are dedicated to the
practice Practice or practise may refer to: Education and learning * Practice (learning method), a method of learning by repetition * Phantom practice, phenomenon in which a person's abilities continue to improve, even without practicing * Practice-based ...
and training of professional athletes. These facilities are typically not used to host official games or events. Some professional teams do not have a dedicated practice facility and instead utilize other existing facilities, like the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
with
Coca-Cola Coliseum Coca-Cola Coliseum (also or formerly known as CNE Coliseum, Royal Coliseum, Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto Coliseum, or Coliseum) is an arena at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, used for agricultural displays, ice hockey, and trade shows. ...
(weight rooms) and
Lamport Stadium Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. It is also a part-t ...
(practice field). The following are practice facilities in Toronto used by professional teams:


Demolished arenas and stadiums

The following is a list of arenas and stadiums that hosted professional teams, but were later demolished:


Community multi-purpose sports venues

Several multi-purpose sports venues are open to the community and are operated by the
municipal government of Toronto The municipal government of Toronto (Municipal corporation, incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. ...
or a private sporting club. Regular access to these venues is provided for the public, although several multi-purpose sports venues are owned by private sporting clubs, and may require membership for access to its facilities. In addition to the public, several
semi-professional sports Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a consid ...
and amateur teams also make use of these community venues. The following is a list of multi-purpose sports venues in Toronto that are used by the community. Venues dedicated to a specific sport, like
bowling alley A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...
s,
curling rink Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding hea ...
s,
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
s, and
ice hockey rink An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a competitive team sport. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette, rinkball, and rink bandy. It is a rectangle with rounded corners and ...
s are not included:


University athletics venues

Universities in Toronto manage several sports facilities for their students, varsity programs, and athletic clubs. These venues are also utilized by several other sports clubs in Toronto, with notable examples being the Mattamy Athletic Centre and York Lions Stadium, both of which serve as hosts to professional teams. Some university varsity teams practice and play in community venues or parks, like TMU Bold's varsity soccer teams, which play at
Downsview Park Downsview Park () is a large urban park located in the Downsview, Toronto, Downsview neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park's name is officially Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual due to it being federally owned and managed, and was ...
. The following is a list of sporting venues in Toronto operated by universities:


History by sport


Australian rules football

Toronto currently has seven different
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
teams called the Broadview Hawks,
High Park Demons The High Park Demons (formerly known as the Mississauga Demons and Mississauga Mustangs) is an amateur Australian rules football club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History The team began in 1989 as the Mississauga Mustangs, an inaugural me ...
, Central Blues, Etobicoke Kangaroos, Lakeshore Rebels,
Toronto Downtown Dingos The Toronto Dingos is an amateur Australian rules football club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada competing in the AFL Ontario. The club was formed in February 1996 and train at David A. Balfour Dog Park located at Yonge & St. Clair, playing t ...
, and the Toronto Eagles. In addition to teams based in Toronto, two teams from the
AFL Ontario AFL Ontario is the largest Australian football league in North America. It is currently composed of teams from the Greater Toronto Area, Southwestern Ontario and the National Capital Region, who play off for the Conacher Cup (named after Lionel ...
are also based within the
Greater Golden Horseshoe The Golden Horseshoe () is a secondary region of Southern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog, Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. T ...
, the
Hamilton Wildcats The Hamilton Wildcats were a Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario that played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) from 1941 to 1947, and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) from 1948 to 1949. The team was formed ...
and the
Grand River Gargoyles The Grand River Gargoyles (previously Guelph Gargoyles) is an amateur Australian rules football club playing out of Margaret Greene Park in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The club draws from individuals from Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, ...
. Some of these organizations operate a men's and women's team.


Auto racing

The
Honda Indy Toronto The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto is an annual Indy Car race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was part of the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series from 1986 to 2003, and then the Ch ...
is an
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...
race, held annually in July on a temporary
street circuit A street circuit is a motorsport race track, racing circuit composed of temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor racing, motor races. Airport Runway, runways and Taxiway, taxiways are also sometimes part of ...
. The start/finish line is located on Princes' Boulevard, slightly west of Newfoundland Drive. From the Start/Finish line, drivers head East towards the Princes' Gates, turning right (south) onto Canada Boulevard before reaching the gate. From Canada Boulevard, the track goes right onto Lake Shore Boulevard (west) which includes the longest straightaway on the circuit, running through Exhibition Place and on
Lake Shore Boulevard Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...
. Drivers re-enter the Exhibition grounds at Ontario Drive, heading north towards Prince's Boulevard where they turn left (west). The circuit continues on to Manitoba Drive and heads north-east then east until reaching Nova Scotia Avenue. At Nova Scotia Avenue, drivers turn right (south) then navigate a left-right-left series of turns until rejoining Prince's Boulevard and heading east towards the start/finish line. The city has hosted the race for over thirty years and it is now IndyCar's second-longest running street race, only behind the
Grand Prix of Long Beach The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. It was the premier race on the CART/Champ Car Worl ...
and the fourth oldest race on the current IndyCar schedule in terms of number of races run. Historically, the city played host to the 1958 Jim Mideon 500, a
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
racing event at Exhibition Stadium. Legendary NASCAR driver
Lee Petty Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its f ...
won this race, defeating his son
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
in the latter's Cup Series debut. Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, formerly known as Mosport Park, is located approximately 100 km east of Toronto in the community of
Bowmanville Bowmanville is a community of approximately 40,000 people located in the Municipality of Clarington, Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately east of Toronto, and east of Oshawa along Highway 2. Bowmanville was first incorporated a ...
. The venue holds the unique distinction in motorsport of having hosted
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
,
IndyCar IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...
,
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
,
Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974, and again from 1977 to 1987. The Can-Am rules were deliberately simple and placed few limits on the entries. This led to a wide variet ...
,
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
and
World Superbike Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a Silhouette racing car, silhouette road racing series based on heavily modified production sports motorcycles. The championship was founded in . The Su ...
events. The track hosts Canada's largest annual sportscar race, the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix part of the
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (I ...
, the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series i ...
Chevrolet Silverado 250, the
NASCAR Pinty's Series The NASCAR Canada Series (NCS, ) is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981. It is the top NASCAR touring series in Canada. History In September 2006 NASCAR purchas ...
, the
Pirelli World Challenge The GT World Challenge America is a North American auto racing series launched in 1990 by the Sports Car Club of America. It has been managed by the SRO Motorsports Group since 2018, and has been sanctioned by the United States Auto Club since 2 ...
and the Canadian Superbike Championship along with other events. The track was the original home of
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
's
Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix () is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports car event, before alterna ...
from 1961 to 1977 (except for 1968 and 1970).


Baseball

: Professional baseball has had a presence in the city at the minor league level since 1896 with the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
of the AAA
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
. It was in a game against the Leafs on September 4, 1914, at
Hanlan's Point Stadium Hanlan's Point Stadium was a baseball stadium and lacrosse grounds in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was erected in 1897 at Hanlan's Point on the Toronto Islands for the minor league Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club. It was destroyed by fire twic ...
where
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
hit his first professional
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
while also pitching a complete game one-hitter for the visiting
Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National ...
. A year after the conclusion of his MLB career, hall of famer
Nap Lajoie Napoléon Lajoie (; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie, was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "the Frenchman", he represented both Ph ...
served as player manager for the Maple Leafs in 1917, winning the International League's batting title with a .380 average at 42 years of age, while also managing his team to the league's championship in his only season with the team. In 1926, hall of fame pitcher
Carl Hubbell Carl Owen Hubbell (June 22, 1903 – November 21, 1988), nicknamed "the Meal Ticket" and "King Carl", was an American Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher for the New York Giants of the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained ...
was assigned to the Maple Leafs, and finished the season with a 7–7 record on that championship winning team. In 1943, hall of fame hitter
Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Fo ...
was assigned to play with the Maple Leafs, but left the team after a few weeks upon being called to duty by the U.S. Navy. Hall of famer
Sparky Anderson George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1970 to 1978 and the American League's Detroit Ti ...
was also a member of the Leafs as both a player (1960–1963) and a manager (1964). Toronto interests long pursued a major league team for the city. Toronto was proposed as the home for a
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
(NL) team by
Albert Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of the Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised i ...
when he was established the league in 1876. Exhibition games were played by both the NL and
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
(AL) of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) in Toronto in the 1910s. Member of Parliament Bernard Rickart Hepburn was granted a Toronto franchise by the
Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...
, a rival major league to the NL and AL, for its inaugural season in 1914, after the franchise was revoked from
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
. After speculation the franchise would be returned to Cleveland or moved to
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, it was transferred to
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
to become the
Brooklyn Tip-Tops The Brooklyn Tip-Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team's name came from Tip Top Bread, a product of Ward Baking Company Building, Ward Baking Company, which was also owned by team ...
prior to playing a game in Toronto. Hepburn cited his inability to find a park to play at in short notice as the reason the team didn't launch. However, he secured an agreement with the league which granted him the rights to a team for the following season. Though Toronto would be proposed as the new home to the
Kansas City Packers The Kansas City Packers were a Federal League baseball club in Kansas City, Missouri from 1914 to 1915. They finished sixth in 1914 with a 67–84 record, and fourth in 1915 with an 81–72 record. The Packers moved to Kansas City in July 1913 ...
Federal League franchise for the 1915 season, no team ever came to fruition in the city. Toronto interests put forward a bid to buy the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
to move them to Toronto in 1918 when there was discussion of the team relocating. The following year it was reported that there were plans for the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
,
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
and
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, which were dissatisfied with the President of the AL
Ban Johnson Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson (January 5, 1864 – March 28, 1931) was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League (AL). Johnson developed the AL—a descendant of th ...
, to break away and form their own new major league, which would include Toronto. In 1922 a Toronto group attempted to purchase the Boston Red Sox to relocate them to Toronto. The owner of the
Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...
,
Lou Perini Louis Robert Perini (November 29, 1903 in Ashland, MassachusettsApril 16, 1972 in West Palm Beach, Florida) was the principal owner of the Boston / Milwaukee Braves of the National League from 1945 through 1962. In 1945, he purchased the club fr ...
, tried to sell his team to Toronto interests in the early 1950s before relocating them to become the
Milwaukee Braves The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were rename ...
. While owning the Maple Leafs baseball team,
Jack Kent Cooke Jack Kent Cooke (October 25, 1912 – April 6, 1997) was a Canadian American businessman in broadcasting and professional sports. Starting in sales, Cooke was very successful, eventually becoming a partner in a network of radio stations and new ...
set his sights on bringing MLB to Toronto. He made a bid on the
St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
in 1953, but the team was sold to a competing group which relocated them to become the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
the following season. The AL considered Toronto as a potential home for the
Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...
before they became the
Kansas City Athletics The Kansas City Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1955 to 1967, having previously played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Athletics. After moving in 1967, the team became the ...
in 1955, after Cooke bid on them, but the city's lack of a major league venue was an obstacle to acquiring a team. Cooke unsuccessfully bid on the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
in 1956, reportedly to move them to Toronto. In 1957 he submitted a bid for a NL expansion team for Toronto. In 1958, Cooke offered to withdraw from Toronto if the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
, who were considering relocating, moved to the city, in exchange for partial ownership of the club. That same year it was reported that Toronto was one of the cities that the owner of the Washington Senators was considering relocating his team to. In 1959 Cooke became one of the founding owners in the
Continental League The Continental League of Professional Baseball Clubs (known as the Continental League or CL) was a proposed third major league for baseball in the United States and Canada. The league was announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 19 ...
, a proposed third major league of baseball, getting a team for Toronto for a fee of $50,000, but the league disbanded a year later without ever staging a game. Cooke later applied to the AL for a Toronto expansion team in 1960, but found the expansion terms too onerous, and considered purchasing the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
for Toronto in 1961 after their owner died. In 1967, with mounting losses, the owner of the baseball Maple Leafs sough a buyer to keep the team in Toronto. Maple Leaf Gardens Limited, owner of the Maple Leafs of the NHL, considered purchasing the team, but the deal ultimately fell apart due to concerns about the team's home,
Maple Leaf Stadium Maple Leaf Stadium was a jewel box-style baseball stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at the foot of Bathurst Street on the south side of Lake Shore Boulevard (formerly Fleet Street). It was built in 1926 by Lol Solman for his Toront ...
, which needed up to $250,000 in repairs and whose owner wanted $4 million to purchase it. Harold Ballard, part owner of MLGL, said that the company's interest was due in part to help position itself to go after an MLB franchise for Toronto. The team was subsequently relocated out of Toronto to
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
. In 1967, a Toronto group was one of six to submit a bid for a NL expansion team. In 1971, Howard Webster, chairman of ''The Globe and Mail'', made an offer to purchase the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
and relocate them to Toronto but it was refused. In early 1974, MLGL announced plans to build a new baseball stadium in Toronto, but the city ultimately decided to renovate
Exhibition Stadium Canadian National Exhibition Stadium (commonly known as Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium and nicknamed The Ex) was a multi-purpose stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the grounds of Exhibition Place. Originally built for Canadian National ...
to make it suitable for baseball. Later that year a group called Canadian Baseball Co. led by Sydney Cooper submitted an application to both the AL and NL for a franchise. Cooper had previously been part of Webster's group. At the time it was reported that there were at least four groups bidding for a Toronto team, including ones led by
Labatt Brewing Company Labatt Brewing Company Limited () is a Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew. In 2004, Interb ...
, MLGL and Robert Hunter, the former President of the International League Maple Leafs, in addition to Canadian Baseball Co. Lorne Duguid, vice-president of
Hiram Walker Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 – January 12, 1899) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in 1838. He p ...
Distillers and MLGL executive, led MLGL's bid. In 1975, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles stated that he was in negotiations to sell his team to a Toronto group. The following January,
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
owner Horace Stoneham agreed to sell the team for $13.25 million to a group headed by Labatt intending to relocate it to Toronto. The team would have begun play in the 1976 season at Exhibition Stadium, and be called the Toronto Giants. However the plan to move the Giants was quashed by a U.S. court. The MLGL group also bid on the Giants, with Ballard stating that they had offered $15 million for the team, after having previously negotiated with the owners of the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics in their attempt to acquire a team for Toronto. The Labatt group then pursued a NL expansion team, but when the NL only agreed to consider expanding in March 1976, while the AL voted to grant Toronto a team, they switched gears. A second Toronto group backed by Carling O'Keefe also applied for the AL expansion team. Less than a week later, the AL awarded the team to the Labatt group, which included Webster, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), for $7 million.Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball, Stephen Brunt, p.47, Penguin Books, A few days later the NL had their own vote on expanding to Toronto and Washington, but while receiving a majority support of 10–2 it failed to pass due to lack of unanimity and was put off for two weeks. The NL objected to the AL's expansion in to Toronto, arguing that the NL was a better match for the city with a natural rivalry with the Montreal Expos, and asked baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn to intervene so they could reconsider their own expansion plans. Kuhn requested a moratorium on the AL's expansion plans, but a second non-unanimous vote by the NL on expanding to Toronto left Toronto uncontested to the AL. The
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
' inaugural campaign was in 1977 with Exhibition Stadium chosen as the site for the team's home games. Built in the 1950s, it was rebuilt in 1976 to satisfy the requirements for baseball. In 1989, the team moved to the newly built SkyDome (now known as the Rogers Centre). Although the team performed poorly, placing last in the American League East for each of its first three years, successful drafting and team management resulted in improved performance that led to the team's first pennant in 1985, and culminated with consecutive World Series victories in 1992 and 1993. The city is also home to the Toronto Maple Leafs (semi-pro baseball), Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club of the Intercounty Baseball League. Toronto has also hosted parts of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.


Basketball

: Basketball is among the fastest growing sports in Toronto and is the most popular sport among the city's youth and millennials. Although not as historically entrenched in Toronto culture as other sports, basketball does have significant milestones in the city. The first major professional basketball game in the city was an exhibition between the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons and Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League at the Gardens in 1946. The first game of the professional Basketball Association of America, forerunner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), was contested at Maple Leaf Gardens (MLG) between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knicks, New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946. However, the Huskies folded after the league's inaugural season following losses thought to total $60,000. Numerous exhibition and regular season NBA and American Basketball Association (ABA) games were held at both MLG and SkyDome over the years, including a total of 16 regular season Buffalo Braves games at MLG from 1971 to 1975 in an attempt to gauge the city's interest in a full-time team. Ruby Richman, the former coach of Canada's national basketball team, working with the head of Maple Leaf Gardens Limited (MLGL) Harold Ballard, pursued a number of existing ABA and NBA teams to relocate to the city in the 1970s. Richman had a tentative agreement to purchase both the Miami Floridians and Pittsburgh Condors of the ABA with the plan to merge them into a single Toronto-based team, but the deal fell through. Later Richman held negotiations with the Detroit Pistons, which were seeking $5 million for the franchise, but pulled out when the price was raised to $8.25 million. MLGL attempted to purchase the Braves for $8.5 million and relocate them to Toronto in 1974, and again several times later, with Carling O'Keefe also considering purchasing the team in 1976, but the owners eventually chose to move the team to San Diego. When Toronto was awarded an expansion NBA franchise in 1974 for the 1975–76 season MLGL was one of three groups to bid for the rights to the team, but the club never materialized since no group was able to secure funding for the expansion fee of at least $6.15 million. MLGL attempted to purchase and relocate the Houston Rockets in 1975, which were seeking $8 million for the team, but the teams lease ultimately prevented a relocation. In 1976, MLGL attempted to buy the Atlanta Hawks. In 1979, a Toronto group which included Ballard again pushed for an expansion franchise, but lost out to the Dallas Mavericks. Toronto interests considered purchasing and relocating the Kansas City Kings in 1979. In 1983, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien stated that "the chances are 999-to-1" that his team would be relocated and renamed the Toronto Towers, playing their games in MLG, with Carling O'Keefe thought to be involved financially in the deal, but he ultimately sold it to a local group. A Toronto group which included Bill Ballard, son of Harold, and Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain submitted an application and $100,000 deposit for an NBA expansion franchise for MLG in 1986, but of the six cities to apply Toronto was not one of the four which were successful. Larry Tanenbaum attempted to purchase and relocate the Denver Nuggets to Toronto in 1991, but the team could not get out of its lease at the McNichols Arena. Tanenbaum later pursued the New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs unsuccessfully. Ultimately, the NBA awarded an expansion franchise to John Bitove, over Tanenbaum's group which had partnered with the Maple Leafs and a third group led by Bill Ballard and Michael Cohl which included Magic Johnson, and the
Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
joined the NBA for the 1995–96 season, giving the city its own team once again. The franchise was one of two Canadian expansion teams announced by the NBA in 1993, the other being the Memphis Grizzlies, Vancouver Grizzlies, which moved south of the border to Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis after the 2000–01 season. The Toronto Tornados of the minor league Continental Basketball Association played in the city from 1983 to 1985 before being relocated to Pensacola, Florida in the middle of their third season to become the Pensacola Tornados. Toronto has also hosted parts of the 1994 FIBA World Championship tournament alongside
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
from August 4 to 14, 1994. The tournament was held at Rogers Centre, SkyDome and
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...
in Toronto''The New York Times''
Sports of The Times; Toronto, Dream Team, The World
/ref> as well as at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. The hosting duties were originally awarded to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, but after United Nations United Nations Security Council Resolution 757, limited participation in sporting events in Yugoslavia, Toronto stepped in as a replacement option in 1992. This also marked the first time that this tournament would allow current American NBA players that had already played in an official NBA regular season game to participate. Prior to that only professionals from other leagues were allowed to compete, since players from other leagues were still considered amateurs. The tournament was won by the United States's United States men's national basketball team#1994 World Championship Team – Dream Team II, ''Dream Team II'', who beat Russia national basketball team, Russia 137–91 in the Final at SkyDome. Since 2015, Toronto has hosted the BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game, an annual all-star game showcasing the country's top high school basketball players of the year, at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on the campus of the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. Toronto hosted the 2016 NBA All-Star Game weekend February 12–14, 2016. The All-Star Weekend events were held at Air Canada Centre and Ricoh Coliseum. This marked the first time that an NBA All-Star Weekend was ever hosted outside the United States. On July 27, 2018, Scotiabank Arena hosted week 6 of the 2018 Big3 season. The Big3 is a professional 3x3 basketball league founded by Ice Cube comprising eight teams, each featuring rosters of retired NBA players, with all league games played in one session as a quadruple-header. Toronto is the lone non-American venue city to host a Big3 event. The Toronto Raptors hosted their first ever 2019 NBA Finals, NBA Finals in 2019 vs. the Golden State Warriors. Game 1, which was played on May 30, 2019, at Scotiabank Arena, marked the first ever NBA Finals game to be held outside the United States. On June 13, 2019, the Raptors defeated the Warriors in Game 6 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, to win their first ever NBA title, Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which was also the List of NBA champions, first ever NBA championship won by a team based outside of the United States. On August 15, 2021 the Scarborough Shooting Stars were announced as one of two new expansion teams for the CEBL, & the first franchise to be based in the
Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
. They played their first ever CEBL game on May 26, 2022 in Guelph, Ontario vs. the Guelph Nighthawks, and played their first ever home game on June 4, 2022 vs. the Hamilton Honey Badgers at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. On May 13, 2023, Scotiabank Arena hosted a preseason WNBA game between the Minnesota Lynx & the Chicago Sky with the Sky defeating the Lynx 82-74. This marked the first ever WNBA game of any sort to have been played in Canada, and it was played before a sold-out crowd of 19,800. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert remarked that the league was "thrilled with the reception" and that Toronto "scored really well" and "is very high on the list" of about 10 cities for potential expansion. On May 23, 2024, the
Toronto Tempo The Toronto Tempo are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Tempo will compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference; they are scheduled to begin play in 2026. The team ...
was created and will begin play in 2026 at the
Coca-Cola Coliseum Coca-Cola Coliseum (also or formerly known as CNE Coliseum, Royal Coliseum, Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto Coliseum, or Coliseum) is an arena at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, used for agricultural displays, ice hockey, and trade shows. ...
.


Cricket

The Caribbean Premier League professional Twenty20 cricket league has discussed its desire to place a franchise in Toronto. The Global T20 Canada is a Twenty20, 20-over cricket tournament played in Canada. The 2018 Global T20 Canada, first season of the tournament started in June 2018, with six teams competing, including the Toronto Nationals (cricket), Toronto Nationals. The Maple Leaf Cricket Club in King City, Ontario hosted all matches for the first season of the competition. From the second season in 2019, the tournament was relocated to the TD Cricket Arena at the Sports Complex in Brampton, Ontario. After playing four seasons (2018, 2019, 2023, 2024), the future of the tournament was put in doubt after Cricket Canada announced the termination of their contract with Bombay Sports Limited on December 2024 for breach of contract. On February 14, 2025, Cricket Canada, in partnership with British-based Star 333 Sports Inc., announced the launch of the new Canada Super60 cricket league, a T10 cricket, 10-over tournament to debut in July 2025 at the same CAA Centre venue in Brampton as GT20 Canada, likely replacing the latter tournament in its place.


Curling

Outside of 2014 Players' Championship, 2014 & 2021 Players' Championship, 2021, Toronto has hosted the Players' Championship bonspiels, the final curling event of the Grand Slam of Curling tour, since 2013 Players' Championship, 2013 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.


Golf

There are several golf courses in Toronto. Five of these golf courses are maintained by the municipal government of Toronto, including Dentonia Park Golf Course, Don Valley Golf Course, Humber Valley Golf Course, Scarlett Woods Golf Course, and Tam O’Shanter Golf Course. In addition to publicly-operated golf courses, several private golf and country clubs also maintain golf courses in the city, including the Cedar Brae Golf Club, the Centennial Park Golf Club, the Donalda Club, the Lambton Golf and Country Club, the Markland Wood Golf Club, the
Rosedale Golf Club Rosedale Golf Club is a private golf club in Toronto, founded in 1893 in Moore Park. The course hosted the Canadian Open in 1912 and 1928. History Founded in 1893 in Moore Park as a 9-hole course and moved to Rosedale, Toronto in 1895–1896 o ...
, the Royal Woodbine Golf Club, the Scarboro Golf and Country Club, and the Toronto Hunt Club. Several private golf clubs whose members are based in Toronto and that once operated a golf course within the city limits include the Ladies' Golf Club of Toronto and the Toronto Golf Club, although the former club later moved its course to Markham, Ontario while Toronto Golf Club moved to
Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...
. In addition to these golf clubs, several other golf courses operate adjacent to the City of Toronto. Several golf courses in Toronto managed by private golf clubs have hosted professional golf tournaments in years past. This includes the Canadian Open (golf), Canadian Open, the Canadian PGA Championship, the Canadian Women's Open, the Labatt Open, and the Ontario Open. St. George's Golf and Country Club has hosted six Canadian Opens tournaments, the most out of any golf course in the city. The last golf course in the city to host a tournament was
Oakdale Golf & Country Club Oakdale Golf & Country Club, founded in 1926, is a private, parkland-style golf and tennis club located in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It hosted the 2023 Canadian Open and will host the tournament again in 2026. History The club was f ...
in 2023.


Horse racing

Horse racing meets are held at Woodbine Racetrack in the northwestern suburb of Rexdale in Toronto. Woodbine is the only horse racing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, Thoroughbred horse racing, thoroughbred and standardbred racing programs on the same day. Woodbine hosts two of the three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing—the opening Queen's Plate on its Synthetic racetrack surfaces for horse racing, Polytrack synthetic dirt course, and the closing Breeders' Stakes on grass. In 1996 Woodbine became the first and only track outside the United States to host the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The Woodbine facility is also home to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.


Ice hockey

: The city is known for the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
of the National Hockey League, a team with passionate support in the city, and the most financially successful sports franchise in the country. The team built Maple Leaf Gardens, a sporting venue which served as the home arena for the Maple Leafs, and was also used for cultural and other events. Since 1999, they have played in the Scotiabank Arena (initially referred to as the Air Canada Centre). The team's roots stretch back to the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association, the predecessor to the NHL. The NHA was founded in 1909 without any teams from Toronto. In 1911, the Mutual Street Arena, Arena Gardens was being built and Ambrose O'Brien, who had operated four NHA franchises but decided to get out of the business, sold two of his franchises to Toronto-based groups. The Toronto Hockey Club purchased one, which would become known as the Blueshirts, and a second was sold to a group affiliated with the Toronto Tecumsehs (ILL), Tecumseh Lacrosse Club for $500 cash and promissory notes for $2,000 which would be called the Toronto Tecumsehs. They were scheduled to begin play in the 1911–12 season, but construction delays led to the two Toronto teams being dropped from the schedule and they instead began play in 1912–13. After a year of play, the Tecumsehs were sold and renamed the Toronto Ontarios. The following year the team was purchased by Eddie Livingstone, who renamed them the Toronto Shamrocks in January 1915. Later that year, Livingstone purchased the Blueshirts giving him ownership of two NHA teams, but after the Pacific Coast Hockey Association raids left him with only enough players for one team, he transferred Shamrocks players to the Blueshirts and only the Blueshirts competed in the 1915–16 NHA season. When Livingstone failed to sell the Shamrocks, the NHA seized the franchise, which was left dormant for the year before being reactivated in 1916–17 NHA season, 1916–17, awarding it to a Canadian military team, the Toronto 228th Battalion (NHA), Toronto 228th Battalion. When the regiment was ordered overseas in February 1917, the team was forced to withdraw. That left the NHA with an odd number of teams, and as a result, the team owners, who wanted Livingstone out of the league, decided to suspend operations of the Blueshirts for the remainder of the season. Following the end of the season, Toronto was reinstated, with the condition that the club was to be sold within 60 days. However, Livingstone obtained a court order to prevent the sale. Before the start of the 1917–18 season, the NHA owners announced that the league would not operate in the 1917–18 season. About two weeks later, all of the owners except Livingstone announced that they were creating a new league, the National Hockey League. Livingstone was not invited to participate in the new league. However, the other teams wished to continue a team in Toronto, and also needed a fourth team to balance the schedule. Accordingly, Livingstone's landlord, the Toronto Arena Company, was given a temporary franchise in the NHL and leased Livingstone's Torontos players for the inaugural 1917–18 NHL season. Although the team had no official name, it was made up mostly of former Blue Shirts and as a result, the newspapers still called the team the Blue Shirts or the Torontos, as they always had. The Arena Company had originally promised to return the Toronto players to Livingstone if no transfer could be arranged. Instead, before the 1918–19 NHL season, 1918–19 season, it formed a new club, which was known as the Toronto Arenas. This new franchise was separated from the Arena Company. The dispute with Livingstone forced the Arena Company into bankruptcy. The Arenas were sold to a group headed by Charles Querrie for $5000, who renamed them the Toronto St. Patricks. In 1927, with the team in trouble financially due to Querrie having lost a lawsuit to former Livingstone, Querrie put the St. Pats up for sale and agreed in principle to sell them for $200,000 to a group that would move the team to Philadelphia. However, Conn Smythe persuaded Querrie that civic pride was more important than money and put together a syndicate that bought the St. Pats. Smythe himself invested $10,000 of his own money and his group contributed $75,000 up front and a further $75,000 due 30 days later, with minority partner Jack Bickell retaining his $40,000 share in the team. The deal was finalized on Valentine's Day, and the new owners quickly renamed the team the Toronto Maple Leafs. When the World Hockey Association, a rival league to the NHL, awarded Doug Michel an Ontario-based franchise in 1971 for $25,000 to play in the WHA's inaugural 1972–73 WHA season, 1972–73 season, Toronto was one of several cities under consideration as home for the team. Harold Ballard, owner of the Maple Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens, offered to rent the arena to the team, but Michel found the rent excessive. He then tried to base the team in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, but the city did not have an appropriate venue. Michel settled on Ottawa and the team became the Ottawa Nationals. However, after a season at the Ottawa Civic Centre, the team decided to relocate and played their home playoff games at Maple Leaf Gardens. During this time, the team was referred to as the Ontario Nationals. The team moved to Toronto permanently for the following season after being sold to John F. Bassett, son of former Leafs part-owner John W. H. Bassett. Future Leafs owner Steve Stavro was a minority shareholder. They were renamed the Toronto Toros in June 1973. However, they could only attract a fraction of the attendance numbers the competing Leafs drew. In their inaugural season, they played out of
Varsity Arena Varsity Arenaretrieved from http://rrs.osm.utoronto.ca 2007-10-22 is an indoor arena located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus, and open ...
, but played the next two seasons out of Maple Leaf Gardens. The team played their final game in Toronto in 1976, after which a drop in attendance and onerous lease terms at the Gardens forced them to relocate to Birmingham, Alabama as the Birmingham Bulls (WHA), Birmingham Bulls. In the early 1980s, Ballard and the owner of the Edmonton Oilers discussed to possibility of the franchise swapping home cities with the Maple Leafs, with Ballard receiving $50 million to compensate him for relocating to the smaller city, but the deal fell through. There have been numerous attempts to establish a Potential National Hockey League expansion#Greater Toronto Area, second NHL team in the Greater Toronto Area or nearby Potential National Hockey League expansion#Hamilton, Hamilton. The latter briefly had the Hamilton Tigers in the NHL from 1920, when local interests purchased and relocated the Quebec Bulldogs, until 1925 when they folded. In 2003, the Toronto Roadrunners of the
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
played their inaugural season out of a renovated Ricoh Coliseum in Exhibition Place. They served as a farm club for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. After a season of bad attendance, the team relocated to Edmonton, Alberta. However, with the Ricoh Coliseum vacated, a new tenant for the facility was found with the Maple Leafs relocating their AHL farm team, the St. John's Maple Leafs, from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador to Toronto as the
Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
in 2005. Toronto has also hosted various international hockey tournaments: hosting parts of the Summit Series, 1972 and 1974 Summit Series; parts of the 1976 and 1991 Canada Cups; parts of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and all of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, 2016 edition; and parts of the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, 2015 and 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Participation in minor hockey is very popular. The
Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
is home to the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), the largest minor hockey league in the world. In addition to the GTHL, a number of other minor hockey leagues that are unsanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation also operate in Greater Toronto. The Greater Toronto Area has also been home to several women's hockey team including the professional Canadian Women's Hockey League's (CWHL) Markham Thunder and Toronto Furies. However, the league ceased operations in 2019. In 2020, the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), later rebranded as the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) announced expansion to Toronto with the Toronto Six taking the ice for the 2020–21 season. The Six would ultimately win the 2023 Isobel Cup as the PHF's champions. It would ultimately become the PHF's final championship team as the league was dissolved to make way for a new Professional Women's Hockey League consisting of the former PHF consolidating with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association later that summer with
Toronto Sceptres The Toronto Sceptres are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Coca-Cola Colise ...
being granted one of the league's six charter teams for their inaugural season in 2024. On July 10, 2020, Toronto was named one of two cities appointed as a hub city (alongside Edmonton, Alberta) for the 2019–20 NHL season#Modified playoff format, return to play, NHL Return to Play Plan to facilitate the delayed start of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All matches in Toronto were played in Scotiabank Arena beginning August 1, 2020. The plan featured a Stanley Cup Qualifiers round for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs as well as its first 2 rounds. Of the 24 participating teams, Toronto hosted 12 Eastern Conference teams to their city in the early rounds, while Edmonton hosted 12 Western Conference teams in the early rounds, both Conference Finals, and the Stanley Cup Finals.


Gridiron football


Canadian football

Toronto is home to the oldest professional gridiron football, football team in North America, the Toronto Argonauts, who have won the Grey Cup championship a record 18 times, most recently in 109th Grey Cup, 2022. Toronto has also played host to the Grey Cup Championship 48 times, more than any other city and most recently the 104th Grey Cup in 2016. The Argos were founded in 1873 by the Argonaut Rowing Club and is referred to colloquially as the ''Boatmen'' in honour of that heritage. The team is also known as the ''double blue'' because of the franchise colours (''Oxford blue'' and ''Cambridge blue''); the colour blue has become emblematic of the city and most of its sports franchises. The Argos also draw the highest per-game attendance of any sports team in Toronto and draw the second highest per-game TV ratings nationally of any Toronto-based sports team (after the Maple Leafs hockey club). In the early 1970s, Maple Leaf Gardens Limited announced plans to apply for a second
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
team to be based in Toronto which would play at Varsity Stadium, but the proposal never went anywhere. During his tenure as owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ballard repeatedly threatened to move the franchise to Varsity Stadium, but the move was vetoed by the Argos. The GTA Grizzlies is another semi-professional junior team of the Canadian Junior Football League; playing their home games at Centennial Park Stadium. Toronto has also hosted the Vanier Cup Championship 41 times, the most out of any host city, serving as its exclusive host from its inception in 1965 until 2003. In 2004, Canadian Interuniversity Sport began accepting bids from other cities to host the event. Since then, Toronto has won 2 additional bids to host Vanier Cup Championships in 2007 and 2012 to coincide with both the 95th and 100th Grey Cups being played during the same weekend in the city.


American football

Toronto also has a long history with American football. The first professional U.S. football team to play a home game in Toronto was the Los Angeles Wildcats (AFL), Los Angeles Wildcats of the American Football League (1926), American Football League of 1926, the first major competitor to the National Football League for the dominance of professional football. While the Wildcats nominally represented Los Angeles, California, frequent travel to the west coast still posed a major obstacle so the team was instead a traveling team based in Illinois and played most of its games in the home stadiums of its opponents, with the exception of the Toronto game. The Wildcats lost the regular season game to the New York Yankees (NFL), New York Yankees (which would join the National Football League (NFL) the following year) 28–0 in front of 10,000 fans at Maple Leaf Stadium on November 8, 1926. The National Football League in Toronto, NFL has had a presence in Toronto since 1959 when the List of National Football League games played outside the United States, Argonauts hosted three NFL teams in a three-season span. The nearby Hamilton Tiger-Cats also hosted a game against the Buffalo Bills, then an American Football League team. Several decades later, the American Bowl and later the Bills Toronto Series brought both preseason and regular season games to the Rogers Centre. There have been several failed attempts to establish a professional American football franchise in Toronto in the past. A Toronto group submitted a bid for an American Football League expansion team for the city in 1960, the expansion fee set at $125,000, with plans to play in the league's second season in the following year. Toronto interests continued pursuing an AFL team for several years, with the league naming the city as a potential expansion market in 1965. In 1964 a Toronto group applied for a United Football League (1961–64), United Football League franchise, but ultimately withdrew their bid for a team. Following the season, a Toronto group attempted to purchase the Canton Bulldogs (UFL), Canton Bulldogs of the UFL to relocate them to Toronto. When the Continental Football League was established for the 1965 season with former UFL teams, the Quebec Rifles of the UFL were admitted and transferred to Toronto to become the Toronto Rifles due to a lack of a suitable facility in Montreal. The Rifles competed in the Continental League from 1965 to 1967, but the owners pulled out in the middle of their final season after having lost a reported $400,000 in their final full season. The league took over the club and planned to have it play all of its games on the road, but several weeks later the team folded. During John Bassett's ownership of the Argonauts from the late 1950s to early 1970s, he entertained various machinations for bringing American football to Toronto, including moving the Argos to the NFL or bringing an NFL team to the city alongside the Argos. Other CFL team owners were steadfastly against Bassett's moves and almost rescinded his franchise in 1974. His son John F. Bassett obtained a World Football League franchise for the city in the league's inaugural season of 1974, which he named the Toronto Northmen, but in response the Canadian government proposed the Canadian Football Act, a bill that would have banned US football leagues from playing in Canada to protect the CFL from competition. The bill forced Bassett to move the club to Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis where they became the Memphis Southmen. When the legislation died without being approved before the 1974 Canadian federal election, Bassett again attempted to put a team in Toronto for the 1975 season. There were plans to establish a United States Football League franchise in Toronto in 1983 being pushed by John F. Bassett, but again the Canadian government warned against it and the idea was dropped. The XFL (2001), XFL considered expanding to Toronto for 2002, but ultimately folded after its inaugural season in 2001. There have been efforts to bring an NFL team to Toronto for more than 40 years. In 2014, it was widely reported that Toronto interests, including Larry Tanenbaum, part owner of
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) is a professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With assets that include franchises in four of the six major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(MLSE), and Edward Rogers III, Deputy Chairman of Rogers Communication, were attempting to acquire an NFL franchise in hopes of moving it to Toronto. There were numerous attempts to bring the Arena Football League (1987–2008), Arena Football League to Maple Leaf Gardens in the 1990s. The city was considered by the league for a 1996 and 1997 expansion club, with John Bitove, owner of the Toronto Raptors, one of several groups interested in owning the team. MLSE held negotiations with the Arena League on acquiring a $4–7 million expansion franchise for 1999 to coincide with the opening of their new building the ACC. Several other groups also considered putting a club in the ACC following its opening. In 2000, the New England Sea Wolves were purchased by a group led by Rogers Communication and relocated from Hartford, Connecticut, becoming the Toronto Phantoms the following year. However, the team lasted only two seasons before folding when the Arena League switched its regular season window from the summer to the spring. Toronto also hosted a series of NCAA football bowl games called the International Bowl between 2007 and 2010. Toronto was granted an expansion team in the women's Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League), the Toronto Triumph. The team played their games at the Ricoh Coliseum for one season in 2011–12. The league is legitimate arena football, indoor football, which at the time was played by women in lingerie and football pads, though players now wear more standard athletic apparel.


Lacrosse

: The city previously had several professional box lacrosse teams. A team named the Toronto Tecumsehs (ILL), Toronto Maple Leafs competed in the first season of the professional International Lacrosse League in 1931 at the Arena Gardens. Following the season, a new franchise was awarded to Conn Smythe on behalf of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. (MLGL), which was also named the Toronto Maple Leafs (ILL), Toronto Maple Leafs, with the previous season's Maple Leafs being renamed the Tecumsehs. Both teams played at the newly opened Maple Leaf Gardens. Smythe pulled out following the season due to financial losses, and the league didn't play the following year. Toronto also had a team in the American Box Lacrosse League in 1932. The Toronto Maple Leafs (NLA), Toronto Maple Leafs competed in the inaugural season of the National Lacrosse Association in 1968 at the Gardens. Stafford Smythe and Harold Ballard, part owners of the NHL Maple Leafs, were two of the five founding partners of the club, but financial difficulties forced MLGL to take over ownership midway through the season. The NLA suspended operations prior to the following season. However, the eastern division of the NLA reconstituted itself as the Eastern Professional Lacrosse Association, in which the Maple Leafs competed in 1969. By 1970 the pro league had disbanded. The Toronto Shooting Stars (NLL), Toronto Shooting Stars joined the professional National Lacrosse League (1972), National Lacrosse League (unrelated to the modern NLL) for its inaugural season in 1972. When a new professional league launched as the National Lacrosse League (1974–75), National Lacrosse League (again unrelated to today's NLL) in 1974, the Toronto Tomahawks were included as a charter franchise. The Shooting Stars continued as an amateur team in the Ontario Lacrosse Association, but folded following the 1974 season. The Tomahawks were sold following the 1974 season, and received league approval to move the team to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, New York. However, ultimately it was decided to relocate the team to Boston to become the Boston Bolts (lacrosse), Boston Bolts for the start of the 1975 NLL season, with the Rochester Griffins becoming the Long Island Tomahawks. The
Toronto Rock The Toronto Rock are a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL. The Rock play their home ga ...
, which operate in the
National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...
, were founded in 1998 as the Ontario Raiders in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. The following year, the team moved to Toronto and proceeded to finish first every year from 1999 to 2005, winning Champion's Cup, the league championship in five of those seven seasons. The Rock played their home games at Maple Leaf Gardens from 1999 to 2000, & at Scotiabank Arena from 2001 to 2020. On May 11, 2021, the Rock announced that they were relocating back to Hamilton, but would continue to keep the "Toronto Rock" name due their branding as a team that has "always represented the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, GTHA". In 2009, the Toronto Nationals (lacrosse), Toronto Nationals of Major League Lacrosse was established, with much of the roster of the Rochester Rattlers, which would be suspended, being transferred to the new Nationals' team. However, the name, colours, and history stayed behind in Rochester to potentially be used by a future MLL team. In their inaugural year in Toronto, the Nationals went on to win the Steinfeld Cup. In 2011 the team relocated to
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, and played their games at Ron Joyce Stadium. After the 2013 season the team announced they would not field a team the following season. The Premier Lacrosse League played a week of their inaugural 2019 Premier Lacrosse League season, 2019 season at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.


Rugby football


Rugby league

In 2014, Toronto investors submitted an application for a professional rugby league franchise in the British/French League 1 (rugby league), League 1, the third-tier of the Rugby Football League (RFL) system. It was announced in 2016 that the Toronto Wolfpack would join the RFL's third division League 1 (rugby league), League One from April 2017, becoming the not the first professional transatlantic sports team to be based in Toronto in addition to being the first for the RFL system. The team plays in Toronto's 9,600 seat
Lamport Stadium Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. It is also a part-t ...
, with the goal of earning promotion to the top-tier Super League. The club won the League 1 championship in its inaugural season, thereby earning promotion to the second division Championship (rugby league), Championship for the 2018 season. In 2018, the Wolfpack reached the Qualifiers, an end of season round robin tournament for the four top teams from the RFL Championship, and the bottom four teams from Super League. Finishing fourth qualified Wolfpack for the Million Pound Game, a final eliminator for the last place in Super League in 2019. However, they were defeated 6–4 by London Broncos, and thus rejoined the RFL Championship for the 2019 season. That season saw a change in the promotion system, with the top five Championship teams entering a playoff whose winner received automatic promotion to Super League. The Wolfpack finished atop the Championship regular-season table, and easily won both of their playoff matches, securing their promotion to Super League with a 24–6 win over Featherstone Rovers. In July 2020, Toronto Wolfpack withdrew from the Super League XXV, 2020 Super League due to financial difficulties and new logistics needed for international travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A subsequent bid for readmission was rejected on November 2, 2020, and resulted in the team's removal from the league & their ensuing announcement that they would not operate in 2021. On March 31, 2021, it was announced that a private investor group had purchased the Wolfpack and that they would be resuming play in the newly formed North American Rugby League. The amateur Ontario Rugby league competition has fluctuated between 2 and 4 teams since it began in 2010. The Canada national rugby league team, nicknamed the Wolverines, are also based at Lamport Stadium.


Rugby union

: Amateur rugby is organized under the Toronto Rugby Union, a branch of Ontario Rugby Union, Rugby Ontario. There are over 20 clubs in the city and surrounding area. There a 4 divisions for Toronto teams as well as the top teams playing in the province-wide Marshall Premiership and McCormick Cup competitions. Rugby has been played in Toronto since the 1870s, although at times sporadically. The oldest of the current clubs date back to the 1940s and '50s, starting with the Wanderers in 1949. The semi-pro rugby union team the Toronto Rebellion (formerly the Renegades and Xtreme) played in the Rugby Canada Super League from 1999 to 2007 and the Rugby Canada National Junior Championship in 2009. The team hosted games at Markham, Ontario's Fletcher's Fields in the north of the
Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
. The team was replaced by the Ontario Blues of the Canadian Rugby Championship in 2009, who play their games at various locations across the province including Fletcher's Fields. In 2016, the United States-based PRO Rugby league stated that it was considering expanding to Toronto, though the plans fell through and the league folded before its second season. Pro14, a European-based league, in 2017 was reportedly considering placing an expansion franchise in Toronto. In 2017, the Ontario Arrows were formed as a semi-professional version of the Ontario Blues. They began playing a series of exhibition games against MLR, American amateur clubs, and other opposition, to prepare for applying to join Major League Rugby. In November 2018 their entry was announced, including a re-brand to the Toronto Arrows. They began MLR play in January 2019 as an expansion team along with Rugby United New York. The Arrows have played at
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
's Alumni Field and downtown at
Lamport Stadium Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. It is also a part-t ...
, but moved their games to York Lions Stadium for the 2022 season. On November 27, 2023, it was announced that the Arrows would not compete in the 2024 MLR season.


Running

The city is home to two marathons: the Toronto Marathon (held annually in May from Mel Lastman Square, in the north end of Toronto to Ontario Place) and the Toronto Waterfront Marathon (held annually in October throughout downtown Toronto). Toronto also hosts the annual Sporting Life 10K which is a charitable fundraising 10K run held in May from Yonge & Davisville to
Lake Shore Boulevard Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...
near Ontario Place.


Soccer

: The popularity of soccer reflects the city's Demographics of Toronto, demographics; Toronto is a multicultural city with a large immigrant population that has long-established roots with the game. Toronto has had teams in a number of first division soccer leagues of the United States. The Toronto Greenbacks were members of the North American Soccer Football League for its two years of existence in 1946–47. In 1967, two rival leagues began play: the United Soccer Association (USA) and National Professional Soccer League (1967), National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). Both leagues had Toronto-based clubs with Toronto City (owned by future owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Steve Stavro) joining the US and the Toronto Falcons (1967–1968), Toronto Falcons in the NPSL and both playing their games at Varsity Stadium. Following the merger of the two leagues for the 1968 season only the Falcons survived, with Stavro selling his team back to the league for $160,000. However, the Falcons only played a single year in the newly founded North American Soccer League (1968–84), North American Soccer League (NASL) with losses reported to be up to $500,000 before folding. The following year, Toronto City was invited to join the NASL. Subsequently, the Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971, and though they were renamed the Toronto Metros-Croatia in 1975 following the purchase of 50 per cent of the club for $250,000 by the Toronto Croatia of the Canadian National Soccer League, National Soccer League, and again in 1979 to the Toronto Blizzard (1971–84), Toronto Blizzard following the acquisition of 85% of the team by Global Television Network for $2.6 million, the team played until the NASL folded in 1984. Varsity Stadium on the campus of the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, hosted some of the matches of the Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics, Olympic football tournament of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In 1994, then part owner of Rogers Centre, SkyDome, Labatt, considered purchasing a team in
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS), the new top US league, to play at the stadium. In 2004, then Toronto Argonauts owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon considered bringing a MLS team to the city in connection with negotiations on the construction of a new stadium to jointly house the Argos and soccer, but when BMO Field was ultimately built the Argos were excluded for the deal. In 2007, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment launched
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
in MLS as its first international team. Toronto has also hosted professional indoor soccer teams. The Metros-Croatia fielded a team in NASL's indoor league from 1975 to 1976, as did the Blizzard in 1980–82. The Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–92), Major Indoor Soccer League considered putting a team in Toronto in 1987. In 1988 the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) granted Toronto a franchise which was to play its games at Hamilton, Ontario's Copps Coliseum (now
FirstOntario Centre Hamilton Arena (originally Copps Coliseum, later renamed FirstOntario Centre) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street (Hamilton, Ontario), Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Cana ...
), but the team never launched. The Toronto Shooting Stars competed in the National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001), National Professional Soccer League, as the AISA had renamed itself, during the 1996–97 season, but the ownership of the franchise collapsed just 3 games in, forcing the league to take control of the team's operations for the remainder of the season. After losses of nearly $1 million, the team suspended operations and never returned to play. An application was made for a new NPSL Toronto team in 1998. The NPSL returned to Toronto with the Toronto ThunderHawks for the 2000–01 season, playing at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. When the NPSL disbanded in the summer of 2001 and reorganized as the Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008), Major Indoor Soccer League, the ThunderHawks were admitted to the new league under the condition that they would suspend operations for the 2001–02 season to work on the business side of the franchise and return to active competition for the 2002–03 season. However, the team never returned from this temporary suspension of operations. In April 2017 the Major Arena Soccer League announced that it had granted Totonto an expansion franchise, which was later named the Mississauga MetroStars and begin play in 2018 at the Hershey Centre. Prior to the 2019–20 season the team rebranded as MetroStars Canada, and planned to play their 12 home games in six cities across Ontario (St. Catharines, Kingston, Oshawa, Windsor, Sarnia, and Brampton), but before playing a single game that season the team confirmed that they would not participate due to issues coordinating their home matches. Toronto has also been home to numerous minor pro soccer teams. The Toronto Nationals played in the Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983), Canadian Professional Soccer League in its only season in 1983. The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League, which existed between 1961 and 1966, featured 3 Toronto based teams over those years: Toronto City (1961–1965), which later joined the United Soccer Association, Toronto Roma FC (1962–1964) / Inter-Roma (1965–1966), and Toronto Italia FC (1961–1964) / Italia Falcons (1965–66). The Toronto Blizzard (1986–93), Toronto Blizzard played in the Canadian Soccer League (1987–92), Canadian Soccer League from 1987 to 1992 and the American Professional Soccer League in 1993 before folding following the United States Soccer Federation's decision to reject the APSL's bid for sanctioning as a first division league in favour of a competing bid from the group that would found MLS. The Blizzard were replaced in the APSL by the Toronto Rockets (soccer team), Toronto Rockets in 1994, but they to folded prior to the following season. The A-League (1995–2004), A-League, as the APSL was then known, awarded Toronto another team to begin play in 1997. When the A-league and USISL Select League merged for the 1997 season, the Toronto expansion team, which was named the Toronto Lynx, debuted in the combined league, which carried on the A-League name. The Lynx would play in the A-League until 2004. When the league was renamed the USL First Division, they continued their membership. However, in 2007, with the arrival of TFC to the city, the Lynx dropped down to the fourth USL League Two, USL Premier Development League, where they competed until 2014. Toronto hosted parts of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Toronto also hosted the MLS Cup 2010, 2010 Major League Soccer championship match between FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids (Colorado defeated Dallas 2–1). It was the first time the MLS Cup took place outside of the United States. Toronto would go on to host 2 more MLS Cups. On December 10, 2016, the MLS Cup 2016, MLS Cup was held at BMO Field where Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC played to a 0–0 draw, with the Sounders winning 5–4 on penalty kicks to claim the championship. On December 9, 2017, Toronto FC defeated the Sounders 2–0 in an 2017 MLS Cup, MLS Cup rematch, and became the first MLS team to complete a domestic treble with their win by virtue of winning the Supporters' Shield with an MLS record 69 points and the Canadian Championship combined. They also became the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup. On June 16, 2022, FIFA officially announced Toronto as one of two host cities in Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in the USA, Mexico, & Canada. BMO Field was listed as a potential venue for the World Cup from as early as 2017 during the initial bidding stage. Toronto's first women's professional soccer team,
AFC Toronto AFC Toronto is a professional women's soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, that competes in the Northern Super League, a league at the top of the Canadian soccer league system. History In April 2023, AFC Toronto was established by a grou ...
of the Northern Super League, began play in 2025.


Tennis

The Canadian Open (tennis), National Bank Open, historically known as the Canadian Open, is an annual professional tennis tournament held at Sobeys Stadium at
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
. The tournament began in 1881 and is the second oldest major tennis tournament in the world behind only The Championships, Wimbledon, Wimbledon. The men's competition is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals, Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour. The women's competition is a WTA 1000 tournaments, WTA 1000 tournament event on the Women's Tennis Association, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour. The events alternate from year-to-year between the cities of Montreal and Toronto. In odd-numbered years, the men's tournament is held in Montreal, while the women's tournament is held in Toronto, and vice versa in even-numbered years. The competition is played on hard courts. From 1971 until 1990, Toronto hosted the Toronto Indoor, Toronto Molson Light Challenge a second annual professional men's tennis tournament played on Carpet court, indoor carpet courts at Maple Leaf Gardens. The final tournament took place in February 1990 at the SkyDome and went by the tournament name 1990 SkyDome World Tennis Tournament, Skydome World Tennis. In 1974, the Toronto-Buffalo Royals of World Team Tennis played half their home matches at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, CNE Coliseum & the other half at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Under the ownership of John F. Bassett & John C. Eaton III, the team lasted only one season before selling the team to Bert Hoffman & Phyllis Morse with the intent of relocating them to Hartford, Connecticut. However, in February 1975, the team was contracted by the WTT, with the players distributed to other teams via a dispersal draft.


Ultimate

Ultimate (sport), Ultimate is a team sport played with a flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to members of your own team, on a rectangular field approximately the size of a soccer field, until you have successfully completed a pass to a team member in the opposing team's end zone. In the 1970s, Ken Westerfield introduced Flying disc games, disc sports including Ultimate (sport), ultimate north of the 49th parallel at the Ken Westerfield#The Canadian Open Championships and the first Frisbee freestyle competition, Canadian Open Frisbee Championships and by creating the Toronto Ultimate League (Club). Since 1998, Canada has been ranked number one in the World Ultimate Rankings, several times in all divisions (including Open and Women's) according to the World Flying Disc Federation. In 2013, as a founding partner, the Toronto Ultimate (sport), Ultimate Club presented Canada's first semi-professional Ultimate (sport), ultimate team the Toronto Rush, to the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) (originally branded as the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL)). They finished their first season undefeated 18–0 and won the AUDL Championships. Disc ultimate has become one of today's fastest growing sports. In 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted full recognition to the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) for flying disc sports including ultimate (sport), ultimate.


Multi-sport events

The first major multi-sport event that the city of Toronto hosted was the 1976 Summer Paralympics. It was the fifth edition of the Paralympic Games and the first time it was hosted in Canada. Toronto also hosted the first ever World Masters Games in 1985 as well as the Special Olympics World Games, 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games, the 2017 North American Indigenous Games, and the 2017 Invictus Games. In 2009, Toronto submitted a bid to host the Pan American Games and Parapan American Games, subsequently winning both of them for 2015. After successfully hosting both the 2015 Pan American Games, 2015 Pan Am and 2015 Parapan American Games, Parapan American Games, the city briefly considered another Olympic bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, but on September 15, 2015, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced that the city would not be a candidate for a bid. Toronto submitted bids to host the Summer Olympic Games five times: 1960 Summer Olympics, 1960, 1964 Summer Olympics, 1964, 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976, 1996 Summer Olympics, 1996 and 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008. The closest it came to winning the games was in 2008, when it finished second to Beijing by a vote of 56–22. Varsity Stadium on the campus of the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, hosted some of the matches of the Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics, Olympic football tournament of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.


Sports culture


Rivalries

Due to their geographic locations, Toronto has an intense sports rivalry with several Canadian cities around the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, in addition to American cities around the Great Lakes. The Canadian football team, the Toronto Argonauts have a rivalry with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats since 1873, and is heightened during the Labour Day Classic). The Argonauts also share a rivalry with the Ottawa Redblacks and the Montreal Alouettes. In ice hockey, the Toronto Maple Leafs have several rivalries with the Original Six, oldest existing clubs in the National Hockey League, including the Canadiens-Maple Leafs rivalry, Montreal Canadiens, the Maple Leafs-Red Wings rivalry, Detroit Red Wings, and the Bruins-Maple Leafs rivalry, Boston Bruins. The Maple Leafs also have a rivalry with the only other Ontario-based team in the NHL, the Battle of Ontario, Ottawa Senators. In basketball, the Toronto Raptors has a noted Nets–Raptors rivalry, rivalry with the Brooklyn Nets. In soccer, the Toronto FC have a rivalry with the Montreal Impact, referred to as the Canadian Classique, 401 Derby. The Toronto FC also have a rivalry with the Columbus Crew SC, Columbus Crew, competing with them over the Trillium Cup, a trophy named after the Trillium grandiflorum, trillium, the official flower of Ontario, and the official wildflower of Ohio. A third rivalry Toronto FC has is with Seattle Sounders FC after facing off against them as the same opponent for all 3 of the club's MLS Cup finals appearances (2016 MLS Cup, 2017 MLS Cup, and 2019 MLS Cup). In baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays have developed rivalries over the years with teams within their American League East division (
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
,
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
,
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
, Tampa Bay Rays) as a result of scheduling that sees them play each other more frequently than teams outside of it. Since 2015, the Blue Jays have developed a rivalry with the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers that stems from their 2015 American League Division Series matchup where Jose Bautista hit a go-ahead home run in game No. 5 to win the series that sparked controversy due to his subsequent bat flip that upset the Rangers based on what was perceived as a violation of the unwritten rules of baseball, and yielded a beanball and bench-clearing brawl as retaliation in 2016 Toronto Blue Jays season, the following season.


Toronto's association with the colour blue

The colour of blue has been associated with the city of Toronto, its sports teams and its academic institutions for over a hundred years. City symbols such as the flag of Toronto, its Coat of arms of Toronto, coat of arms and city :File:Toronto,_City_of.svg, wordmark all reflect this association. Some of the oldest colleges and universities located within the Old Toronto, original city of Toronto incorporated blue into their athletic nicknames including the Toronto Varsity Blues, University of Toronto Varsity Blues (established 1827), the Upper Canada College, Upper Canada College Blues (1829) and the St. Michael's College School, St Michael's Kerry Blues (1852) while newer post-secondary institutions at Ryerson University (1948),
George Brown College The George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public, fully accredited college (Canada), college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, George ...
(1967) and
Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, rebranded as Humber Polytechnic since 2024, is a public Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has three mai ...
(1968) included blue in their school colours. When the
Argonaut Rowing Club The Argonaut Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club was founded in 1872. The current junior head coach is Connor Elsdon. In the past, the club fielded teams in ice hockey and football, and the football team c ...
was founded in 1872 the blue colours of University of Oxford, Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge universities (the "Double Blue") was adopted as the club colours. When the club went on to found the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
football club with the same name a year later in 1873, the "Double Blue" colour was also adopted for the football field and has continued with the team nearly 150 years later. Other major teams that adopted Toronto blue included the original
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
of baseball's
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
from 1896 until 1967, the Toronto Marlboros, Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association, OHA (1904), the Toronto Blueshirts, Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association, NHA (1911) and the Toronto Arenas, Arenas of the
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(1917). When Conn Smythe acquired the Toronto St. Patricks in 1927, in addition to the team being rebranded as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leafs, it was announced that the team had changed their colour scheme to blue and white, which they have worn ever since. While the Leafs say that blue represents the Canadian skies and white represents snow, another theory is that Smythe changed the colours as a nod to his school alma maters at Upper Canada College and the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. As various leagues expanded into the city the tradition of using blue in team identity continued including the Toronto Huskies, Huskies of the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(1947), World Hockey Association, WHA's Toronto Toros, Toros (1973), baseball's Toronto Blue Jays, Blue Jays (1977), the North American Soccer League (1968–1984), NASL Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), Blizzard (1978), the Toronto Rock, Rock of the National Lacrosse League, NLL (1999), and rugby's Toronto Arrows, Arrows (2019). When the
Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
joined the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
in 1995, the original owners were given a six-month window to reap 100 percent of merchandise profits sold in their region to help cover the cost of the franchise. To maximize those initial sales the choice was made to break with Toronto traditions and adopt a name and colour that would appeal to kids between the ages of six and ten with a focus on becoming an international brand. After a name the team contest narrowed the list down to ten names, the name Toronto Raptors, Raptors with a base colour of purple was chosen after inspiration of the eight-year old son of owner John Bitove. In 2006, the Raptors re-branded with red as their new base colour to market themselves beyond Toronto as "Canada's Team" with their national colour as the only Canadian NBA team after the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001. In 2007
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
joined
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
and also chose to distance itself from Toronto traditions by adopting red as its primary colour to reflect its status as the only Canadian team in the league. This status only lasted four seasons until their future rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2011) and the Montreal Impact (MLS), Montreal Impact (2012) joined the league, ironically both in blue uniforms.


Sports museums

*Canada's Sports Hall of Fame was founded in Toronto in 1955, and was based at
Exhibition Place Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, ...
between 1955 and 2006. It has since relocated to Calgary, Alberta. *The
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
is an ice hockey museum located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. Originally based in Kingston, Ontario, the Hockey Hall of Fame relocated to Toronto in 1958 where it was given space as a section of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame before becoming its own separate Hall of Fame facility within the same building in 1961. In 1993, the Hockey Hall of Fame relocated to its current location at the northwest corner of Yonge & Front Streets taking up an opulent section of Brookfield Place (Toronto), Brookfield Place that once served as a branch of the Bank of Montreal. *The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 by Lee Abrahamson and Gary Magwood assisted by Len Coates to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of the Canadian motorsport communities. It was originally based at Exhibition Place, sharing the same facility as Canada's Sports Hall of Fame until 1997 when it relocated to Bay Street. In 2001, the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame began relocating to various temporary locations before deciding to become a virtual online museum today. Their annual induction ceremonies take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. *The Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1994 and is located at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke, Ontario. Their mission statement describes their purpose as "honour(ing), for all time, those athletes, administrators, officials, media and individuals who have achieved the highest standard of excellence in sport" who "encourage and inspire excellence in all fields of athletic endeavour within our community." The criteria for induction eligibility is being "any individual person or organization/team who has made a difference to our lives through their contribution to both amateur and/or professional sport or who has achieved outstanding and extraordinary success in the field of sport or who demonstrates exemplary values and/or personal characteristics and has made a defining contribution to his/her sport and who has lived or currently resides in Etobicoke or who has worked and/or had a significant impact to the Etobicoke community in the field of sport". *The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1994 in Toronto. Currently they only host an online museum instead of a physical sports museum, but their administrative office is located in Toronto. Their annual induction ceremonies take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. *Canada Basketball, the governing body of basketball in Canada, hosts an online hall of fame museum with its mission statement being “to recognize, honour, immortalize and enshrine the contributions to the development and advancement of basketball in Canada or internationally.” While it does not have a physical sports museum, their administrative office is located in Toronto, & their annual induction ceremonies take place at various Toronto-based venues, most recently at the Gladstone Hotel (Toronto), Gladstone House for their 2023 induction ceremony. *The Leaside Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2013 during the centennial year for the Leaside neighbourhood. Sponsored by the East York Foundation & located at Leaside Gardens outside its arena, their mission statement describes their purpose as serving as "a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting excellence in sport at the recreational, competitive and elite levels in/from the Leaside community in Toronto" while "aim(ing) to foster a community where participation in recreational and competitive sport is valued, and where the achievements of athletes and the contributions of volunteers are recognized and honoured." *The Toronto Sport Hall of Honour was founded in 2016 by the Municipal government of Toronto. Located at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in Scarborough, Ontario as "a legacy of the 2015 Pan American Games, 2015 Toronto Pan Am and 2015 Parapan American Games, Parapan Am Games", their mission statement describes their purpose as "celebrat(ing) the exceptional contributions and accomplishments of those who have inspired and/or brought recognition to Toronto through sport." Each year, a selection panel is responsible for determining the inductees for 9 different categories: Athletes of the year, Builder, City of Sport Lifetime Achievement, Coach of the Year, Community Sport Volunteer, Corporate Builder, Spirit of Sport Diversity and Inclusion, Sport Legend, & Team of the Year. Nominations are also open to the public via e-nomination forms provided through their website.


Major league professional championships

Toronto is one of five North American cities (alongside
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and the New York Tri-state area) to have won titles in its five major leagues (MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS and either NFL or CFL), and the only one to have done so in the Canadian Football League. The following is a list of when professional sports teams based in Toronto won their respective major league championship. In addition to professional teams, several amateur teams in Toronto were also awarded major league trophies. The Grey Cup was initially awarded to the champions of Canadian rugby football, including both professional and amateur teams. Three amateur teams based in Toronto have won the Grey Cup, including the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in 1st Grey Cup, 1909, 2nd Grey Cup, 1910, 3rd Grey Cup, 1911, and 8th Grey Cup, 1920; the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers in 15th Grey Cup, 1927 and 18th Grey Cup, 1930; and the Toronto RCAF Hurricanes in 30th Grey Cup, 1942. In 1954, a decade after the last amateur team won a Grey Cup, the only remaining amateur football union withdrew from Grey Cup competition and the trophy was transitioned into a purely professional trophy. The Stanley Cup is another championship trophy that was originally open to amateurs and professional ice hockey teams. However, no amateur team based in Toronto was ever awarded the Stanley Cup. In 1909, the Allan Cup was created as a championship trophy for amateur hockey teams, with the Stanley Cup becoming a championship trophy awarded to professional teams.


Toronto Argonauts (CFL)

19 Grey Cup Championships *6th Grey Cup (1914) *9th Grey Cup (1921) *21st Grey Cup (1933) *25th Grey Cup (1937) *26th Grey Cup (1938) *33rd Grey Cup (1945) *34th Grey Cup (1946) *35th Grey Cup (1947) *38th Grey Cup (1950) *40th Grey Cup (1952) *71st Grey Cup (1983) *79th Grey Cup (1991) *84th Grey Cup (1996) *85th Grey Cup (1997) *92nd Grey Cup (2004) *100th Grey Cup (2012) *105th Grey Cup (2017) *109th Grey Cup (2022) *111th Grey Cup (2024)


Toronto Blue Jays (MLB)

2 World Series titles *1992 World Series, 1992 *1993 World Series, 1993


Toronto Blueshirts (NHA)

1 Stanley Cup * 1914 Stanley Cup Finals, 1914


Toronto FC (MLS)

1 MLS Cup *MLS Cup 2017, 2017


Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

The hockey club won its first championship in 1918 as the Toronto Hockey Club (informally the Toronto Arenas), whereas its second championships (in 1922) was won when the club was named the Toronto St. Patricks. All subsequent championships won by the club were awarded when the club was named the Toronto Maple Leafs. 13 Stanley Cups *1918 Stanley Cup Finals, 1918 *1922 Stanley Cup Finals, 1922 *1932 Stanley Cup Finals, 1932 *1942 Stanley Cup Finals, 1942 *1945 Stanley Cup Finals, 1945 *1947 Stanley Cup Finals, 1947 *1948 Stanley Cup Finals, 1948 *1949 Stanley Cup Finals, 1949 *1951 Stanley Cup Finals, 1951 *1962 Stanley Cup Finals, 1962 *1963 Stanley Cup Finals, 1963 *1964 Stanley Cup Finals, 1964 *1967 Stanley Cup Finals, 1967


Toronto Raptors (NBA)

1 NBA title *2019 NBA Finals, 2019


Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, sports leagues throughout North America suspended their operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Months later, a number of those sports leagues were able to resume their play behind closed doors (sports), behind closed doors while others either curtailed or cancelled their 2020 seasons altogether.


Playing through travel restrictions

Due to travel restrictions imposed by the Canadian government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, many Toronto based teams in those leagues were unable to host games against American based teams until the travel restrictions were relaxed in July 2021. In response, various Toronto teams mitigated the issue by seeking venues in American host cities for home games against American based teams, or by hosting games in Toronto exclusively against Canadian-based teams: *The Blue Jays' returned to play strategy for their 2020 "home" games featured playing in visitors ballparks as the home team for the first month until ultimately settling at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York as their home stadium for the duration of their abbreviated 60-game regular season. In 2021, the Blue Jays will play their first two months of their regular season home games at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida which will last from April 8 until the end of May. From June 1 onwards, the Blue Jays will return to Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York to play the remainder of their 2021 home games "until it is safe ... to return to play on home soil (at Rogers Centre)". On July 16, 2021, the Blue Jays received approval by the Canadian government for an exemption on border restrictions & played their first home game at Rogers Centre in Toronto on July 30, 2021, vs. the Kansas City Royals. *Toronto FC's return to play strategy for their 2020 MLS season featured scheduling in 3 phases. The first phase featured teams participating in the MLS is Back Tournament hosted in a quarantine, quarantined bubble with stringent COVID-19 testing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida. The tournament also featured round-robin matches which would count toward the regular season standings. This was followed by a second phase of scheduling that saw Canadian-based teams play one another exclusively, allowing for BMO Field to host home games. The third phase of scheduling saw TFC play U.S. based teams for the remainder of the season with home games played at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. For their 2021 MLS season, Toronto FC started their season playing their home games at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida, the home stadium for Orlando City SC. On July 14, 2021, Toronto FC was granted approval by the Canadian government to resume hosting games in Toronto vs. American teams on the condition that "clubs and match officials travelling to Canada will be subject to public health protocols required of all individuals entering the country," and that "only fully vaccinated players and staff will be excluded from Canadian quarantine requirements." They played their first game since the pandemic at BMO Field vs Orlando City SC on July 17, 2021. *The Raptors also returned to play at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex where the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season and 2020 NBA playoffs were played as part of the 2020 NBA Bubble with daily COVID-19 testing. Their 2020-21 NBA season, 2020–21 home games were played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida in an abbreviated 72-game schedule with the Raptors missing the playoffs. The Raptors played their first home game at Scotiabank Arena since the pandemic on October 20, 2021 against the Washington Wizards. *Unlike the other leagues, the NHL received an exemption to the travel restrictions, including an exemption from the mandatory 14-day self isolation upon entry into Canada, as part of their return to play in the 2020 NHL Bubble with Toronto & Edmonton serving as their 2 hub cities. This allowed for all playoff eligible teams based in Canada & American based teams entering Canada to participate on the condition that all team players and staff members remained isolated within designated secure zones (hotels, restaurants, practice facilities, and arena) which were all surrounded by a secured perimeter, and restricted themselves from access to or by the general public. Additionally, all members had to comply to daily COVID-19 testing, temperature testing, & symptom checks. This allowed the Maple Leafs to return to play at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto in a 5-game 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs#Stanley Cup Qualifiers, Stanley Cup qualifier round against the American-based Columbus Blue Jackets. Their 2020-21 NHL season was an abbreviated 56-game season played exclusively against other Canadian-based teams in a realigned "North Division (NHL), North Division" during the regular season, thereby allowing them to play their home games at Scotiabank Arena this season. The realigned division also allows for an all-Canadian matchup for the first 2 rounds of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. * The Toronto Six played in the 2020–21 NWHL season, 2021 NWHL bubble season at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York. Herb Brooks Arena hosted all NWHL season games and was also scheduled to host games for the 2021 Isobel Cup Playoffs. Shortly before the start of the Isobel Cup Playoffs, the season was suspended indefinitely due to positive cases of COVID-19 within the bubble. The season resumed with the start of the Isobel Cup playoffs which was played between March 26–27 at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts, with the top seeded Toronto Six being eliminated on the first day of play by the Boston Pride. *In 2021, Raptors 905 played their 2020–21 NBA G League season, 2021 NBA G League season & playoffs in a bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which was also used as the same venue for the 2020 NBA Bubble, with daily COVID-19 testing. The G League regular season lasted an abbreviated 15 games, followed by 3 single game playoff rounds. The top seeded Raptors 905 were eliminated in the second round by the Delaware Blue Coats. *The Toronto Marlies played their abbreviated 35-game 2020-21 AHL season exclusively against other Canadian-based teams in a realigned "North Division" during the season, like their parent club, the Toronto Maple Leafs. This allowed them to play their home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum that season. Although the Stockton Heat are normally based in Stockton, California, they were based in Calgary, Alberta for the 2020–21 AHL season to facilitate player transfers with their NHL parent club, the Calgary Flames, thereby allowing the Marlies to host games against them at Coca-Cola Coliseum as a North Division team. Unlike the Maple Leafs, the North Division, along with 3 other AHL Divisions, opted out of conducting a traditional 2021 Calder Cup Playoffs that season & did not issue a Calder Cup champion for the second straight year. * For the 2021 Major League Rugby season, the Arrows temporarily relocated to Marietta, Georgia, to share Rugby ATL's facilities at Life University#Intercollegiate Rugby Program, Lupo Family Field. * Toronto FC II began their 2021 USL League One season playing their first 3 home games at the Grande Sports World training facility in Casa Grande, Arizona, followed by 3 home games at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. They ultimately resumed playing their home games in Toronto on July 30, 2021 when they hosted Greenville Triumph SC at the BMO Training Ground.


Curtailed or cancelled seasons

In some instances, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forced some teams to curtail their season or cancel their season altogether: *The Toronto Argonauts were unable to play in 2020 due to the CFL cancelling the 2020 CFL season. They resumed play in 2021 Toronto Argonauts season, 2021 by playing their 1st game of the season on the road vs. the Calgary Stampeders on August 7, and playing their home opener vs. the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on August 21. *The 2020 Toronto Rock season was curtailed after playing their 11th game of the season on March 8 in Toronto at Scotiabank Arena vs the Calgary Roughnecks, & the NLL would also go on to cancel the 2021 season. On May 11, 2021, the Rock announced that they would relocate to
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
in part due to "significant reduction in operation costs significant reduction in game operations costs as well as the opportunities that exist to better connect with our fan base and most importantly grow that fan base and increase revenues." They also announced that the relocation would not yield a name change. The Rock resumed play in 2022 Toronto Rock season, 2021 by playing their home opener in Hamilton at First Ontario Centre on December 4 vs the Albany FireWolves. *The Toronto Marlies 2019–20 season was curtailed after playing their last game on the road vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on March 11. The Marlies would resume play in 2021 by playing their 1st game of the season in Winnipeg vs. the Manitoba Moose on February 15, 2021, as a member of a revised all-Canadian North Division to avoid cross-border travel. *Raptors 905's 2019–20 season was curtailed after playing their last game at home vs the College Park Skyhawks on March 11. They would resume play in 2021 by playing their 1st game of the season at the G-League bubble in Bay Lake, Florida vs. the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 10. *Toronto FC II opted out of participating in the 2020 USL League One season due to COVID-19 restrictions, but resumed play for the 2021 Toronto FC II season, 2021 season by playing their 1st game of the season in Casa Grande, Arizona vs. North Texas SC on May 22.


See also

* Amateur sport in Toronto * List of sports teams in Toronto * Multiple major sports championship seasons * CJCL (Toronto all-sports radio station, ''Sportsnet 590 The Fan'') * CHUM (AM) (Toronto all-sports radio station, ''TSN Radio 1050'')


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * {{Ontario Sports Sport in Toronto,