Welcome to Toronto, the (relatively) new home of Fitzdares in Ontario, Canada! Toronto is a vibrant city with a passionate sports culture.
As an Englishman who moved to Toronto from London earlier this year, this is everything I’ve learned about the world of sport here, from the electric atmosphere of Maple Leafs ice hockey nights to the long afternoons watching Blue Jays baseball, the bizarrely fervent Toronto FC games, and everything in between…
Ice hockey
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ice hockey is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Canada, and the Maple Leafs are Toronto’s most beloved sports team. They are one of the original six NHL teams but are on a long drought, having not won the coveted Stanley Cup since 1967.
The atmosphere at games in the Scotiabank Arena is raucous but friendly, with rival teams’ fans sitting among the home fans. It’s certainly more aggressive on the ice than off it, with fights between players regularly breaking out.
The game itself is fast-paced and enjoyable, even if it is quite hard to follow. Matches last nearly three hours, so there’s plenty of time to spend your money on overpriced beer and poutine – a Canadian “delicacy” of chips covered in gravy and topped with cheese curds.
The Maple Leafs made the playoffs in 2023/24 but, having fought back from 3-1 down to 3-3 in the opening playoff round in a best of seven series, they lost in overtime in the deciding game against the Boston Bruins.
The playoff games were on in every bar, restaurant and club in the city, with every man, woman and child wearing ridiculously oversized ice hockey jerseys.
Basketball
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors became the first Canadian team in the NBA in 1995 and have enjoyed a huge amount of success. In 2019 they won the NBA Championships, beating the Golden State Warriors 4-2.
People still go on about ‘Raptors Fever’ five years on, the city having come to a halt during the finals, with regular tickets selling for thousands of dollars.
They were led by legendary forward Kawhi ‘the Claw’ Leonard, whose nickname comes from the size of his hands, which measure 11.25 inches. A basketball is like a tennis ball for him.
They’ve struggled in recent years to match those heights, and the game I went to in January felt a little flat with their hopes for the season all but gone – but it’s probably the easiest non-British sport to follow and relate to.
Baseball
Toronto Bluejays
Now the ice hockey season has ended, the city is obsessed with baseball and the Bluejays. I was intrigued to see how a baseball game compared to a cricket match from a fan’s point of view.
While I’m still not fully sold on it, like cricket it’s a great day out and a chance to drink and eat a lot – although food and drink prices make the Cheltenham Festival look like a Wetherspoon. A hot dog can set you back Can$30 (£17) and a large Budweiser can be as much as $20 (£11.50).
It’s a simple but technical sport, with endless stands of strategy geared around statistics. They’ve recently changed the rules around time between pitches, which has sped up games, but going to a game still requires patience.
Football (“soccer”)
Toronto FC
Football is getting a lot more popular in North America. The 2026 World Cup is taking place in the USA, Mexico and Canada, and Toronto will host six games at the lakeside BMO Field.
Having been a season ticket holder at Aston Villa since 2005, I somehow managed to time my departure from England to Toronto during the middle of Villa’s best season for 30 years.
It was therefore quite depressing watching my first Toronto FC game on the same weekend I’d usually have been watching Villa secure Champions’ League football.
The quality is low in the MLS. I’d estimate it’s on a par with the bottom end of the Championship and the top of League One, with the odd star player looking a cut above the rest.
The ‘Beckham’ rule was brought in to allow MLS teams the chance to break the salary cap to sign star players, which is how Lionel Messi has found himself playing for Inter Miami.
In Toronto’s case, they have Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. Insigne can barely run any more, but Bernardeschi, who scored the winning penalty against England in the Euro 2020 final, is a joy to watch.
The atmosphere is a cross between an Arsenal home game, with the new generation of forced flag waving and flares, and a passionate non-league fan base, who care little about the result of the game but enjoy the day out. It’s nothing if not entertaining.
The ‘Beckham’ rule was brought in to allow MLS teams the chance to break the salary cap to sign star players, which is how Lionel Messi has found himself playing for Inter Miami.
Racing
Woodbine racecourse
Toronto has a beautiful racetrack called Woodbine, which has played host to some memorable racedays. It hosted the 1996 Breeders’ Cup, and many British trainers have successfully raided Woodbine in recent years.
Charlie Appleby, David Simcock, Sir Michael Stoute, Ed Dunlop, Andrew Balding, Sir Henry Cecil and Paul Cole are just some of the British trainers to have won Grade 1s at Woodbine.
Appleby and Godolphin in particular have enjoyed tremendous success of late, with Modern Games and Master of the Seas both winning the Woodbine Mile en route to claiming Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile success in the same season.
I recently spent an afternoon at Woodbine and the racecourse has an incredibly relaxed and welcoming feel to it. The viewing is fantastic and I can’t wait to be back later this year for their newly formed Turf Champions Day on Saturday 14 September.
There are now four turf Grade 1s on one bumper afternoon of action and it’s sure to be a popular day for European trainers and racing fans.
George Smyly is a communications guru based in Toronto