Photos of a temporary stand at a tournament stadium in Toronto, Canada have gone viral. The Three Lions will play their round of 32 match there if they finish runners-up
England fans face a World Cup rollercoaster – watching the Three Lions from a stand that looks like a ‘carnival ride’. Photos of a temporary stand at tournament stadium BMO Field in Toronto, Canada, have gone viral – and left supporters quaking.
England will play their round of 32 match there if they finish runners-up in their group. Temporary stands have been built to add 17,000 extra seats to boost the stadium’s capacity to 45,000.
But images posted online showing the tall steep structures supported by scaffolding have sparked fear among fans who face sitting on them. One wrote: “A slight breeze and I’m s******* myself up there.”
Another posted: “Well that’s terrifying.” One more said: “I’ve seen enough Final Destinations to know to stay far, far away from that.”
Another fan said: “I would not sit up there. I would apply my carnival ride rules. I am not going 50+ feet in the air on anything that isn’t a plane or securely fastened to the ground.
“If it came in on a truck and is leaving on a truck I am not going up there unless I am paid a lot of money.” Someone else said: “I’m sure everything is very structurally sound but zero chance I would want to sit in those stands.”
“I know this is perfectly safe and proven time and time again to be sound from an engineering perspective, however it is still is absolutely terrifying to look at, let alone sit in,” added another.
Others hit out at the vast cost of such knocked-up World Cup seat tickets. One said: “Can’t wait to take out a second mortgage for that top row.”
Another said: “Imagine paying thousands in flights, hotels and tickets just to find yourself in the very top left seat. Hours and hours of s******* yourself.”
But at least one dad was relieved. “It helped my kids stop begging me to drop $$$$ for tickets!!! They saw this and freaked out,” he wrote.
If England finish second in Group L – where they face Croatia, Ghana and Panama – they would play their first knockout match at the stadium on July 3 at 1am UK time. It would be against the runner-up from Group K which will contain Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia plus the winner of a play-off between DR Congo and either Jamaica or New Caledonia.
BMO Field – home to Major League Soccer club Toronto FC – is due to host six matches during the World Cup including five group games and a knockout fixture. The temporary stands were added to meet tournament requirements.
Sources said while the visuals may ‘appear unsettling’ such stands are designed to meet strict engineering and safety standards. Major tournaments regularly rely on them to increase capacity without committing to permanent redevelopment and they are thoroughly tested before being approved for public use.
World Cup organisers FIFA had not responded to a request for comment.