Airbnb calls it the “biggest new host incentive program ever” — $1,000 for anyone in Toronto who signs up for its platform and rents out their place around the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Demand for World Cup stays on Airbnb is surging, giving residents of host cities the opportunity to boost their incomes by sharing their homes and the communities they love,” Airbnb’s chief business officer Dave Stephenson said.
“There’s truly never been a better time to become a host on Airbnb.”
However, in Toronto, some are concerned about the effects the policy could have on an already-expensive rental market for the residents left behind when soccer’s biggest tournament moves on.
Tom Slee, a member of the advocacy group Fairbnb and a writer, suggested the World Cup offered an opportunity for Airbnb to attract new long-term hosts.
Rather than just boosting its supply of houses for a few weeks around the tournament, it could move some rentals from long-term leases into the short-term market.
“There’s always a danger with Airbnb that it is always trying to expand its footprint in cities, it’s always trying what opportunities it can, and there’s a danger that, as it does so, that it drives housing stock out of long-term housing,” he explained.
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The timeline of the offer underscores the concern. Toronto will only host World Cup matches from June 12 to July 2; the offer rewards anyone who completes a booking before the end of July — weeks after the event is over.
“I think that’s what Airbnb is trying to do,” Slee said. “They want new people on their platform. They don’t just want them for the month of June, July. They want them on long-term.”
Global News asked Airbnb if the offer was part of an expansion plan.
“The program is designed to help host cities like Toronto meet the surge in demand for various types of accommodation during the FIFA World Cup 2026,” a spokesperson said.
“With the city expecting to welcome about 146,000 visitors, it creates a unique opportunity for residents to open their homes, earn extra income and benefit from the biggest host incentive program Airbnb has ever offered.”
For some landlords, the opportunity to make $1,000 along with short-term rental revenue could prove tempting. According to Rentals.ca, the average rent has fallen almost seven per cent in the last year. In March 2026, a one-bedroom apartment averages $2,201 per month.
Douglas Kwan, the director of advocacy and legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, said some property owners may try to free up their properties to take advantage of the offer
“I’m concerned that there’s marginalized tenants who are living in basement apartments or room houses that might be given cash for keys as those landlords look to flip them and make them Airbnbs,” he said.
“I’m also concerned that units that are exempt from rent control, those tenants living in those types of units might end up being evicted for short-term gain.”
The City of Toronto itself has a strict program governing short-term rentals. Anyone who wants to let a property on Airbnb has to register it with the city to guarantee compliance and bylaw officers try to identify properties that aren’t registered and have them banned.
It’s unclear, however, what an explosion in short-term rentals could do to that program at a time when city bylaw and other services will be stretched to their maximum hosting tens of thousands of soccer fans.
“The challenge in Toronto is that although Toronto has a strong short-term rental bylaw in place, the influx of more units coming onto the market as a result of World Cup — and also possibly the increase in illegal short- term rentals — will put an extreme level of burden on our bylaw officers, who already have a challenging time playing whack-a-mole to ensure that we have the right supply,” Kwan said.
The city’s media department repeatedly declined to make anyone available for an interview with Global News.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
