FIFA 2026 World Cup Duty Remission

Summary#

The FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 Remission Order lets organizers, teams and other event partners avoid or recover some customs duties, excise taxes and GST/HST on certain goods brought into Canada for the 2026 World Cup. The order took effect on October 30, 2025 and covers imports made between July 1, 2025 and July 19, 2026.

What it does#

• Remits taxes and duties on goods temporarily imported for the event by groups such as the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), the national organizing committee FWC26 Canada Football Limited (NOC), FIFA, FIFA affiliates, media rights holders, sponsors, suppliers and their agents.
• Remits taxes and duties on items brought in by 2026 World Cup family members (players, coaches, officials, etc.) when the goods are for their exclusive use at the event.
• Allows a partial remission for display items and equipment. If the importer is not resident in Canada and not a GST/HST registrant, the full tax is remitted. Otherwise the remission is reduced by an amount calculated as tax on one-sixtieth of the item's value for each month (or part of a month) it stays in Canada.
• Remits duties and surtaxes on free-distribution items whose unit value is $60 or less.
• Remits taxes and duties on gifts and awards with a unit value of $60 or less when given to team members, officials, volunteers or other authorized people.
• Remits duties and surtaxes on certified sports equipment if it will be donated after the event to a qualifying non-profit or public institution and is not sold or disposed of within two years.
• Remits duties and surtaxes on clothing donated by sponsors or suppliers that is used as official volunteer uniforms and kept by volunteers after the event.
• Excludes alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and vaping products — the order does not apply to those.
• Sets conditions: goods must be exported or destroyed under CBSA supervision on or before December 31, 2026; claim for remission must be made within two years after the goods were accounted for; and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will check eligibility.
• The order is scheduled to be repealed on July 19, 2030.

Who's affected#

• Event organizers and partners: CSA, FWC26 Canada Football Limited (NOC), FIFA and FIFA affiliates, sponsors, suppliers, media rights holders, and their agents.
• Athletes, coaches and other accredited event personnel (referred to as 2026 World Cup family members).
• Volunteers who receive official donated clothing.
• Non-profit sports clubs, charities, schools or municipalities that receive donated sports equipment after the event.
• The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which administers and enforces the rules.
• The general public is unlikely to be directly affected unless they receive donated equipment or event giveaways.

Why it matters#

• It reduces costs for teams, organizers, sponsors and broadcasters by removing some taxes and duties on equipment, promotional items and supplies brought in for the World Cup.
• It helps Canada meet a commitment made to FIFA when bidding to host the tournament, following a long-standing practice for major international sporting events.
• The order supports event logistics for an event expected to draw over one million international visitors and is part of preparations that an economic assessment estimated could contribute up to $2 billion to Canada’s GDP (the order itself is expected to cause only small revenue losses; a past similar remission cost about $310,000 in foregone revenue).
• It does not cover alcohol, tobacco or vaping products, and strict time and documentation conditions apply so importers must follow CBSA rules to get the remission.