‘It’s going to be a first:’ U.K. family who booked World Cup trip to Toronto without tickets gets big surprise

Nathan Richardson and his family will be in the stands at Toronto Stadium for Senegal vs. Iraq.

A British family that planned a $10,000 trip to Toronto for the FIFA World Cup despite not having tickets to a match is now heading inside the stadium after a CTV News story caught the attention of Airbnb.

“I woke up in the morning, and I looked at my phone, and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ At first, I thought it was a scam… It just came through, and it was like, ‘Great news, you’re going to the World Cup in Toronto,’" Nathan Richardson, a soccer fan from Peterborough, England said in a follow-up interview with CTV News Toronto.

Richardson and his family will be in Toronto from June 21 to June 27, overlapping with two World Cup matches. Originally, he said that his family was prepared to make the most of fan festivals, pubs and city events even if they never made it into Toronto Stadium (known by locals as BMO Field).

In an interview, Airbnb says it saw coverage of Richardson’s story and decided to step in.

“We’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is incredible. Can we find tickets for the family so they can actually go to the game,’” said Matt McNama, Airbnb’s communications lead, adding that the gesture was part of a broader campaign for customers.

The family will see the June 26 match between Senegal and Iraq.

A ‘full circle’ moment

Richardson says the trip will be even more meaningful because family members are travelling from different parts of the United Kingdom.

“We all live in different parts of Great Britain… it’s a big thing. We’re meeting up, and it’s a great excuse to share some good news,” he said. “It is fantastic how things have gone full circle.”

How the Airbnb campaign works

The tickets came through an Airbnb promotion launched across all 16 World Cup host cities.

That campaign was officially rolled out on June 10.

The company says select Airbnb listings now include complimentary FIFA World Cup tickets as part of a guest’s stay. More than 1,300 tickets are being distributed throughout the tournament, with “hundreds” available in Toronto and Vancouver.

“If a guest were to book a listing that has a certain soccer icon on it, they would be given free tickets to the World Cup, as long as they’re booking during those World Cup dates,” McNama said.

He said Airbnb had already been planning the campaign when the Richardson family came to their attention.

“It didn’t make sense for someone to spend $10,000 on the trip, and for FIFA to come to Toronto, and to not actually experience a game,” he added.

Reflecting on the whirlwind week, Richardson said the experience has been “a massive roller coaster” adding that the moment he’s most looking forward to is arriving at the stadium alongside his family.

“I think walking up to the stadium with the family is going to be the thing for me,” he said.

“I’ve never actually been in to see an actual game, so it is going to be a first.”