With the 2026 FIFA World Cup fast approaching and matches set to be staged at BMO Field this summer, Toronto FC are staring down a familiar question: how does the club recapture relevance, ambition, and global attention at the most pivotal moment in its modern history? Stars. There’s one who wants a MLS move, so why not north of the border?
Robert Lewandowski wants a MLS move with the Polish striker’s FC Barcelona contract nearing its end. While no final decision has been made, there is growing belief that several MLS clubs are actively pushing to bring him to North America for the 2026 season. Toronto FC should be one of them.
A move to the United States reportedly appeals to Lewandowski, who remains clear that retirement is not currently under consideration. Other options remain on the table, including Saudi Arabia or another competitive chapter in Europe, but MLS is firmly in the conversation according to the latest reports from Sky Sport Germany.
For Toronto FC, the timing is obvious. The club is entering a transitional phase after several underwhelming seasons, and an overdue and expensive divorce from Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. Jason Hernandez and the TFC brass have yet to clearly define the roster model moving into 2026 — weather to have three DP slots, or two with the option of four U22 initiative spots. With the World Cup arriving on BMO Field’s doorstep, Toronto is one of the few MLS markets where the pressure to deliver a marquee name feels unavoidable. A global star is not simply a luxury in Toronto, it is a marketing, cultural, and sporting necessity.
Lewandowski would represent a different calibre of signing than TFC’s previous Designated Player experiments. Unlike Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco, he is past his prime. But unlike Insigne, Bernardeschi, Julian de Guzman and Torsten Frings, he wasn’t just a great player in Europe, he was elite.
Even at this stage of his career — Lewandowski will turn 38 in mid-August — his profile dwarfs most players linked to MLS, and his arrival would instantly place Toronto back on the international map. MLS has proven its willingness to attract elite European veterans, like Son Heung-man and all of Lionel Messi’s friends. Lewandowski’s former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Müller is now the standard-bearer for that trend north of the border in Vancouver. His presence with the Whitecaps has only heightened expectations that Toronto must respond with an icon of their own.
There is also a symbolic appeal in Toronto re-positioning itself as the Canadian MLS destination for big names. Vancouver has immeasurably benefitted from Müller’s arrival. Toronto FC risks being overshadowed on its own national stage during a World Cup summer unless they make a similarly bold statement — and based on the WTR comments section, $18 million for Josh Sargent isn’t it.
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Lewandowski has scored nine goals in 15 LaLiga appearances this season.
Multiple variables remain unresolved, including Lewandowski’s personal priorities and Toronto’s financial strategy. He likely wouldn’t be able to make his MLS debut before the World Cup break either, plus there are also rumours that Barcelona would be keen to extend him beyond June. But as MLS clubs push and global attention turns toward North America, the idea of Lewandowski leading the line at BMO Field is the type of ambition the moment demands.
If Hernandez hasn’t done so already, he needs to get Alphonso Davies and Drake on a FaceTime call to ring Lewandowski: turn the nine into the new man in the 6ix.