Vancouver named FIFA World Cup 2026 official host city
By Province of British Columbia
FIFA has confirmed that Vancouver has been chosen as an official host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
This is the first time that FIFA Men’s World Cup matches will be played on Canadian soil, and the tournament is watched by billions of people around the world. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to support the tourism sector, put the global spotlight on British Columbia and inspire the next generation of players.
“British Columbia welcomes the world for FIFA World Cup 2026,” said Premier John Horgan. “We’re not hosting the largest ever World Cup just for kicks. British Columbians will enjoy an economic boost to the tourism and hospitality sectors that will be felt for years to come. We look forward to welcoming the global soccer community to our province.”
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico with matches held in select host cities across North America. This World Cup will be the largest ever held, and the first to feature 48 teams playing in 80 matches. It is expected that the United States will host 60 matches, with Canada and Mexico expected to host 10 matches each.
The Province will work with FIFA to confirm the number of matches that will be held in Vancouver.
“B.C. has made its mark on the international stage, and I am thrilled that Vancouver was selected as one of the host cities for this tournament,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “We worked hard with all our partners to put our best foot forward for this bid. We are ready to welcome the world here, in Vancouver and all around the province. This event will attract visitors from all over the world, and we know that when first-time visitors come to B.C, they return again and again, while promoting B.C. to others. They fill up our hotel rooms, buy from our local businesses, support our economy and have long-lasting benefits for our tourism sector. We can’t wait to show them what beautiful B.C. has to offer.”
At this time, the estimated costs for planning, staging and hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 in B.C. range from $240 million to $260 million. This estimate is before considering offsetting contributions from the federal government and the City of Vancouver, stadium and training site rentals and other sources, and potential marketing opportunities that are expected to generate revenue. Additionally, early modelling from Destination BC and BC Stats estimates that the tournament could bring more than $1 billion in new revenue to B.C.’s tourism sector during the tournament and in the five years following, depending on the number of matches played in Vancouver.
Local First Nations communities have expressed their support, and further collaboration is expected to facilitate this tournament on their lands. These factors will have impacts on additional potential revenues. The ministry will provide ongoing updates on event details.
Quick Facts:
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The FIFA World Cup is an international soccer competition, highly popular among soccer fans and others around the world, and is hosted in a different country every four years.
- The next FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar in November 2022.
- The Canadian men’s national team qualified for a place at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, a first since 1986.
- Vancouver (including BC Place Stadium) was invited to apply to plan and stage matches in summer 2026, and the city was approved as one of 22 candidate host cities in April 2022.
