FIFA World Cup 2026: Vancouver Hosts Seven Matches

[djmk]

Originally Posted by NewfBC

Iran hit Stryker Medical big time today with a cyber attack. Company reps in Vancouver even had issues with their phones.

Stryker supplies a lot to the US military.

Who knows what they could do with FIFA systems.

Ron.

what FIFA systems? Break into a digital scoreboard and have a losing team win?

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by kikin

I think many locals that don't pay close attention were thinking this was like the olympics where you get named to be THE city and the whole world is watching and your city is front and centre..... this doesn't seem anything like that at all

The fans DGAF. Like most other religions, any kind of World Cup anything is evidently worth paying through the nose for.

[svlt]

Originally Posted by csbvan

Us not getting Italy games because they flub the opening round could be the most likely scenario...

Toronto (and its ticket scalpers) are really waiting for Italy to qualify. It would be the biggest flub if they miss (3rd time in a row).

Vancouver has far bigger games in the knockouts than Toronto. The R16 game will have the biggest potential to be absolutely massive (Italy-Portugal). Toronto's R32 game in all likelihood features something like a Croatia vs Uzbekistan/Congo level of matchup.

Honestly with all that's going on in the world it really takes some of the wind out of the WC, but it's still going to happen regardless. Barring actual WW3 there is no chance it gets cancelled now. The biggest fallout (for now) seems to be possibly Iran not playing, but my bet is they end up going anyhow, war or not. But their games really ought to be moved out of the US to Canada. FIFA truly are brainless (they dictated where they would play in our group - far better in Vancouver than anywhere in the US right now).

[EastVanMark]

Originally Posted by csbvan

And a round of 16 game. Canada gets 1 (Vancouver), Mexico gets 1 (Mexico City).

We also host the FIFA Congress conference April 30, which is a win as well (especially for restaurants with backrooms suitable for bribing!).

We are using an existing stadium, entered contention for the tournament late in the process, and got more out of it than our national co-host (Toronto). Could have been worse.

A lot worse. The fact we got all of these games and events is amazing especially considering we failed upwards to hosting them by not even being a part of the original bid process. Especially since as has been noted, we’re th second smallest market that’s hosting events.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by EastVanMark

A lot worse. The fact we got all of these games and events is amazing especially considering we failed upwards to hosting them by not even being a part of the original bid process. Especially since as has been noted, we’re th second smallest market that’s hosting events.

We didn't fail upwards, we said no. Then it became only Toronto and Edmonton and FIFA pleaded behind the scenes with BC to enter to be the second Canadian city. They have a great relationship with Vancouver - one of their first massively attended Women's World Cup finals was here in 2015. They chose Vancouver as their location for the pre-World Cup FIFA Conference (1500+ delegates from all the FIFA countries) here in April.

Vancouver didn't fail up, we saved FIFA from having to do Toronto and Edmonton (no offence Edmonton) for this event.

It's not about market size, so many attendees come from elsewhere. International airport connections are vital, and Vancouver has a lot.

[djmk]

Originally Posted by csbvan

We didn't fail upwards, we said no. Then it became only Toronto and Edmonton and FIFA pleaded behind the scenes with BC to enter to be the second Canadian city. They have a great relationship with Vancouver - one of their first massively attended Women's World Cup finals was here in 2015. They chose Vancouver as their location for the pre-World Cup FIFA Conference (1500+ delegates from all the FIFA countries) here in April.

Vancouver didn't fail up, we saved FIFA from having to do Toronto and Edmonton (no offence Edmonton) for this event.

It's not about market size, so many attendees come from elsewhere. International airport connections are vital, and Vancouver has a lot.

Vancouver also has one of the few downtown stadiums, has plenty of experience hosting huge events and has an incredible amount of hotel space if Whistler and squamish are included.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by djmk

and has an incredible amount of hotel space if Whistler and squamish are included.

Needing to drive in excess of an hour for a hotel is terrible IMO if you are trying so hard to establish event and party spaces during and after the games. Most of Vancouver's remaining core Hotel stock is very expensive (I doubt you're going to find "cheap" $250/night rooms during games because if the Taylor Swift concert showed, the prices will vary wildly) and most of the suburban locations have been converted into SRO stock over the last decade and are unusable if not downright uninhabitable.
Before someone says AirBNB, this merely irritates an unrelated issue with short-term rentals eating up all other residential stock.

[jollyburger]

Maybe a cable bridge for media use

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8n8BzuyLHF/

TENTATIVE - FIFA CABLE BRIDGE INSTALL
Impacts: Full Closure

Status: Approved

Expected Schedule: Mar 29, 2026 - Apr 11, 2026

Area:

Description:TENTATIVE

Signage required

Please sign the south side of 1100blk Pacific Blvd from Cambie St to 40m west of Cambie St. Pay Station: 32-11-20

Effective dates:
TENTATIVE
***OVERNIGHT WORK***

Permission to occupy and close the following locations for hoarding/scaffolding and cable bridge for FIFA:

Full road closure along 700blk to 1100blk Pacific Blvd, partial road closure along 00blk Smithe St from Pacific Blvd to Cooperage Way, Cambie Bridge off-ramp EB closure, and left turning lane along Cambie St Bridge from Pacific Blvd to 50m north of Pacific Blvd to install the cable bridge hoist in front of BC Place.

City Contact: 311

Posted: 3/19/2026

Updated: 3/19/2026, 2:13 p.m.

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/roadwork.aspx

[madog222]

Full lineup and schedule has been released for the Fan Festival concerts.

Schedule: https://www.vancouverfwc26.ca/fifa-fan-festival/schedule


Images from Vancouver FWC26 https://media.vancouverfwc26.ca//newsletter/FFFNewsletter2.pdf

[Glow Fun City]

Originally Posted by madog222

Full lineup and schedule has been released for the Fan Festival concerts.

Pretty solid lineup, good variety.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Simple Plan's still a thing? Go figure.

[jollyburger]

FIFA gives up on some room reservations. Globe said it was 70-80% of the rooms they reserved.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/fifa-cancels-thousands-vancouver-hotels

[MIPS]

Daily Hive Urbanized has previously reported on hotel room costs during FIFA, finding prices listed at $1,723, $1,242, and $2,325 a night

He said that this type of room release is “standard practice for large-scale events.” Organizers tend to adjust their allocations as they approach the event, which is now less than three months away.

"Everyone else does this, so it should be no surprise when we did it too :^) "

Slime. The 15000 room number is misleading as I'm pretty sure that's all of the hosting cities but the idea they booked up a massive block of available rooms and then dumped them when event pricing spiked them is extremely suspicious.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by MIPS

"Everyone else does this, so it should be no surprise when we did it too :^) "

Slime. The 15000 room number is misleading as I'm pretty sure that's all of the hosting cities but the idea they booked up a massive block of available rooms and then dumped them when event pricing spiked them is extremely suspicious.

I’m curious, did they block all these so they could re-sell them as part of packages?

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by whatnext

I’m curious, did they block all these so they could re-sell them as part of packages?

Article say it was for everyone associated with the event.

Its's 15,000 hotel "nights" so the number of rooms is probably significantly lower.

[djmk]

considering there are 13 teams coming to vancouver plus all the staff for 3 weeks, 15000 hotel nights is very reasonable. I would imagine FIFA needs to block off room to ensure the teams have somewhere to sleep.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by djmk

considering there are 13 teams coming to vancouver plus all the staff for 3 weeks, 15000 hotel nights is very reasonable. I would imagine FIFA needs to block off room to ensure the teams have somewhere to sleep.

That's the number of room nights they cancelled. They are keeping ~4000-6000 room nights.

Gemini said it was because Vancouver's hosted matches doesn't include any of the big teams.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by MIPS

The 15000 room number is misleading as I'm pretty sure that's all of the hosting cities but the idea they booked up a massive block of available rooms and then dumped them when event pricing spiked them is extremely suspicious.

15,000 is just for Vancouver, about 75% or room nights they booked.

The BC Hotel Association says these were for June 11 to July 19 so the actual number of rooms would perhaps be around 500.

[djmk]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

That's the number of room nights they cancelled. They are keeping ~4000-6000 room nights.

Gemini said it was because Vancouver's hosted matches doesn't include any of the big teams.

vancouver is hosting round 32 and round 16. Gemini does not know who these teams are.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by djmk

vancouver is hosting round 32 and round 16. Gemini does not know who these teams are.

Sorry Gemini was talking about a Group of Death with top teams lumped in with Canada in the group stage.

Even then that's two games 32/16 and relies on a good team dropping to 3rd place in the group stage (sure it happens but again low odds).