Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle to host 2026 World Cup games

The beautiful game is coming to Vancouver and Toronto.

Vancouver was the first western host city announced by FIFA to host games for the 2026 World Cup Thursday afternoon. The city joins Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Guadalajara as host cities in the west region.

It hasn’t yet been announced how many games Vancouver will host.

The moment Vancouver became a World Cup host city. @Sportsnet650 @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/9M2qGYk40D

— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) June 16, 2022

Toronto was confirmed as a host city in the east, along with Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, and Miami.

Matches in Vancouver will be played at BC Place, while BMO Field will be the venue in Toronto.

Edmonton was the third Canadian host city bidder, with the intention to play at Commonwealth Stadium, which hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup. But despite showcasing the stadium in Canada’s 2022 World Cup qualifying run last November, Edmonton was not selected.

The central cities announced on Thursday are: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Mexico City, and Monterrey.

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— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 16, 2022

Vancouver made a resurgence as a host city bidder in April after Montreal dropped out of contention. The Quebec provincial government had withdrawn funding citing cost overruns.

Vancouver’s BC Place, which hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, may need a few changes ahead of 2026. The 54,405-seat stadium offers an artificial turf surface, which is currently not approved for FIFA World Cup games.

Upgrades are also on the docket for Toronto’s BMO Field. The home of MLS’ Toronto FC and the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts can currently seat 30,000 fans but the FIFA World Cup standard asks for stadiums holding upwards of 40,000 people.

A total of 80 games will be divvied up between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico for the 2026 tournament. It is expected that the United States will host 60 matches, while Canada and Mexico host 10 matches each.

“The Province will work with FIFA to confirm the number of matches that will be held in Vancouver,” a statement from the B.C. government said.

Hosting matches in B.C. to cost up to $260M

The cost of planning, staging, and hosting matches in Vancouver is an estimated $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,” the province said in a statement.

It says the tournament could bring in $1 billion in new tourism revenue during the tournament and in the five years afte

Celebrations at BC Place, where a viewing party was held on June 16, 2022 as the host cities of the 2026 World Cup were announced (CityNews image)

The province calls it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity,” with Premier John Horgan saying B.C. isn’t hosting games “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.”

Tourism Minister Melanie Mark says B.C. is “ready to welcome the world.”

“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.”

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• FIFA to reportedly name Vancouver, Toronto as 2026 World Cup host cities

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• Canada qualifies for 2022 FIFA World Cup

Reconciliation with Indigenous people is also a consideration, Mark said in April, adding the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations have and will play a big role in plans.

“They are thrilled about the prospect of inviting the world to their unceded traditional territory. They are big sports fans, they’ve got a lot of interest in a number of sporting activities going on in Vancouver, but they’ve assured me that this is good for their Nations, they look forward to being centre stage and being a partner,” Mark said, noting her conversations with the First Nations chiefs.

“I often say paddle together — that’s how you get good things done, and they have shown just great enthusiasm and interest in working with government to pull this off,” she said at the time, when Vancouver became a potential host city.

With files from Sportsnet