Hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Vancouver could cost up to $624M, says B.C. government

Jon Azpiri · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 5:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

With little than a twelvemonth to spell until the commencement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, B.C. organizers person accrued their outgo estimates to big seven matches successful Vancouver to between $532 cardinal and $624 million.

Those numbers are up from past twelvemonth when the province, City of Vancouver and PavCo, the Crown corp that owns B.C. Place stadium, estimated the gross halfway outgo astatine betwixt $483 cardinal and $581 cardinal for metropolis and provincial services, arsenic good arsenic upgrades to B.C. Place. 

As plans developed, peculiarly astir safety, information and transportation, the estimates rose, the state said connected Tuesday.

It went connected to accidental costs are expected to beryllium offset by $448 cardinal to $478 cardinal in estimated revenues and recoveries, which are higher than 2024 estimates. 

The archetypal cost, released by the provincial authorities astatine the extremity of January 2023, pegged the measure for hosting 5 World Cup games astatine $230 million, with overmuch of that wealth going toward lawsuit security.

The January 2023 estimation was based connected expectations that Vancouver would big 5 games. The 2024 and 2025 estimates came aft FIFA — soccer's planetary governing assemblage — confirmed the city will big 7 games.

The state said it estimates the matches volition pb to much than 1 cardinal further out-of-province visitors betwixt 2026 and 2031, generating much than $1 cardinal successful further visitant spending.

 "Welcoming fans and visitors from astir the globe before, during and aft the tourney means existent benefits for section tourism businesses and the skilled professionals who powerfulness our vibrant industry," Walt Judas, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C., said successful the province's statement. 

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said successful the connection that the city's nonstop costs — including security, transportation, and a instrumentality festival — "remain connected track, with nary large changes from 2024's fund projections."

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which describes itself arsenic a non-profit citizen's radical dedicated to little taxes, criticized the spending, saying the state and City of Vancouver should beryllium focused connected redeeming payer dollars rather than hosting a ample sporting event.

The federation cited 2019 probe retired of Germany published successful a peer-reviewed diary that recovered "hosting the FIFA World Cup is wide ineffective successful tourism promotion."

Vancouver and Toronto are the 2 Canadian cities hosting 2026 World Cup games, alongside 11 cities successful the U.S. and 3 successful Mexico.