FIFA confirmed on Thursday that Vancouver has been chosen as an official host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The selected cities in alphabetical order are:
Canada: Toronto, Vancouver
U.S.: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
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, the Province said.
“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.”
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said: “Vancouver is thrilled to welcome the world to Vancouver in 2026. Following the success of hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015, Vancouver is poised to take the next step and host the largest FIFA World Cup ever. With world-class amenities, excellent venues, one of the best stadiums in North America, and Canada’s biggest football fans, we can’t wait to partner with Host First Nations and the Province of B.C. to host the world’s largest sporting event.”
Chief Wayne Sparrow, Musqueam Indian Band, said: “Soccer is a globally unifying sport. It is an important sport to Musqueam – just like it is important to so many communities around the world. We are thrilled to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in our ancestral territory. There is no doubt that our youth will not only take pride in our involvement, but be inspired to continue playing the game that so many of us love.”
Sxwíxwtn, Wilson Williams, spokesperson, Squamish First Nation, said: “The Squamish Nation is thrilled the FIFA World Cup will kick off on our shared traditional territories in 2026! We look forward to working with our partners to make this world cup the biggest and best one yet. This event will promote Coast Salish cultures and languages to billions of soccer fans around the world and will inspire all Indigenous athletes to compete on the global stage.”
Chief Jen Thomas, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, said: “Soccer is incredibly important to the Tsleil-Waututh community, and we are pleased that this tournament will be hosted in our territory in 2026. Sport is like medicine to our people and can help heal and inspire our communities. We are excited to collaborate on these games and look forward to the opportunities they will bring to our people.”
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
* 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.
