The FIFA World Cup is set to draw soccer players, fans and excitement to Vancouver in the summer of 2026.
The organization announced Sunday that Canada will host 13 out of the tournament’s 104 games, with seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto.
With games spread across Canada, Mexico and the United States between June 11 and July 19, the 2026 World Cup will be the first to include 48 teams, an expansion of 16 over previous tournaments.
A total of 16 cities across the three countries have been chosen to host games.
Vancouver is scheduled to host five group stage matches in June — two of which will feature Team Canada, which has already qualified as a co-host — a Round of 32 knockout match and a Round of 16 elimination game in July.
WATCH | People in Vancouver react to World Cup announcement:
Vancouver has scored big for the 2026 World Cup, with FIFA announcing that B.C. Place Stadium will host seven of Canada’s 13 games at the soccer tournament. We asked people on the street what they thought about the news.
The games will be played at B.C. Place, which has a capacity of 54,000. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said on CBC’s The Early Edition Monday that the stadium will be refurbished for the tournament.
Which games are being played in Vancouver?
The Vancouver game schedule is as follows:
- June 13: Group stage game
- June 18: Group stage game (featuring Canada)
- June 21: Group stage game
- June 24: Group stage game (featuring Canada)
- June 26: Group stage game
- July 2: Round of 32 game
- July 7: Round of 16 game
Soccer fans seeking even more live World Cup action might also want to consider Seattle, about 200 kilometres to the south, where six games will be hosted at Lumen Field.
The Seattle game schedule is as follows:
- June 15: Group stage game
- June 19: Group stage game
- June 24: Group stage game
- June 26: Group stage game
- July 1: Round of 32 game
- July 6: Round of 16 game
How do I buy tickets?
Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but fans can register to receive updates on ticket sales here.
What is the expected economic impact?
The city is expected to see an additional 900,000 visitors during the World Cup. Preliminary estimates released by the City of Vancouver suggest the tournament could generate more than $1 billion a year leading up to the games, and for five years after.
“I want to jump up and down with joy,” said Sim.
“I don’t think people realize how big of a deal this is.”
The mayor noted the tournament is bigger than the Super Bowl, with an average viewership for each FIFA opening round game at about 360 million, compared to the approximately 115 million views the Super Bowl gets.
Ken Sim said Vancouver has already begun preparations for the 2026 World Cup, with FIFA announcing Sunday that the city would host one more game than Toronto.
He said the city determined in their analysis that the benefits of hosting the games would outweigh the costs, and will have a positive economic impact on the region for years to come.
“When you bring economic activity to the city, you uplift everyone. You create more opportunity for people, you create tax revenue,” said Sim.
Will there be enough hotel rooms?
Fans visiting from out of town may want to book hotel rooms as early as they can.
Sim said the city is facing a hotel room shortage, a fact the tourism industry has raised over the past year.
A study released by Vancouver’s tourism board last year found Metro Vancouver needs an additional 20,000 rooms by 2050 to close the gap between supply and demand, with 10,000 of those rooms needed in the city of Vancouver.
Vancouver doesn’t have enough hotel rooms, which is driving prices sky-high — especially during big events such as the coming Taylor Swift concerts. Because Vancouver is a big tourist destination and there are fewer Airbnbs on the market, many say it’s time to build more hotels.
“If we don’t do something about it, that will actually stop prosperity in the city of Vancouver,” said Sim.
He said city council is pushing to get more hotel rooms built leading up to the 2026 tournament.