June 1 – Canadian province British Columbia has written to FIFA offering to take on more games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer if a number of US cities currently scheduled to host are deemed inappropriate and dangerous to player and spectator health following the extreme heat conditions that have plagued the current Club World Cup.
Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium is scheduled to host seven matches, including two of Canada’s group games and two knockout games.
B.C. Premier David Eby, said he would welcome more 2026 World Cup games if they were reassigned from US host cities.
At the current Club World Cup a number of matches have been interrupted for up to four hours for extreme weather safety or had starts delayed, causing criticism from club coaches who argue that it is impossible to maintain the integrity of the game under these conditions.
There are also on-going concerns due to the number of nations that are currently on US president Donald Trump’s banned list that would prevent travelling fans enter the country. Canada could present an option to overcome this issue.
“Additional games in British Columbia would not only be possible, but they would be incredibly welcome,” said Eby.
“We’ve actually written to FIFA to say if for whatever reason they need to move games from any other locations, British Columbia stands ready to host,.
“We can move quickly. We have an amazing team and we are ready to host additional games here in this beautiful province.”
Canadian organisers have estimated the cost of hosting World Cup games at about $624 million, most of which are related to stadium improvements.
Local organiser estimate the hosting will lead to more than one million additional out-of-province visitors between 2026 and 2031, generating more than $1 billion in additional visitor spending.
More matches would improve that economic further, particularly as the infrastructure costs are fixed.
“In terms of the budget, a lot of the costs for FIFA are fixed costs related to upgrades … which means that additional games bring in additional ticket revenue, additional revenue for the province,” he said.
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