The BC Premier is willing to take matches if FIFA decides to relocate American contests.
The Premier of British Columbia, Canada David Eby wants more World Cup games in Vancouver if the governing body of global soccer, FIFA, decides to pull matches out of the United States because of immigration policy during the 2026 Men’s World Cup. “Additional games in British Columbia would not only be possible, but they would be incredibly welcome,” Eby said. “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. 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.”
Meanwhile the local 2026 World Cup organizers have adjusted the cost estimate of hosting seven games and it has increased that projection to between $532 million and $624 million Canadian or between $390 million to $458 million US. That’s up from a 2024 estimate of between $483 million and $581 million Canadian or $354 million to $426 million US. But the British Columbia government said there is no reason to worry. Tourists will foot the bill. Tourists from outside of British Columbia, maybe American or Mexican or maybe people from around the world. They will spend money in Vancouver. The 2026 matches will result in more than one million additional out-of-province visitors between 2026 and 2031, generating more than $1 billion Canadian or $735 million US in additional visitor spending. British Columbia officials are banking on people returning to Vancouver or maybe Victoria and other points in the province on a year-to-year basis although tourism doesn’t really work that way. There is no indication FIFA is moving games.
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