On June 16, British Columbia government announced that Vancouver will be one of the official host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026. This World Cup will be cohosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It will be the first World Cup ever to be cohosted by three countries, the fourth to be held in North America, and the first ever to be held in Canada.
FIFA World Cup is a global soccer tournament where 32 countries compete with each other to bring the glory back to their country. Although there are presently 32 teams competing, the 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams and 80 matches overall, with Canada likely hosting 10 matches.
“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.” Said John Horgan, the BC Premier.
World Cup also generate huge boost on local economies, according to DW news articles “Germany’s World Cup Report Hails Economic, Social Success” by DW staff, Germany’s tourism industry an extra 300 million euros in revenue, added 2 billion euros to retail sales and yielded 50,000 new jobs. With the amount of revenue and jobs available for Canadians, this will help on improving the unemployment rate in Canada. According to stats provided by Statista, Canada’s unemployment rate is 7.43% in 2021 which is significantly high due to COVID. The issue of the unemployment rate can be reduced with the increase of job positions.
BC government estimated costs will be from $240 million to $260 million for planning, staging, and hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 in BC with more than $1 billion revenue during the tournament and the five years following depends on the number of matches that will be played in Vancouver.
Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. Mark believes World Cup will draw visitors to visit BC and also promotes it to others. She also thinks that with supports from tourist, local economies will have long-term benefits for the tourism sector.
According to SportsPro Media’s article “Qatar 2022 to be watched by 5bn people, says Gianni Infantino” by Ed Dixon, the 2018 World Cup in Russia was watched by a combined 3.57 billion viewers, equating to more than half of the global population aged four and over. The statistics demonstrate how much people love soccer and how widely popular it is.
“The world will be invading Canada, Mexico, and the United States and they will be invaded by a big wave of joy and of happiness because that’s what football is about.” Concluded by Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA.
Sources:
: Vancouver host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026
World Cup 2026 host cities revealed, with 11 venues in U.S., 3 in Mexico and 2 in Canada
FIFA World Cup official website
Germany’s World Cup Report Hails Economic, Social SuccessStatista-Canada: Unemployment rate from 2017 to 2027
Qatar 2022 to be watched by 5bn people, says Gianni Infantino