Listen to this article
Approximately 4 minutes
The audio version of this article was created using text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.
The head of Vancouver's 2026 World Cup host committee says now that the tournament's draw is complete, officials can begin finalizing safety, security, staffing and traffic plans for what she called the biggest sporting event in history.
The city will be ready to welcome the world in 185 days when the tournament spanning three countries and 16 cities gets underway, Jessie Adcock said Monday.
Asked about accommodations for fans flocking to the city, Adcock told a news conference that calculations done with Destination BC and Destination Vancouver indicate there will be enough options in the region to meet demand.
The city's short-term rental rules allow homeowners to list their primary residence for 90 days or less, which could be an added benefit for hotels, she said.
Under the host city's agreement with FIFA, there will be a controlled zone of approximately two kilometers around BC Place in downtown Vancouver.
Adcock said additional precautions would be taken in the area to ensure public safety and “to protect FIFA's commercial affiliates.”
“We need to control how traffic flows, where we send volunteers, and then it's part of the brand. In addition, all businesses can operate as usual and all residents can go to their usual places.”
Officials in British Columbia say planning for the 2026 World Cup is picking up pace as FIFA's match schedule is released. Vancouver will host seven World Cup games next summer. As CBC's Michelle Gomez reports, infrastructure upgrades are well underway in the city.
Some roads will be closed on match days, Adcock said.
She said the host committee would present a human rights action plan in the new year outlining the measures it would take to protect vulnerable people in the area.
“There are no current plans to displace anyone in the area.”
The press conference was held near Killarney Park, where Adcock said work on one of the two official training sites was progressing “ahead of schedule and under budget”.
Tina Mack, director of planning and development for the parks board, said the complex is almost ready to host the world's best players for training.
She said the grass on the course had been growing for almost a year elsewhere and had been “treated in extreme heat” before it was brought to Killarney Park in August to create a course “designed for strength, density and safety”.
“This is the same type of turf grown specifically for our region that will be available in 16 host cities around the world. [three] nation,” Mack said at a news conference.
She said players from Australia, Switzerland, Qatar, Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand would use the facility during the tournament next June.
Chris May, general manager of BC Place, which will stage seven games in Vancouver, said he and other officials are “incredibly excited” about installing natural turf at the stadium, with work on the field starting in late April.
“We are even more proud that this is a British Columbia-made solution for us, and the grass is growing as I speak to you today in the Fraser Valley,” May added.
May said pre-tournament upgrades include a new video board, merchandise store and restrooms, as well as additional elevator capacity.
The team facilities and showers have been upgraded for the first time since BC Place was built in the early 1980s, he said at a news conference.
Adcock said the Vancouver tournament will include a fan festival that will welcome at least 25,000 visitors each day, showcasing “the best of British Columbia,” as well as a new amphitheater with Burrard Inlet and the North Shore Mountains as the backdrop.
Adcock said they want Vancouver to shine on the world stage.
“Our goal is to make the city proud, to make our country proud, to make our province proud, so that the teams and visitors that are here want to come back again and again, to showcase our economic opportunity and innovation potential,” she said.
Bob Lenarduzzi, a former professional soccer player and Olympian from Vancouver, said he remembers playing on the Killarney Park field as a child.
If someone had told him then that the field would become a training ground for the World Cup, he said: “I would have laughed.”
“I thought it was impossible,” he said.
The tournament and celebration in Vancouver will give kids “something special to strive for,” Lenarduzzi said.
