Vancouver is set to host its seventh and final World Cup match today, in a final hurrah at BC Place for an event that galvanized the city’s diaspora communities and drew thousands of fans from across the country and the globe.
The round-of-16 match between Switzerland and Colombia comes less than four weeks since the city got its first taste of the world's biggest sporting event, when Australia fans swamped the downtown core for a match against Turkey.
Since then, the city has been swept up in World Cup euphoria, with Canada fans staging two huge marches to the stadium and crowds flooding Granville Street on game days.
The FIFA Fan Festival in East Vancouver also emerged as one of the best places in Canada to watch the action outside a stadium, heaving with the energy of fans who have turned the PNE amphitheatre into a mosh pit for big games.
Colombia fans will be marching to BC Place from Jonathan Rogers Park at 9:45 a.m. ahead of the 1 p.m. kickoff.
Switzerland fans have made Vancouver their de facto home base as a result of their team's three consecutive matches at BC Place, and they'll be marching from the Blarney Stone Pub at 11 a.m.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said on Monday that the World Cup "will help attract future visitors, future investment, future events and future business opportunities."
"The exposure our city has received can't be replicated through traditional marketing or tourism campaigns, and our focus is making sure Vancouver captures both the immediate benefits and the long-term opportunities that come from hosting the world's biggest sporting event."
While Sim and others have championed the tournament's benefits, it could be months or years before the economic impact can be properly assessed — including whether Vancouver's hosting costs of up to $729 million represented good value.
Those costs are being borne by the city, the province and the federal government, which is kicking in $100 million in security funding and $116 million from Sport Canada.
The B.C. government has said a final total for B.C.'s World Cup costs isn't expected until spring of 2027.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Timothy Matwey
