Vancouver gets down to details as it prepares to welcome world after FIFA draw

The lead of Vancouver's host committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup says now that the draw for the tournament is complete, officials can turn to refining safety, security, staffing and traffic plans for what she called the largest-ever sporting event.

The city will be ready to host the world in 185 days when the tournament spanning three countries and 16 cities kicks off, Jessie Adcock said Monday.

Asked about accommodations for fans flocking to the city, Adcock told a news conference that calculations made alongside Destination BC and Destination Vancouver show there will be enough options across the region to meet demand.

The city's short-term rental regulations allow homeowners to list their principal residence for 90 days or less, which could be a supplement for hotels, she said.

Under the host city agreement with FIFA, there will be a controlled area of roughly two kilometres around BC Place stadium in downtown Vancouver.

Adcock said extra precautions will be taken in the zone to ensure public safety and "protect FIFA commercial affiliates."

"We need to control which way traffic patterns are, where we put volunteers, and then, there's the brand piece. Other than that, businesses can all operate business-as-usual, residents can all go to all their regular places."

There will be some road closures on the days matches are held, Adcock said.

The host committee will share a human rights action plan in the new year, laying out measures it will take to protect vulnerable people in the area, she said. 

"In that area there is currently no plan to displace anybody."

The news conference was held next to Killarney Park, where Adcock said work on one of two official training sites is proceeding "ahead of schedule and on budget."

Tina Mack, director of planning and development for the parks board, said the facility is nearly ready to welcome some of the world's best players for training.

She said the grass on the field had been growing for nearly a year at another location and "treated under extreme heat" before it was brought to Killarney Park in August to create a pitch "engineered for strength, density and safety."

"It's the same turf type, custom grown for our region that the 16 host cities will have across the (three) nations," Mack told the news conference.

She said players from Australia, Switzerland, Qatar, Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand will use the facility during the tournament next June.

Chris May, general manager of BC Place, which will host the seven games in Vancouver, said he and other officials were "incredibly excited" about the installation of natural grass at the stadium with work on the field starting in late April.

"We're even more proud that for us this is a B.C.-made solution, with that grass growing as I speak to you today in the Fraser Valley," May added.

May said upgrades ahead of the tournament include a new video scoreboard, merchandise store and washrooms, and additional elevator capacity.

The team facilities and shower areas have all been upgraded for the first time since BC Place was built in the early 1980s, he told the news conference.

Adcock said the tournament in Vancouver will include a fan festival with a capacity of at least 25,000 visitors each day, showcasing "the best of B.C.," along with a new amphitheatre with Burrard Inlet and the North Shore mountains as the backdrop.

Adcock said they want to make Vancouver shine on the world stage.

"Our goal is to make the city proud, our country proud, our province proud, make teams and visitors that are here want to come back over and over again, showcase our economic opportunity and innovation potential," she said.

Bob Lenarduzzi, a Vancouver-born former professional soccer player and Olympian, said he remembers playing on the Killarney Park field as a kid. 

If anyone told him that the field would be a training site for the World Cup, he said, "I would have laughed."

"I would have thought that was never possible," he said.

The tournament and celebrations in Vancouver will give children "something very special to aspire toward," Lenarduzzi said.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam