As the province anticipates a major economic boost, local experts and hospitality staff say that the lasting benefits may remain unseen
Illustration by Sage Blackwell.
Vancouver is preparing to host seven matches of the FIFA World Cup between June 13 and July 7, 2026, alongside a FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE.
Provincial leaders, including B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport, Anne Kang, are putting spotlight on the potential long-term benefits that hosting the world cup may have on the provincial tourism economy.
“Through our Look West strategy, we are turning this global spotlight into real opportunities, boosting tourism, supporting jobs and opening doors for investment that will benefit people in British Columbia in the years ahead,” she said in a public statement.
However, with the start date of the games fast-approaching, local experts warn that the true financial impact of this major event may never be known.
“Measuring the overall impacts of these things can be really difficult,” Dr. Herbert Schuetze, an associate professor of economics at the University of Victoria, said in an interview with the Martlet. “Not only are there direct impacts … but there are also spillover effects.”
Schuetze explained that the difficulty with assessing a potential economic boom is the inability to observe the counterfactual — what the B.C. economy would have looked like during the summer of 2026 if the games were not held in Vancouver. Some critics say that, because June and July are already peak tourism months for the province, it is nearly impossible to determine how many prospective summer tourists will be displaced by travelling soccer fans.
Despite the ambiguity surrounding the financial gains or losses of this event, Schuetze noted that British Columbia is uniquely positioned to avoid high infrastructure costs that often occur when hosting mega-events, such as the Olympics. These municipalities, Schuetze said, often take on a public debt to fund new stadiums.
“My sense is that B.C. isn’t spending a whole lot of money on infrastructure in order to be able to host the FIFA games,” said Schuetze. “There has been some spending on the pitches … but not to the same magnitude that you would see in the Olympics, for example. So that’s on the plus side when you think about these particular events.”
However, according to newly released estimates reported by CBC News, Vancouver’s seven matches will still cost taxpayers roughly $578 million. Nationally, the cost for the 13 games across Toronto and Vancouver will come in at over $1 billion — sitting at $82 million per game, representing a significant public investment.
Schuetze said the immediate impacts will be most visible in the hospitality sectors. Hotels, restaurants, and short-term rentals in Vancouver, he said, are likely to extend their operations to meet the momentary demand. This sudden spike, he added, often leads to increased employment, as businesses hire temporary workers to keep up with the crowds.
Vancouver is expecting to see a massive influx of match-goers during the tournament period, but the wave of visitors and public demand in the tourism sector may not reach Vancouver Island.
Anna Storozheva, an assistant front office manager at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour, reported that hotel staff are still waiting to see a noticeable increase in reservations for the period between June 13 and July 7.
Even with the absence of notable reservations, Storozheva acknowledged the greater value of the FIFA games coming to the province. She said that the tournament has the possibility to serve as a monumental marketing opportunity for British Columbia as a whole, with the large-scale event putting local destinations on a global grandstand.“We have more tourists, so they are more interested in our destination,” said Storozheva. “It is good marketing for B.C.”
Still, relying on a reputational boost for long-term economic growth of the province may be optimistic. While short-term impacts on earnings are likely to be visible during the games, Schuetze warned that the benefits almost always drop off shortly after the final whistle.
“We don’t tend to see this jump up in employment and earnings [that] sustains itself over a long period of time,” said Schuetze. “You see a peak, and then a drop off again.”
For now, the province remains caught between the promise of an economic windfall, and the whispering reality of the current financial forecasts. As summer approaches, local business, workers, and soccer fans alike will have to wait and see if the World Cup delivers a financial win for the province, or if the benefits will stay temporary, and largely confined to the mainland.
