Vancouver still game for World Cup bid despite cost concerns

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson is reaffirming the city’s support for a bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite concerns from Premier John Horgan about what it could do to the province’s bottom line.

The official deadline for Canada, the US, and Mexico to submit their joint bid is this coming Friday.

If the bid is successful, and Vancouver is selected as a host city, BC Place could host as many as five games during the tournament.

“We really would love to host the World Cup in 2026 and we’ve been working hard on that,” Robertson says.

However, a recent statement by BC’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lisa Beare, suggests the province is not willing to push further to win the bid.

“The prospect of hosting the FIFA World Cup is exciting for soccer fans, and has the potential to bring significant economic and cultural benefits to British Columbia,” she says in a release. “While we support the prospect of hosting the World Cup, we cannot agree to terms that would put British Columbians at risk of shouldering potentially huge and unpredictable costs.”

Beare says the province has been working “diligently” with the United Bid Committee, made up of representatives from all three countries.

According to the minister, the committee has so far rejected the province’s requests for clarification on costs and declined to negotiate with the province. “Should the bid committee reconsider, our door remains open to bringing some of the 2026 World Cup games to Vancouver.”

This week, Horgan told reporters while he would like to see World Cup men’s soccer come to BC, he is not about the give FIFA a blank cheque. The province owns the venue, and would be on the hook for a portion of the cost for things like security, parking, and modifications to the playing surface.

“I’m hopeful that we’re going to see the BC government and federal come to an arrangement that works,” Robertson adds. “I know they’ve been working through the details with FIFA and the bid, and I’m hopeful that they’re going to get to a good place.”

The City of Vancouver threw its support behind the bid last summer. If it’s successful, Vancouver would learn whether or not it’s a host city in 2021.

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