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Four years ago, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver began as the original Canadian sites considered by FIFA for the 2026 tournament.
Vancouver was named the host city of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, June 16, 2022, during a live event at BC Place Stadium. Pictured (left to right) are Vancouver City Councilor Rebecca Bly, PAVCO CEO Ken Cretney, Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports Secretary Melanie Mark, and Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of Public Safety and Attorney General Mike Farnworth, who celebrate the message. (Photo by Jason Payne / PNG) Photo by Jason Payne / PNG
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After all, it was more of a coronation than a fear, as Vancouver was chosen to host the 2026 World Cup.
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As 17 cities in the United States and three in Mexico sweated to see if they would be one of 10 to 12 selected to host matches in Thursday’s announcement by the global football governing body, Canada was simply ready to start the party.
The few fans admitted to BC Place Stadium, the site of the 2026 Games, applauded eagerly as the fireworks exploded when Vancouver was announced. The reaction to Toronto’s entry as Canada’s other host city was silenced as Seattle received several boos.
Vancouver was named the host city of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, June 16, 2022, during a live event at BC Place Stadium. Pictured is Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malani Mark congratulating (left to right) Musqueam Indian Band boss Wayne Sparrow, PAVCO board chairman Gwen Point, Squamish Nation adviser and spokesman Wilson Williams and Tsleil-Watuth First Nations chief Jen Thomas . (Photo by Jason Payne / PNG) Photo by Jason Payne / PNG International footballers, left, Hirving “Chuckie” Lozano, Jonathan Osorio and Christian Pulisic are waiting on 6th Avenue for FIFA to be named the host of the World Cup. in 2026, Thursday, June 16, 2022, in New York. Photo by Noah K. Murray / AP
After Montreal dropped out last year and Edmonton’s political stance shut down the nomination committee, the only question left before the decision was actually how many of Canada’s 10 games will be won by Vancouver – and whether they will include our own national team. .
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Melanie Mark, the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports, said that in addition to the upcoming number of World Cup matches, Vancouver also has five exhibition matches before the tournament.
“We want the most we can get. I hate to say it so directly, but that’s what we talked about, “said Mark. “We did our best to have this opportunity and we want to maximize these benefits not only for the stadium, but also for the fans and everyone else who is really excited to invite the world. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed! ”
Shane Grimmer, 28, grew up in Vancouver and said he was delighted that Vancouver had been confirmed as the host.
“I never thought we would play in the World Cup, let alone come here,” he said.
Although there was a lot of noise in the days before the announcement that Vancouver would be confirmed as one of the host cities, Grimmer admitted that he still felt anxious in the minutes before the official news.
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“I was really nervous until they actually said it,” he said with a smile.
He and friends Walter Siou, 35, and Patrick Hearn, 47, watched the message at Boston Pizza right in front of BC Place.
Hearn was born in England and moved to Vancouver about a decade ago. He lives near the stadium.
“Obviously we are very used to participating in world championships, we grew up watching it, so it’s exciting to bring that energy and enthusiasm to Vancouver,” he said.
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Mark said that while this moment is invaluable, the cost of hosting the games is high, between $ 240 million and $ 260 million, but it will reap a huge return on revenue for the province, with about 269,000 visitors expected.
“We know that tax dollars are valuable,” she said. “We know that there are challenges with affordability, and when you make investments like this, we have also taken into account that this investment will have a return. And we are looking at the billion dollars that are coming to British Columbia
“The tourism industry here, they have been hit hard by this pandemic and this opportunity will help stimulate this growth for our economy.
Mexico, the other joint host, will also win 10 games, while the United States will have 60, including all matches from the quarterfinals onwards.
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Four years ago, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver began as the original Canadian sites considered by FIFA for the 2026 tournament.
But Vancouver withdrew from the dispute in 2018, when Prime Minister John Horgan cited the cost of hosting the tournament and FIFA’s ultimate control over it as too high a price to pay for the province. They were not alone, and other major cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis and Glendale, Arizona, opposed the idea of granting tax exemptions, financial aid and all sorts of agreements under Swiss law, and dropped out of the race.
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Vancouver-born Victor Montagliani, FIFA’s vice-president and president of CONCACAF, the North American and Caribbean football governing body, condemned the province’s decision at the time, saying provincial authorities ignored the proposal until the last minute and Horgan didn’t even care. called. talk about the situation.
“They probably thought it was a Timbits tournament,” he told Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston at the time.
“No, seriously. They just don’t understand the scope of what this sport is in the world and what this tournament means.”
“It’s a story. We have to move on. “
The province went ahead, but FIFA and the Canadian Football Association did not.
When Montreal followed suit last July, leaving only Edmonton and Toronto, Vancouver was wanted again in late 2021 to revive its offer. Seeing that the tourism industry was overwhelmed by the pandemic, this time the government was more receptive to the idea. Horgan and Co. they happily returned to battle officially in February, after which they saw them take the lead when Edmonton severely hampered their chances by making their $ 100 million funding dependent on hosting at least five games, two of which were in the round of 16. or later.
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Dead silence at the Commonwealth Stadium in a room full of City of Edmonton staff who realized they would not host #FIFAWorldCup 2026 matches
– Derek Van Diest (@DerekVanDiest) June 16, 2022
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FIFA is not an organization that is kind enough to the demands and noise around Edmonton, remember that it is home to Canada’s biggest football star Alfonso Davis and the crowded Commonwealth Stadium for two qualifiers for the November 2022 World Cup. quickly decreased.
BC boasts the largest remaining stadium in Canada – BC Place had 53,855 fans at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, a record for a sporting event in Canada – and there were other factors working in its favor. Its proximity to Seattle, another successful city, an airport that is a major international travel hub, and an existing tourist infrastructure capable of handling the influx of global fans were key elements of the offer.
The province, despite the expected cost of more than $ 100 million, which will be accrued through the cost of replacing BC Place’s brand new artificial grass with natural grass, huge security costs and other logistics, can expect the economy to recover.
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FIFA requires a turf for the World Cup, a complex proposal for an indoor stadium such as BC Place, and two months of exclusive use of the facility. This means that local tenants Vancouver Whitecaps and BC Lions will be displaced in months.
Major League Football will probably be closed during the tournament and Whitecaps can continue to train at their own facility, but this will bring a serious crisis in the lions’ schedule at the beginning of the season.
“Since Vancouver rejoined the party, we have been on the line and sitting at the same table (during the talks),” said Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster. “From day one, we said we were there to support, we want to make the games come here.
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“It is a requirement to have a standard FIFA training base for the upcoming teams, so we have already discussed our help …
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