Burnaby council members aren’t keen on spending too much money to build “excitement” for the FIFA World Cup when it comes to Vancouver in 2026.
City staff recommended a $440,000 plan to build community locally for the international soccer event, including indoor and outdoor viewing parties, community grants and a soccer festival.
Staff said the complementary events “can help residents feel part of the excitement, particularly those who might otherwise be excluded due to high ticket prices and limited availability.”
Staff suggested:
- $40,000 for indoor viewing parties at Rosemary Brown Recreation Centre (equipment, promotion and staffing for seven games)
- $100,000 for outdoor viewing parties at Civic Square or Central Park (equipment rental and staffing, including RCMP and fire)
- $150,000 for community grants for local soccer clubs and other athletics programs to plan events with retired players, outreach to underserved communities or mentorship programs
- $150,000 for a soccer festival for fans to celebrate soccer at Central Park or the Burnaby Lake Recreation Complex, with skill demonstrations, small-sided matches, food trucks and other entertainment
But council wasn’t convinced on the whole slate of programming laid out by staff.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said while public participation in major events like FIFA is a good thing, he wasn’t prepared to accept almost $450,000-worth of expenses. He suggested partnering with places like Brentwood mall, which hosts viewing parties for major sports games.
Coun. Daniel Tetrault said he also supports public viewing parties hosted by the city but not another community grants program when the city already has one.
“I think the excitement is already here for the World Cup. I think it’s about capturing that,” Tetrault said.
Coun. Maita Santiago agreed and added outdoor viewing parties could be better from a public safety perspective, rather than leaving events up to chance.
Still, Mayor Mike Hurley said council shouldn’t limit the city’s involvement to just viewing parties.
He said there’s a chance for another FIFA opportunity in Burnaby: hosting another country’s national team.
“That’s something I would like to explore because I think it would be a real cultural experience that would be amazing for the youth of our city and for those involved in soccer – which are many,” Hurley said.
Both Hurley and city staff been in discussions with other countries regarding space at Swangard Stadium and the fields at Christine Sinclair Community Centre.
Staff will include the FIFA plans based on council’s direction in its proposed operating budgets for 2025 and 2026.
The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and feature 48 national teams hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Vancouver will host seven games from June 13 to July 2.
