How much will the World Cup really cost B.C.? Government promises update before kickoff

B.C. Place stadium. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

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It’s been almost a year since British Columbian taxpayers saw updated cost projections for the World Cup in B.C., though the host committee is pledging another update before the tournament begins one month from today.

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It’s a pledge that some critics and opposition politicians find far from satisfying.

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On Monday, officials at the B.C. Tourism Ministry and the FIFA World Cup 2026 Vancouver Host Committee said that an update on costs, including public safety and security, revenues and economic benefits would be provided “in the coming weeks.”

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Pressed on timing, a spokesperson for the committee said they were “working toward sharing the next financial update ahead of the start of the tournament.”

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Carson Binda, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says there’s no reason to keep the public in the dark until the tournament is nearly underway or has already started.

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“We need accountability and we need it now,” Binda said. “We haven’t been told for nearly a year what the province thinks this is going to cost taxpayers. Seven soccer games shouldn’t come with a blank cheque, and without a publicly released budget, that’s exactly what this looks like.”

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Vancouver is to host seven matches for the international men’s soccer tournament, with the first on June 13 between Australia and Turkey. The Canadian team will play two of its three group stage matches at B.C. Place against Qatar and Switzerland on June 18 and June 24.

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The tournament’s first game will be in Mexico City on June 11, and the final will be in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.

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Last June, the B.C. government estimated that the province would spend between $532 million and $624 million. That’s a 10 per cent jump from the 2024 estimate of between $483 million and $581 million, and more than double the early estimate in 2022.

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Jarrett Vaughan, an adjunct professor at the University of B.C., said he is getting less hopeful that the final price for B.C. to host the tournament will be worth it.

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Vaughan speculated the trade war between Canada and the United States could also have an impact.

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“I think that taxpayers need to be super skeptical and reticent in terms of any number that the provincial government gives related to the cost, because they don’t have a track record in being able to predict such a thing,” Vaughan said.

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“Our dollar is fairly weak, so it’s affordable for Americans to come visit. So that is a benefit. But I think the optimism which we saw around FIFA, maybe a year or two ago has waned, and I don’t think it’s going to be as good for the city as we had once hoped.”

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Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports with Vancouver Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster and BC Soccer president Debbie Pudek during an annoucement about a provincial legacy of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on March 19, 2026. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

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Macklin McCall, the B.C. Conservative public safety critic, says he is concerned the province still appears to be in the planning stage and that not only is the Tourism Ministry unable to provide overall figures, but Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger won’t say how security will cost.

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McCall said he questioned the minister in the legislature last week and the only thing she would say is that an update is coming soon.