Tom Mayenknecht: A beautiful bottom line for the beautiful game

Fans take in the atmosphere on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver, B.C. on June 24, 2026 as Canada and Switzerland play on at B.C. Place. Photo by OKSANA SHTOHRYN / PNG

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Bulls-of-the-Week

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As is typically the case with any mega-event, the negative narrative around storylines such as construction delays and cost overruns leading into the FIFA 2026 World Cup has been replaced with the sheer intensity of world class soccer, the thrill of international team competition and the joy of fandom. Despite fears of dilution caused by the expansion from 32 to 48 participating countries, most would agree the quality of play — the on-field product — has been better than expected. That has been backed up by sold out stadiums and North American television records for the World Cup; the first one ever hosted by 16 host cities in three countries.

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Six matches in Toronto are tracking towards 99.9 per cent capacity (43,002-43,036 spectators) while it appears that all seven at B.C. Place in Vancouver will be sold out at 52,497 for a total of attendance of approximately 350,000 fans. Those sellouts have applied not only to the opener for the Canadian team in Toronto and Canada-Qatar and Canada-Switzerland in Vancouver, but also B.C. Place matches between Australia and Turkey and New Zealand and Egypt. The same sellout crowd of 52,497 is expected Friday night when Belgium meets New Zealand in the final group stage match at B.C. Place.

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Fan festivals and watch parties have been a going concern throughout the country, especially in the host cities of Vancouver and Toronto. And television audiences have been robust, with an average of 24.9 million Canadians watching at least some part of the World Cup. Canadian television drew average national audiences of 3.2M for Canada-Bosnia-Herzegovina for the first World Cup point in Toronto, 5.2M for the first World Cup match victory against Qatar and then 4.1M for the disappointing loss to Switzerland on Wednesday. From an international marketing perspective, linear television has averaged 6.6M viewers per match in the U.S., with total per match viewership approaching 175M globally.

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B.C. Place has arguably never looked better and the beauty shots of the North Shore mountains in Vancouver have been a major talking point for residents and visitors alike.

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Bears-of-the-Week

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The question is whether Canada Soccer will forever rue the missed opportunity that was presented to the men’s national team last Wednesday, with only a win or a draw against Switzerland standing between Canada and first-place in Group B. That would have earned Canada four extra days of rest and set up a Round of 32 match against a third-place qualifier this coming Thursday, July 2, at B.C. Place and then the possibility of the Round of 16 at home on Tuesday, July 7th. That was of course the much-coveted outcome, not only for the Canadian team but even more so for the business side and the legacy of the hosting opportunity at B.C. Place. The possibility of two more home matches for Canada would have created storytelling magic and a place in history as a truly transformative event.

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Having said that, the glass half full argument is that defining moment can still happen, albeit on the road. Canada travels to Los Angeles to meet South Africa on Sunday in a matchup that many see as favourable to head coach Jesse Marsch and the Canadian team. A win over the South Africans would propel Canada into the Round of 16 against Morocco or the Netherlands in Houston.

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Make no mistake: While a total of five matches on Canadian soil and four of them at B.C. Place would have been the sport tourism winner, Canada is still knocking on the door of history this weekend.

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Sport business commentator and marketing executive Tom Mayenknecht is a principal in EMBLEMATICA and the host of The Sport Market on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.

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