Where's Vancouver's World Cup Plan?

By Elke Porter | WBN News World Sports | January 7, 2026
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With first World Cup match 158 days away, residents say they're in the dark about biggest sporting event in city's history

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 kickoff at BC Place just five months away, an uncomfortable question hangs over Vancouver: Why do so many people not seem to know what's coming?

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Jessie Adcock, the Host Committee Lead earning $469,804 in 2024 to coordinate Vancouver's preparations, has overseen an 11-member secretariat with a budget estimated between $261 million and $281 million. Yet residents living within blocks of the stadium say they've received little to no information about how the world's most-watched sporting event will transform their city this summer.

The Communication Vacuum

Vancouver will welcome an estimated 350,000 spectators to seven matches between June 13 and July 7—including two games featuring Team Canada. The downtown core will be subject to a two-kilometer "Controlled Area" with extensive road closures, security screenings, and traffic restrictions that will affect residents, businesses, and emergency services for weeks.

But where are the public communication plans?

The City has published a Community Activation Playbook and established an email address (fwc26inquiries@vancouver.ca) for inquiries. In this Playbook: (found at https://vancouverfwc26.ca/community-hub/community-activation)
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Ideas for celebrating creatively with country flags, soccer themes, and community pride.
Information on when a FIFA Public Viewing License is needed and how to obtain one.
Rules on brand use, including a reminder that FIFA marks, logos, wordmarks, slogans, and other branding cannot be used without formal licensing or an official partnership.
Guidance for Vancouver-based businesses on hosting events during FIFA World Cup 2026™ and obtaining permits via the City of Vancouver.

Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association has created a webpage with information. Yet multiple residents interviewed near City Hall say they've heard virtually nothing through official city channels about what to expect or how to prepare.

"The economic benefits are estimated at over $1 billion in additional visitor spending," officials regularly tout. But citizens want answers to practical questions: Which streets will be closed? When? How will emergency services navigate the restricted zones? What happens if there's a medical emergency downtown when hundreds of thousands of people flood in and major arteries are shut down?

Emergency Preparedness Questions

Emergency services including police, fire, and ambulance will maintain access to all affected roads FIFA World Cup 2026 according to the official road closures page. But the specifics remain vague. With the Broadway Subway extension incomplete, Translink stretched thin, and downtown transformed into what organizers call a "pedestrian fan zone," legitimate concerns about emergency response times remain unaddressed in public communications.

Vancouver Emergency Management Agency is involved in planning, according to city procurement documents. But no comprehensive emergency response plan has been shared with the public showing how 911 calls will be managed when downtown becomes what amounts to an open-air festival zone for five weeks.

The $470,000 Question

Adcock's compensation—which exceeded the city manager's salary in 2024—has raised eyebrows. Her contract, obtained through freedom of information requests, was initially set at $270,000 but was quietly extended in July 2024 through September 2026. What tangible results have residents seen for this investment?

Training facilities at Killarney Park are progressing on schedule. BC Place upgrades are underway. A fan festival will occupy the PNE grounds. But the critical gap appears to be in public engagement and transparent communication with citizens whose daily lives will be dramatically impacted. The 29-person secretariat working under her also remains largely invisible to average Vancouverites.

The Missing Excitement

Compare Vancouver's approach to Toronto's more transparent FIFA preparations, which include detailed community engagement plans, neighborhood tables with local councillors, regular public briefings, and comprehensive legacy projects published online. Vancouver has committed to releasing a human rights action plan "in the new year"—but January 2026 has arrived, and the plan remains forthcoming.

Where are the community activation events? The ticket assistance programs for residents? The volunteer recruitment drives that should be creating citywide buzz? The Host Committee speaks of "sharpening its game plan to deliver an extraordinary experience for fans, players and visitors" but what about residents? Those who will endure road closures, noise exemptions until late hours (to accommodate international broadcast schedules), and a downtown core transformed into commercial space where unauthorized street performers and vendors face restrictions.

The Clock Is Ticking

Vancouver successfully hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. The infrastructure, experience, and "operational muscle" exists. But success in 2010 came with years of visible, transparent preparation that engaged citizens as partners, not afterthoughts.

With 158 days until the first match, Vancouver's FIFA preparations feel like a plan being executed behind closed doors—with residents expected to simply adapt when the world arrives on their doorstep.

The question isn't whether Vancouver can host the World Cup. The question is whether the City will finally communicate with its own residents about what it means—before it's too late to prepare.

Elke Porter at:
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LinkedIn: Elke Porter or
WhatsApp: +1 604 828 8788.
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