2026 World Cup - News, Updates and discussions

[narduch]

Just now, Mihairokov said:

I was under the impression that Woodbine plan is dead in the water now that the York United ownership walked.

Pretty much.

I think they were looking for government funding but City Of Toronto is focusing on Centennial and Sunnybrook as World Cup training fields.

[TGAA_Star]

19 minutes ago, narduch said:

Pretty much.

I think they were looking for government funding but City Of Toronto is focusing on Centennial and Sunnybrook as World Cup training fields.

Then I can actually get behind this

[red card]

B.C. Pavilion Corporation (operator of BC Place) revealed their contract with FIFA subsidiary which is Canada Soccer. 

Of note, B.C. Place must stage, in conjunction with the CSA, at least three soccer matches in full-stadium format as test events prior to 2026. 

The grass playing field must be no less than 125 metres by 85 metres, but FIFA will decide which species of grass will be installed.

It's similar to the Toronto agreement but the article didn't mention requirement to stage 3 matches at BMO. 

The version Seattle released states that FIFA will allow the host city committee to buy, ahead of the public, as much as 1.5% of tickets per hosted match. “These tickets can be used to assist fundraising efforts and included as part of a host city supporter package.”

FIFA also provides host cities with 175 to 250 complimentary VIP tickets at each match they host and a small amount of tickets to matches in other cities.

https://thebreaker.news/business/bc-place-fifa-2026-contract/

[Nored]

Will Canada Soccer be allotted so many tickets which Canadian residents will apply for in a lottery system with higher priority given to those that have a paid membership? Will how long you have been a part of the paid membership also likely play into the priority given? And then in the general pool of tickets for those not in Canada, USA or Mexico, having a certain credit card might get you priority access? Asking based on how past World Cups have worked and what people have heard. Thanks. 

[An Observer]

27 minutes ago, Nored said:

Will Canada Soccer be allotted so many tickets which Canadian residents will apply for in a lottery system with higher priority given to those that have a paid membership? Will how long you have been a part of the paid membership also likely play into the priority given? And then in the general pool of tickets for those not in Canada, USA or Mexico, having a certain credit card might get you priority access? Asking based on how past World Cups have worked and what people have heard. Thanks. 

I keep renewing my membership for this reason but who knows. 

[Neil R.]

Was looking at how CAF qualifying was going today. They have 9 groups of 6 teams. Each group winner qualifies directly to the World Cup.

They've played 4 out of the 10 matches, so are almost halfway done. In 6 of the 9 groups, the current first place team is the top seed (Egypt, Cameroon, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Tunisia), but in the other 3 groups, the current first place team is the 5th seed in each group! Maybe they've had a more favourable schedule to start, but it seems wild that there are 3 Pot 5 countries (Sudan, Rwanda, and Comoros, all ranked between 128th and 148th at the time of the draw) in contention for a direct spot. Nigeria, one of the Pot 1 seeds, is currently 5th out of 6 in their group.

There could be a few unexpected teams from the African region in the draw at WC26. Assuming the OFC spot goes to New Zealand, I was thinking they'd be the lowest-ranked team at the tournament, but maybe they won't be after all.

[Free kick]

https://www.sportico.com/leagues/soccer/2024/copa-america-euros-offer-lessons-fifa-2026-world-cup-1234788842/

quote:” In terms of crowd control, a violent faceoff broke out between Uruguayan national team and Colombian fans after the semifinal in Charlotte’s Bank of America stadium. The fight emphasized the importance of security planning for the World Cup, which will take place in 11 other stadiums across the U.S.”

Quote# 2:  “In the U.S., “You’ve got Tuesday night in Charlotte with 70,000 people packing a stadium, paying top dollar,” Matheson said.

Some 54% of the ticket sales for the match came from outside the Carolinas. The president of Charlotte FC, Joe Labue, speaking to local media ahead of the semifinal, said the city expected thousands of tourists for the big game.”

*******
https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/copa-america-disaster-will-not-be-repeated-world-cup-2026/ad13bd9e98986853e1003790

*******
https://sports.yahoo.com/why-2024-copa-america-chaos-doesnt-necessarily-spell-doom-for-2026-world-cup-164702530.html

Edited July 15 by Free kick

[eramosat]

My newest favourite thread to monitor, and peruse.

[eramosat]

On 6/16/2024 at 10:39 AM, narduch said:

Pretty much.

I think they were looking for government funding but City Of Toronto is focusing on Centennial and Sunnybrook as World Cup training fields.

if it's not too much?  I would love a relatively brief explanation of what types of sites Toronto and Vancouver need to satisfy the needs of the WC teams that visit.  Training, practice, accommodations...facilities at each...whatever!  And the best names to use to describe them.  I know nothing about the needs of one team, or how Canada has done it in the past, but I'd be very interested in understanding the process for a multi-game stay.

Or just refer me somewhere.

I'm fairly familiar with Centennial and Sunnybrook fields in Toronto, and using them as practice or training facilities for WC teams is very surprising to me...I thought enclosed pitches were a minimum requirement, but who knows?  Maybe they're not...or maybe they're getting enclosed somehow?

[TOcanadafan]

Who is responsible for paying the security bill for the World Cup?  Is it FIFA, or do they force the host cities to pay?  After reading this article from May it seems the bill goes to the city.  I’m guessing after Copa, Toronto and Vancouver will be looking at a huge increase in security costs.

Edited July 16 by TOcanadafan

[narduch]

7 minutes ago, eramosat said:

I'm fairly familiar with Centennial and Sunnybrook fields in Toronto, and using them as practice or training facilities for WC teams is very surprising to me...I thought enclosed pitches were a minimum requirement, but who knows?  Maybe they're not...or maybe they're getting enclosed somehow?

I have no idea how the City chose those 2 locations.

Its a shame they didn't work with the CPL or even League 1 Ontario to get something done.

[Watchmen]

17 minutes ago, TOcanadafan said:

Who is responsible for paying the security bill for the World Cup?  Is it FIFA, or do they force the host cities to pay?  After reading this article from May it seems the bill goes to the city.  I’m guessing after Copa, Toronto and Vancouver will be looking at a huge increase in security costs.

I would anticipate "additional federal contributions".

[eramosat]

11 minutes ago, narduch said:

I have no idea how the City chose those 2 locations.

Its a shame they didn't work with the CPL or even League 1 Ontario to get something done.

they just both seem a wee bit too public access focussed, to possibly satisfy quality and security concerns?  although they are both large, and located to major traffic thoroughfares to minimize travel concerns at any time of day in an increasingly complex/dumb/depressing Toronto traffic situation, where simply minimizing the distance you need to go is your best bet

 

 

[eramosat]

33 minutes ago, TOcanadafan said:

Who is responsible for paying the security bill for the World Cup?  Is it FIFA, or do they force the host cities to pay?  After reading this article from May it seems the bill goes to the city.  I’m guessing after Copa, Toronto and Vancouver will be looking at a huge increase in security costs.

huge increase in security costs?

I hope not.  There is no need, I hope, to prevent fans from competing teams from sitting shoulder to shoulder, somewhere in the stadium.  If there are...that is a nightmare to manage. 

Otherwise, simply have enough entry gates + transportation + time +stadium entry times to let crowds get in and out without bottle-necking?  Come early, come late, get in easily, sit down, be entertained while you sit...

Finals and semi-final of COPA are not necessarily a good comparison for what Canada should have to manage wrt natural fandom animosity, and ticketless stadium stampeding, and I stress that I don't even know if the latter is what took place in the final or not, as has been reported by some for the causes of the COPA finals headaches.

But if that's what's required to be prepared for?  Yeah...fan management and containment and soothing costs may increase!  But hopefully not just plain "security".  

 

Very interesting stuff though.

[TOcanadafan]

1 minute ago, eramosat said:

huge increase in security costs?

I hope not.  There is no need, I hope, to prevent fans from competing teams from sitting shoulder to shoulder, somewhere in the stadium.  If there are...that is a nightmare to manage. 

Otherwise, simply have enough entry gates + transportation + time +stadium entry times to let crowds get in and out without bottle-necking?  Come early, come late, get in easily, sit down, be entertained while you sit...

Finals and semi-final of COPA are not necessarily a good comparison for what Canada should have to manage wrt natural fandom animosity, and ticketless stadium stampeding, and I stress that I don't even know if the latter is what took place in the final or not, as has been reported by some for the causes of the COPA finals headaches.

But if that's what's required to be prepared for?  Yeah...fan management and containment and soothing costs may increase!  But hopefully not just plain "security".  

 

Very interesting stuff though.

I do have confidence that FIFA has experience with seat assignment and in-stadium security.

Good point that Toronto and Vancouver will not be hosting any games from Quarterfinals onwards, and these previous mob incidents have occurred in Finals.
 

 

[TGAA_Star]

10 hours ago, eramosat said:

if it's not too much?  I would love a relatively brief explanation of what types of sites Toronto and Vancouver need to satisfy the needs of the WC teams that visit.  Training, practice, accommodations...facilities at each...whatever!  And the best names to use to describe them.  I know nothing about the needs of one team, or how Canada has done it in the past, but I'd be very interested in understanding the process for a multi-game stay.

Or just refer me somewhere.

I'm fairly familiar with Centennial and Sunnybrook fields in Toronto, and using them as practice or training facilities for WC teams is very surprising to me...I thought enclosed pitches were a minimum requirement, but who knows?  Maybe they're not...or maybe they're getting enclosed somehow?

Or how about those fields in downtown Toronto near U of T as training or practice facilities 

[red card]

One piece of advice for World Cup 2026 from various Athletic writers that attended Copa matches:

 

Figure out how to utilize, or create, public transportation options in a meaningful way. This isn’t to suggest cities build transit rail options in two years, but the lack of shuttle buses and/or lack of instructions on how to arrive at venues by any other methods besides Uber was appalling. 

Take down those dreadful soundproof screens in press boxes. What is that all about? Who wants to report behind glass on a game that you can’t hear or feel?

Figure out how to have affordable (free), accessible fan zones to drum up more excitement around the tournament beyond each stadium’s confines to foster watch parties and celebrations that are always prominent during the Euros, but were absent entirely at the Copa America.

Signage. I’ve been to a lot of sporting events in many different countries and the stadiums in the U.S. were among the worst for this. The people working at the stadiums here were routinely lovely but also, I’m afraid to say, routinely clueless, resulting in long, tedious queues and confusion.

Something needs to be done about the policing and security at games. For the longest time it looked like inaction on the part of the authorities was going to result in a tragedy in Miami. It was a lucky escape.

It is near-impossible to get to some of these stadiums without a car, but at the same time extortionate to pay for a taxi or a parking space, and then a nightmare trying to get out afterwards. Exit routes and pick-up spots were poorly signposted and often far away from the main exits — from the five games I attended, there was a mad dash through a field with Adam Crafton, over an hour wandering an empty parking lot with Stuart, a bizarre taxi ride in San Jose, countless cancellations and too many hours wasted in transit.

There has been lots of hype around the U.S. being “the ATM of the world” and how this is great for growing soccer in the region. But this tournament truly exemplifies how that sentiment can go terribly wrong. Fans shouldn’t be priced out of games. 

Here’s one that will never happen: make these games affordable again. It was clear profit was put above all else in this tournament, from behind the scenes with the media through to the ticket pricing and even lack of promotion. It felt like a missed opportunity — even if the tournament did produce some great crowds.

And the final word to El Loco.

 

[Watchmen]

[Free kick]

3 hours ago, red card said:

 

Here’s one that will never happen: make these games affordable again. It was clear profit was put above all else in this tournament, from behind the scenes with the media through to the ticket pricing and even lack of promotion. It felt like a missed opportunity — even if the tournament did produce some great crowds.

 

I remain quite confident that affordability wont be an issue like it was for Copa.    Unless they change for 2026,  FIFA will/should have complete control over the tickets management, ticket distribution and redistribution.   And that will be a big positive.   From my experience,  this will become the one thing that we can all applaud FIFA for.  Bet you never thought that it was possible to ever say something positive about FIFA  .   But this is one thing that they do well.

When you bought your ticket for 2022,  it was stored and visible on you account.  You could not transfer it to another person but you could only send it back to the resale market and receive only the price that you paid for it.   The tickets were accessed through a phone app and became active only when you approached the stadium and within something like 1-2 hour before kick off.  So as you approached the stadium (within a specific distance), you could see a mesg stating that you ticket for the game was now active.   Basically,  this means no Ticketmaster and hence no ticket scalping was NOT possible.   Also, the most expensive ticket was $200.  When you think about it,  that's pretty damn good!

The way I see it,  the problem for 2026 will be one of supply and demand.  You have a stadium in Toronto that seats only 45K for the WC and you have a population (within 5-7 hours driving range) of perhaps as much as 50 million people.  so that supply (45k) is way too low for that potential market and potential demand.  For that you would need something like an 70K seat stadium.  

 

From the bid evaluation book: 

Edited July 16 by Free kick

[masster]

3 hours ago, Watchmen said:

It baffles me that the best we can offer these elite athletes is community parks. Wouldn't using something like the Whitecaps training facility out at UBC make a lot more sense? Even Swangard? (Or does it matter that Swangard is technically in Burnaby and not Vancouver).

I remember during the U20 World Cup in 2007, Uruguay had an exhibition match scheduled at BCIT. When the team got there, the match was cancelled because of the pitch. The same crappy field we used for intramural games was going to be used for a young Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

Lets take bets on how quickly these fields will return to cow pastures after 2026. If the city is spending money to prepare these sites...wouldn't it make sense to do it someplace with more of a legacy after the tournament? Perhaps partner with a league 1 BC club or something?

[SpursFlu]

28 minutes ago, masster said:

It baffles me that the best we can offer these elite athletes is community parks. Wouldn't using something like the Whitecaps training facility out at UBC make a lot more sense? Even Swangard? (Or does it matter that Swangard is technically in Burnaby and not Vancouver).

I remember during the U20 World Cup in 2007, Uruguay had an exhibition match scheduled at BCIT. When the team got there, the match was cancelled because of the pitch. The same crappy field we used for intramural games was going to be used for a young Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

Lets take bets on how quickly these fields will return to cow pastures after 2026. If the city is spending money to prepare these sites...wouldn't it make sense to do it someplace with more of a legacy after the tournament? Perhaps partner with a league 1 BC club or something?

I think there will be 6 teams based in Vancouver (correct if wrong) they all need their own facility. This will be fascinating to see where the will be. I think i read it needs 1 grass 1 turf. I'm saying

UBC

Killarney park

Burnaby Lake

Gates Park

?

?

Edited July 17 by SpursFlu

[Watchmen]

26 minutes ago, masster said:

It baffles me that the best we can offer these elite athletes is community parks. Wouldn't using something like the Whitecaps training facility out at UBC make a lot more sense? Even Swangard? (Or does it matter that Swangard is technically in Burnaby and not Vancouver).

I remember during the U20 World Cup in 2007, Uruguay had an exhibition match scheduled at BCIT. When the team got there, the match was cancelled because of the pitch. The same crappy field we used for intramural games was going to be used for a young Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

Lets take bets on how quickly these fields will return to cow pastures after 2026. If the city is spending money to prepare these sites...wouldn't it make sense to do it someplace with more of a legacy after the tournament? Perhaps partner with a league 1 BC club or something?

I don't disagree, but this seems more of a failure of the surrounding communities than Vancouver. Because yeah, the talk for a while was about how this could be an opportunity to put some additional infrastructure in place that would be beneficial in the future. If it's Vancouver doing this, that simply signals to me no one else stepped up.

[Soro17]

15 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

I think there will be 6 teams based in Vancouver (correct if wrong) they all need their own facility. This will be fascinating to see where the will be. I think i read it needs 1 grass 1 turf. I'm saying

UBC

Killarney park

Burnaby Lake

Gates Park

?

?

Interriver Park in North Van is a good candidate. 

[SpursFlu]

The problem is it's BC. We should have way more nice things. GVR district is completely controlled by Vancouver and they dont let anyone do anything that might reduce their power. There is a bit of a battle brewing between Vancouver and Surrey because people are sick of the lunatics in Vancouver and their agenda. I predict there will be change because the center of gravity in the Lower Mainland needs to change 

[SpursFlu]

3 minutes ago, Soro17 said:

Interriver Park in North Van is a good candidate. 

No thanks to North Van. Its impossible to get on and off the North Shore and you want people to have access. I think Bear Creek Park and Willoughby are more likely 

Edited July 17 by SpursFlu