2026 World Cup - News, Updates and discussions

[K1J3]

It shows FIFA’s priority level, I know there were many complaints after the fact in 2015 regarding BC Place and Commonwealth pitches. But it’s hard to believe these stadiums could potentially require hundreds of millions in upgrades to host group stage and early knockout stage games for the men’s tournament when they hosted the Women’s World Cup Final and Third Place match which would only be 11 years earlier by 2026

Edited March 31, 2022 by K1J3

[Trois Reds]

It's not just stadium upgrades though. There are upgrades to roadways, accommodations, amenities. It's a mini-Olympics for two weeks.

[Watchmen]

2 hours ago, Trois Reds said:

So, the city of Edmonton is willing to spend $110 million for the World Cup, matched by the province.

Toronto is looking at spending $90 mil.  I believe the province is willing to pay as well.

Vancouver is talking about spending... $5 million? Enough to buy three houses in the city.

I wonder which is the odd one out here.

 

41 minutes ago, SthMelbRed said:

Vancouver has, by far, the least to do to get their stadium up to standard. BC Place is a temporary grass playing surface away from being ready to go. BMO needs a significant capacity upgrade. Commonwealth needs to modernise almost everything, apparently. Even still, the City of Vancouver's contribution will only be a small part of the total outlay. The province will be tipping in the bulk of the costs required to host.

BC Place is also owned by the Province, while the city of Edmonton owns Commonwealth.  Costs for any upgrades would also fall under a different jurisdiction. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Watchmen

[Free kick]

It has been stated several times that FIFA does not want "Temporary grass playing surface".   You have to install a grass surface.   

[Free kick]

1 hour ago, Trois Reds said:

It's not just stadium upgrades though. There are upgrades to roadways, accommodations, amenities. It's a mini-Olympics for two weeks.

I have read all kinds of docs like bid books & technical reports plus press briefings from many bid cities, Q&A's with media, then writeups from sources like forbes, local Business journals... etc etc .     

I have never seen any mention of roadways ever being a factor. Or even amenities.  Accommodation & Transportation? yes.  But mostly, its about the stadium... 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Free kick

[lamptern]

8 hours ago, jonovision said:

^ I don't think anybody would be opposed to private money being spent on a stadium in this country. 

Actually Greg Kerfoot was opposed to spend his own money on the proposed Waterfront soccer stadium in Vancouver decades ago

[TGAA_Star]

Original bid honestly should have been Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal just my opinion...those are the 3 cities they should have gone with in the first place

[BuzzAndSting]

1 hour ago, TGAA_Star said:

Original bid honestly should have been Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal just my opinion...those are the 3 cities they should have gone with in the first place

Where would they have played games in Montreal?

[TGAA_Star]

5 minutes ago, BuzzAndSting said:

Where would they have played games in Montreal?

At either Olympic Stadium or Saputo if they completely renovated and expanded

[Free kick]

1 hour ago, TGAA_Star said:

At either Olympic Stadium or Saputo if they completely renovated and expanded

This has been coverred several months back.   Its all on this thread.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Free kick

[SpursFlu]

15 hours ago, Rougeisthecolour said:

I can't see a large soccer specific soccer stadium being built in this country (40000+ seating). As discussed government money is often inlolved in some way in these ventures. Can't see that happening in these times. There would be little to no appeitite for private investors to do such without a main anchor tennant. Likely an MLS team. No need for this.

Building a larger soccer specific stadium is likely not too good for an MLS team. Ticket supply will almost always exceede demand. 

That was my 1st time at BMO on Sunday. It was a great atmosphere in a small setting. The stadium leaves much to be desired with washroom capacity and the wind tunnel that is the concessions area but it seems the right size for an MLS team in Toronto and where our NT can play some of their games.

All of BC Place, Commonweath and the BIg O can likely host WC matches if a grass field was able to be installed. I would like to see Commonwealth re-install a permanent grass field and be used a site for NT games. Not a fan of games being played on a plastic field. Just my 2 cents.

I don't know where this is headed for WC 2026 but it sure looks like exisitng facilities will be upgraded and used. 

I think a 30k ish stadium expandable to 40 is pretty reasonable if shared with a CFL team. Just make it enclosed for heaven's sake. I dont get why in a country with dreadful weather we build everything wide open 

Edited March 31, 2022 by SpursFlu

[RS]

16 hours ago, Free kick said:

The topic of Giants stadium for 1994 came up on this forum many years ago. I remember looking it up and discoverring that it was in fact a grass only stdaium at the time and before that time.  They converted to artificial a while after the 1994 world cup. 

Giants Stadium had artificial turf from its opening until 1999, then grass (on trays) for a couple of years, then back to artificial turf for the remainder of its life. You can watch old Cosmos videos (or Giants/Jets videos) to confirm that the surface was AstroTurf. The short-lived grass surface was replaced by FieldTurf in 2003.

The only other time Giants Stadium had a grass surface was, of course, the 1994 World Cup.

 

[Free kick]

I take it that is challenge to me to try and dig up that old info i found.   You might be right.  But let me see what i can find.

[RS]

1 minute ago, Free kick said:

I take it that is challenge to me to try and dig up that old info i found.   You might be right.  But let me see what i can find.

I mean I just posted a video of the Cosmos playing on some of the worst artificial turf I've ever seen. I'm not sure what you're going to find that disproves what I wrote. 🤣

[Joe MacCarthy]

AstroTurf (1976–1999)
Grass (2000–2002)
FieldTurf (2003–2009)

To accommodate these varied events, Giants Stadium sported various playing surfaces in its history. From its opening until the end of the 1999 NFL season, Giants Stadium sported an AstroTurf playing surface. This surface was covered by Bermuda grass sod for the World Cup in 1994, identical to that at the Rose Bowl where the other semifinal and the finals were held (so that both teams in the finals would have played on identical surfaces). The grass was removed after the World Cup, as it would have died in the New Jersey winter. The MetroStars installed a grass field with interchangeable trays each spring that was removed prior to football season, forcing the team to play the remainder of its season on the AstroTurf field used by the football teams. (When the New York Cosmos called Giants Stadium home, they played on the stadium's artificial surface and never used a grass field.)

The AstroTurf was replaced in 2000 by a system of interchangeable grass trays similar to those put in place for soccer, but was kept in place under the trays to aid in draining the field when it got wet. Over the next three years, the conditions would worsen as the season went on and the field quality was typically rated just as low as the old, hard AstroTurf had been. Giants Stadium finally scrapped the grass in favor of FieldTurf for the 2003 season, a surface that remained in place until the stadium closed.

[Trois Reds]

14 hours ago, Free kick said:

I have read all kinds of docs like bid books & technical reports plus press briefings from many bid cities, Q&A's with media, then writeups from sources like forbes, local Business journals... etc etc .     

I have never seen any mention of roadways ever being a factor. Or even amenities.  Accommodation & Transportation? yes.  But mostly, its about the stadium... 

Thanks. I will defer to you since I haven't read any of them.  I just really want all three Canadian cities chosen, and I'm worried about it.

[BuzzAndSting]

3 hours ago, TGAA_Star said:

At either Olympic Stadium or Saputo if they completely renovated and expanded

Right, so not possible due to lack of $$$.

[BearcatSA]

2 hours ago, RS said:

Giants Stadium had artificial turf from its opening until 1999, then grass (on trays) for a couple of years, then back to artificial turf for the remainder of its life. You can watch old Cosmos videos (or Giants/Jets videos) to confirm that the surface was AstroTurf. The short-lived grass surface was replaced by FieldTurf in 2003.

The only other time Giants Stadium had a grass surface was, of course, the 1994 World Cup.

 

Field drainage has come a long ways since then.  The really high centre crown left the rain water pooling down to the flanks on these classic astro turf surfaces.

[Nored]

If Edmonton is hosting,  do you think it is likely they will go with a hybrid surface like Toronto and keep that in place for the years following? Seems like it would be a good solution rather than just a temporary installation for the World Cup. It appears it would be able to stand up to CFL use and be good for hosting future soccer matches.  I believe Edmonton's artificial turf is due for replacement around 2026 anyway,  so they need to decide on their next surface regardless of the World Cup bid. How is hybrid turf working out in Toronto? 

[gator]

I just heard a segment on Global Radio discussing the economics of Toronto hosting matches, both the guest, Marvin Ryder a business prof from McMaster and the host Jeff McArthur were not real supportive of it and think it will be a hard sell to local governments! Ryder downplayed the economic benefits noting hotel rooms could be filled anyway by car shows and the host who did not know where this year's WC was being held thought it could be like the Pan Am Games even though it is a bigger event! It must be noted that this media outlet tends to be quite slanted politically and these are just opinions of 2 guys!

[Macksam]

20 hours ago, Rougeisthecolour said:

I can't see a large soccer specific soccer stadium being built in this country (40000+ seating). As discussed government money is often inlolved in some way in these ventures. Can't see that happening in these times. There would be little to no appeitite for private investors to do such without a main anchor tennant. Likely an MLS team. No need for this.

Building a larger soccer specific stadium is likely not too good for an MLS team. Ticket supply will almost always exceede demand. 

That was my 1st time at BMO on Sunday. It was a great atmosphere in a small setting. The stadium leaves much to be desired with washroom capacity and the wind tunnel that is the concessions area but it seems the right size for an MLS team in Toronto and where our NT can play some of their games.

All of BC Place, Commonweath and the BIg O can likely host WC matches if a grass field was able to be installed. I would like to see Commonwealth re-install a permanent grass field and be used a site for NT games. Not a fan of games being played on a plastic field. Just my 2 cents.

I don't know where this is headed for WC 2026 but it sure looks like exisitng facilities will be upgraded and used. 

2023 will usher in a new era for MLS as a big media deal is on the horizon. As the league grows, there will eventually be a demand for a 40,000 seat plus stadium for Toronto at the very least. 

[Watchmen]

24 minutes ago, gator said:

I just heard a segment on Global Radio discussing the economics of Toronto hosting matches, both the guest, Marvin Ryder a business prof from McMaster and the host Jeff McArthur were not real supportive of it and think it will be a hard sell to local governments! Ryder downplayed the economic benefits noting hotel rooms could be filled anyway by car shows and the host who did not know where this year's WC was being held thought it could be like the Pan Am Games even though it is a bigger event! It must be noted that this media outlet tends to be quite slanted politically and these are just opinions of 2 guys!

The economic benefits of these events are almost always overstated. Hotel rooms in places like Toronto and Vancouver are already full all summer, regardless of hosting events.  This isn't me arguing against hosting, just that they're not necessarily wrong from an economic standpoint.

[narduch]

1 hour ago, Macksam said:

2023 will usher in a new era for MLS as a big media deal is on the horizon. As the league grows, there will eventually be a demand for a 40,000 seat plus stadium for Toronto at the very least. 

Reports from the last few weeks are saying MLS is not getting the deals it had hoped for.

[Free kick]

1 hour ago, Watchmen said:

The economic benefits of these events are almost always overstated. Hotel rooms in places like Toronto and Vancouver are already full all summer, regardless of hosting events.  This isn't me arguing against hosting, just that they're not necessarily wrong from an economic standpoint.

Yes.  I am with you 100% on these things.   I am proponent of these kind of events, don't get me wrong.  But I do wince and blush at some of the arguments of the dollars (in terms of economic spin offs) that some of the proponents advance.     

To me the benefit, is mostly the exposure.  Before Brazil 2014, I had never heard of Manaus.   But since Brazil 2014 I have.   And often think of how it would be an interesting place to visit.   That is where the benefit lies in hosting.   There are potentially  4 Billion ppl on the planet who who could learn of Manaus or Jasper.   But that one is hard to quantify in dollars what that means.  But there definitely is a benefit

Edited March 31, 2022 by Free kick

[gator]

I don't disagree with the economics of these events being over stated and in fact have voiced my opinion that we are just propping up an American bid which they probably would not have been awarded at the time due to politics! After qualifying in this cycle I have less concern about us qualifying in 2026 if we just pull the plug on this hosting 10 matches!